Thiruvizha Mahadeva temple is located at Thiruvizha, around 5 km southwest of Cherthala town, in Alappuzha district, Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and is famous for curing poison related incidents and mental illness. The Shivling worshipped in the temple is below the ground level. The sankalpam of Shiva here is that of Kalakantha (Shiva who swallowed poison during Palazhi Madhanam or churning of ocean). The shrine is famed for making devotees vomit poisonous items they ate, using certain indigenous medicines.
The Upa Devatas worshipped in the temple are Durga, Sastha, Vishnu and Ganapathy.
The 10-day annual festival in the temple concludes with arattu on Thiruvathira nakshatra day in Meenam month.
From Dhanu 1 to Dhanu 10 (December 16 to December 25), Kalamezhuthum Pattum is held before the shrine of Goddess Durga.
Kalabhabhishekam is held during Edava masam (May - June).
Cure For Poison And Mental Illness At Thiruvizha Mahadeva Temple
The temple is famous for making devotees vomit kaivisham given by enemies. The temple also cures people who are mentally deranged.
Legend has it that during the 14th fourteenth century CE, a member of Thalakkatt family had a dream instructing him to tie up a madman overnight at the temple where a new plant will appear next day.
The dream also instructed the person to nip a hand full of leaves from the plant and give it to the priest. He would take the juice out of it and mix it with cow milk and do Pantheeradi pooja to the Kalakanda.
Then keep it with three chakras before the temple and take out the milk and make the mentally deranged person drink it. One hour later, give the devotee tepid water. Then he would vomit a lot. In the noon make him eat the milk kheer (paal payasam) offered to the Yakshi. He would become all right.
This dream was followed, and the man regained his sanity. It is said that Travancore king himself had visited the temple in kollavarsham 1068 and had consumed the medicine.
Today, the temple is famous for this treatment.
Thiruvizha Mahadeva Temple History
It is said that a woman from the hunter community hit the Shivling with flat spear (para) thinking it to be a tortoise. Blood came out of the Shivling. The woman ran away shouting Thirpizha…Thirupizha (forgive the mistake). The place go the name as result of this incident.
Another legend has it the Shivling was seen in a pond. People performed puja and then filled with pond with mud and a temple was raised around the Shivling. This is the reason why the Shivling in the sanctum is below the ground level.
Another legend has it that Vilwamangalam Swamiyar had installed the Shivling in the temple.