Thirumandhamkunnu Temple is dedicated to Hindu God Shiva and
Goddess Bhadrakali and is located at Angadipuram in Malappuram District, Kerala.
The temple is located atop a hill and it is believed that the Shivling
worshiped in the shrine was originally worshipped by Goddess Parvati in Kailash.
Shrine of Goddess Bhadrakali is equally famous as the main shrine and is known
as Thirumandham Kunnil Amma. Thus there are two important temples in a single
temple complex.
The temple is located 3 km off Angadipuram on the Palakkad –
Kozhikode NH 213 in Kerala.
Thirumandhamkunnu Temple Story
King Mandhata had ruled the region for a very long period.
Finally, he abdicated the throne and took Sannyasa. He then meditated on Shiva
and attained the holiest Shivling in Kailash.
King Mandhatha carried the Shivling to his kingdom and got
it installed on a hill where the present Thirumandhamkunnu Temple is located.
This Shivling actually belonged to Goddess Parvati. When she
realized it was missing, she asked Goddess Bhadrakali and Bhoothas to get it
back from the king.
When Bhadrakali and Bhoothas reached Thirumandhamkunnu they
could not climb the hill as the bright light emanated from the Shivling made
them temporarily blind.
Bhadrakali and bhootas then threw their weapons at the king
from downhill. The king retorted by throwing Attanga nuts from the creeper atop
the hill. With the blessing of Shiva, the Attanga nuts turned into arrows. The battle
continued for a fortnight.
Finally, Bhadrakali took her most ferocious form. The king
had no answer to this form. He hugged the Shivling tightly. Mother Goddess
tried to take it by force. But the Shivling split into two.
Goddess Parvati then appeared and stopped the fight. She told
the king that she does not wish to take away the linga as she understood the
power of his devotion. But she cannot stay away from the Shivling so she merged
into it.
Before disappearing Goddess Parvati asked the king to
install a murti of Goddess Bhadrakali to the north of the Shivling.
Saptamatrikas, Ganesha, and Veerabhadra were also installed
in the northern side of the main Shivling.
The Shivling worshipped here is still in split form.
Murtis worshipped in Thirumandhamkunnu Temple
Murti of Goddess Parvati faces west in the same sanctum.
Murti of Goddess Bhadrakali in the separate shrine is made
of wood. The murti is six feet tall with eight hands. Mother Goddess is in
sitting posture with the left leg bent up to the lap and the right one freely
hanging down. It is believed that this form is the one after annihilating demon
Ruru. She wears bangles and other ornaments. She holds the head of Daruka and
weapons. The doorway is not in front of the murti. The door is slightly to the
right of the murti. It is believed that one cannot look at the face of the murti as it is so powerful. Abhisheka and other rituals are performed on a metallic
bimba of the Devi. This is used during festivals.
The murtis of Saptamatrikas, Veerabhadra and temple child
are also found near the shrine of Goddess Bhadrakali. They are also made of
wood or dharu.
The temple child here is the Kshetrapala. It is believed that
the temple child was a baby laid down in scorching sun to calm down Goddess
Bhadrakali who was returning after killing Daruka. On seeing the child,
motherly feelings arose in Bhadrakali and this led her to take a benign form.
It is said that the murti of temple child is growing slightly every year.
Nagas and Brahmarakshas are also worshipped in the temple.
Another unique aspect is the presence of a child Ganesha
murti in the temple complex.
Nagas, Brahmarakshas and other forms of Shiva are also
installed in the temple complex.
Murti of King Manmatha was installed in late 1950s in the temple
after a Devaprashna.
The temple sits majestically atop a hill. This ancient
shrine is a typical example of Kerala style of architecture. The shrine has a
temple flagstaff and other architectural features we generally associate with
Kerala Temples. The temple walls are adorned with paintings.
The most important festivals and rituals observed here are
Kalampattu, Attanga Eru, Mangalya Puja and Pooram in Meena Masam.
It is widely believed that offering prayers here will help
in early marriage. People with marriage related problems find relief after
offering prayers here.