A
visit to Mangala Devi Temple on the day of Chithra Pournami was a
long-cherished dream which finally came true this time. My friend is working in Kumily Forest
Department. He called me up when he was
put on duty at Mangala Devi. He told me
to reach there early morning, but I could reach Kumily only by 11.00 a.m. When I enquired in the office, I got the
information that my friend had already left for Mangala Devi. I called him on the phone, he told me that he
will come back to the office for lunch and when he returns, he would take me
with him. My friend got back to the
office in an hour, we had lunch together, and we started for Mangala Devi.
Mangala Devi Hills.
Mangala
Devi Temple is situated on top of a beautiful hill around 2800 feet above sea
level, in Idukki District in Kerala.
Strict controls have been imposed on the visit to the temple. Only jeeps having RDO’s permission letter are
allowed to enter the top of the hill.
Plastic items and water bottles are banned. Thousands of officers of Forest, Police,
Fire, and Medical Departments of Kerala Government are put on duty at Mangala
Devi. The travel continues off road after
the check post. The drive enjoying the
wilderness of the forest and its enchanting beauty is a delightful experience. Mangala Devi Temple is deep inside the forest
of Periyar Tiger Reserve which is 13 km away from Kumily. Drinking water tanks are kept in several
places on the way through the forest.
Strict checking is there on different spots on the way.
Mangala Devi Temple.
Lot
of people from Kumily and Kambam arrive at the temple by foot. After 8 to 10 km of forest area, there are hummocks. From here, we can see Mangala Devi Temple far
away. The lush green hill, the road
encircling it, jeeps moving like ants through this road, etc. are sights that
should not be missed out. Crowds of
people wearing clothes of different colors seem to turn the hummocks into
colorful flowers. At last, our jeep
reached Mangala Devi after a daring and venturesome drive. The queue to enter the temple was so long
that it looked like a python. I too
joined the queue. The festival is
jointly organized by the Bhagavathi Group of Kerala and Kannagi Trust of Tamil
Nadu. Kannagi Trust gives free food to
the devotees.
Mangala Devi Temple.
After
waiting for an hour or so, I reached in front of the sanctorum. Inside the narrow sanctorum, I could see the 5-metal-alloy
idol or panchaloha idol. On normal days,
there will be only stone images of Siva and Ganapathi in the sanctorum. On the day of Chithra Pournami, the
panchaloha idol of Kannagi is brought here from Kambam. This temple was built 2000 years ago by Chera
Chenguttuvan, the ancient king of Tamilakam.
The temple is constructed in the ancient Pandya architecture wherein large
slabs of granite are arranged in square shapes.
On the granite slabs are carved Tamil Slokas (couplet of verses) and
dragons.
Mangala Hills.
The
temple is in a dilapidated state at present.
The condition of 2 sanctorums is not too bad, others are fully destroyed
and stones and pillars can be seen lying scattered here and there. Mangala Devi Temple is the only temple in
Kerala dedicated to the avenger, Kannagi, who is a legendary Tamil woman who
forms the main character of the Tamil Epic Silapathikaram. Devotees in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and other
states worship Kannagi as a goddess; for Keralites, she is a strong female
character. The legend behind the temple is
that Kannagi’s innocent husband was beheaded wrongfully accusing him as a thief
and Kannagi took revenge on the royal family by plucking out and throwing her
breast and cursed that the entire city of Madurai be burnt. After the city was set ablaze, she attained
salvation in the banks of Periyar.
Earlier, this temple was unknown, but when Tamil Nadu started claiming
it in 1979-80, it became a subject of territorial dispute. Permission was given to the priests of Kerala
to perform rituals in 1 temple and to the priests of Tamil Nadu to perform
rituals in the other one on Chithra Pournami.
Mangala Devi.
I
enjoyed the mesmerizing sights of hills kissing the wild blue yonder, clouds
tossing around in the vast sky like Kannagi’s violent dance (thandavam), and
the ruins of the temple reminding ancient era; all these are views that give
pleasure to the eyes and mind. From the
top of the hill, I got a picturesque view of Suruli Waterfalls and the
farmlands of Kambam and Theni. After
sometime, thick rain clouds appeared out of nowhere. In 10 minutes, there was darkness in Mangala
Devi. I could hear the security officers
asking the devotees to descent down the hill.
This is a place where heavy thunder and lightning occurs, so everyone was
asked to get inside the vehicles and leave the hill. In 10 to 15 minutes, it started raining, and
there was loud thunder. I ran and got
inside a wireless station. There was a
hullabaloo created by the roaring rain clouds resembling waves in the sea,
heavy showers, and thunder, but for me, it offered stunning scenery I would
never forget.
Mangala Devi Temple.
After
sometime, I got into the jeep with my friend and started for the valley. Because of the wetness and water channels in
the road as well as the darkness, the jeep was moving in a slow pace; I felt as
if it was walking. Throughout the way, I
could see people walking, all of them drenched in rain. Nature’s violence matched Kannagi’s violent
dance and continued for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
It took us around 2 hours to reach Kumily. When I looked back to the hilltop, I saw the
sky smiling broadly as if it was all a joke, and under it, the Kannagi Temple......