Edappara Maladevar Nada temple is located at Karamvely near Kozhencherry in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Shiva or Mahadeva and Goddess Parvati. The temple observes various festivals including Vishu Mahotsavam (April 14 or April 15) and Mahashivratri.
The upa devatas worshipped in the temple are Maha Ganapathy, Nagaraja and Nagayakshi. There is also a shrine dedicated to Kayamkulam Kochunni, who was a Robin Hood of the Central Travancore region during the 19the century CE.
Uma Maheshwara nada is open on the first day of Malayalam month for various pujas and rituals.
The main murtis in the temple are worshipped under a peepal tree. There are also small shrines of upa devatas.
Various traditional local rituals are part of the annual festival. Ezhunnallathu, guruthi, abhishekam and kalasham are part of the Vishu Mahotsavam.
History Of Kayamkulam Kochunni Temple
A few decades ago, there were some instances where the local residents felt that they were possessed by an unknown spirit. Later, it was believed that the spirit was that of Kochunni’s. However, Kochunni received a ‘place’ in the temple when the Ooraali, head of the Kurava clan who belongs to the temple, had an ‘intuition’. When he was resting under a banyan tree near Kayamkulam, while returning from Oachira in Kollam, he happened to hear a celestial plea. Thus, he was able to communicate with the spirit of Kochunni, which sought a ‘suitable place’, as his soul was wandering ever since he had died at the Poojapura jail in Thiruvananthapuram in 1859.
Following this, the Ooraali offered a seat in the temple complex of Edappara Maladevar Nada and installed Kochunni’s spirit, as per his wish and Hindu customs.