Thodikkalam- By Chance

 It was a trip , made with a different agenda . 

Visiting the  Thodikkalam shrine  was only  by chance . 

Before starting out to Kannur, had to brush up a little on a few basics about the place. Weather , food , safety , the usual . The World Web is more than useful . It gives what is sought and also what is not sought .

That's how the name Thodikkalam snared the mind- a name i had not even heard of a year ago.  Google said there is a medieval Siva temple there. Not far from base camp.

 It HAD to be visited. Because of  that one picture that appeared on screen with that name ! Obsession at first sight . 

Old temples in obscure places have a charm all their own . Peaceful to Dreamy to Evocative to Mysterious - adjectives glide through a gamut of sentiments difficult to express. If that old temple is situated in a lush woodland ,by an ancient pond ,with remnants of  carved stone scattered around , then  it becomes a  classical , "Lost World" site. Thodikkalam sounded like all that . 

And more . 

The Net picture  showed a wall with  tantalising patches of  earthy colors and fine lines - Frescos !

The Cab left the major Manandavady road and turned into the village road leading to Kannavam and 2 kms from there , to Thodikkalam . Noticed  shops , ad boards for Jewelry  Shops , movie posters , red flags and acronyms of Leftist federations on walls , a well done mosaic of The Sickle & Hammer motif on the concrete road in front of the bus stop shelter....... not exactly a jungle as was expected , but not a busy  town either . There was hope yet , when the cab stopped at a fork and the driver pointed to a little beaten path on the side , leading into a stand of  dense , dark trees. 

Walk now. 

Highly weathered bits of some old laterite wall started appearing . And above, large bats out-screeching the weak symphony of a few tiny birds. A pond announced itself presently , reflecting the blue sky and the gaunt trees in its  still water . It was bound on all sides by laterite bunds , with a few steps on the far end and a backdrop of jungle growth . Enchanting isn't the right word, but duly enchanted . 

Were  Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja of Kottayam Kingdom and his patriotic band enchanted too ? He had had more serious business here in addition to getting enchanted - hiding from the wretched East India Company that was hunting him . It was a long insurgency , the Cotiote War ( Kottayam War), spanning 13 whole years of skirmishes. The jungles of Wayanad , this region, was his  last hideout. Understanding the terrain of this mysterious area was beyond the ken of the EIC Officers . Unless some local , who knew the secrets of the jungle could guide them . Which seemed unlikely. Pazhassi Raja  had chosen this place , confident of the love and respect his people had for him , and the faith he had in the MahaSiva of Thodikkalam .

The beaten path by the pond ended at a short flight of  brick steps , flanked by a cheerfully  flowering hibiscus bush on one side and a crumbling wall festooned with the discarded prayer beads of  passing Ayyappa Pilgrims. 

The steps led to an open square , with  small  irregular turfs of  grass  and a cubical platform , about 15 feet high , in the middle. The Temple was built on top of that platform and accessed by another short stairway . In front of the stairs was the old , massive Valiya Balikkal . This structure is seen in all Kerala temples and enjoys worship equal to the main deity . One scholar has explained that the  Balikkal  represents the Commander in Chief reporting to, honouring  and protecting the "Emperor", who is the presiding deity . Temples are built as Palaces to that Super Emperor , God, designed to have all utilities exactly as an Emperor's Palace should have . The Srikovil or Sanctum is the throne room , encircled by three to five prakaras / ambalams /enclosures , with appropriate sections for different royal  functions. Fittingly , the Shiva of Thodikkalam is referred to as "Perumal" , a suffix denoting Royalty. 

There were only two enclosures on the platform . Perhaps there had been one or two more in the late 1700s , which were torn down by the EIC hunting for Pyche ( Pazhassi Raja) . In Malabar , wherever damage  is seen in any temple , it is immediately attributed to Tipu's raids . Thats an easy explanation, but also a lazy one. While a majority of the destructions were indeed wrought by him , a few sites had escaped his notice but had suffered damage on account of other reasons too. 

One  such reason is , of course , Time .  Shrines made of perishable material do decay and perish , without help from Invaders. Since wood is more plentiful in God's Own Country  than granite , it  was ,and continues to be, the chief component in building temples , granite being used only for adhishtana and pillars . Bricks , mostly of laterite, made the walls. 

 Except for Padmanabhaswami temple in Tiruvananthapuram , which replicates the Tamil Nadu model , Kerala temples have their own unique architecture more suited to the land's weather and resources. There are no grand or numerous stone sculptures as in the neighboring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu , but the artisans excelled in wood carving and carpentry. Only in modern times ,  concrete has come into use and hence variations in structures seen in newly built shrines.

The reason for the dilapidation of  the Thodikkalam Siva temple was not Tipu , but three EIC Officers , who have been identified , from old records , as Col Dunlop, Col Dowe and a Sgt Bachelor. Two of them have very specifically stated that they trained their cannons on the temple in the jungle to flush out  The  Rebel. 

Thodikkalam was the fief of  feudal lord Kannavath Sankaran, who served as Pazhassi's loyal  lieutenant  and had an army of Kurichiya tribesmen to whom the jungles were home. The skirmish in Thodikkalam happened in 1797 and the temple had been fortified.  EIC dint get the Rebel Raja  for all their hard labor there ;  rather , they  lost a few of their own men. 

But the temple lost its enclosure wall . Only the sanctum , Srikovil, was left standing, with its wonderful murals . By chance ! ASI notes that the temple was renovated by the King .

 Pazhassi Raja then migrated to a different hideout. In a poignant letter written to the King of a nearby kingdom, Pazhassi Raja mentions that he vacated the Mahashiva temple , so that it suffers no more damage from the enemy canons. He went deeper into the Wayanad jungles, closer to Mysore kingdom . The ECI finally found a few people  who could read the jungles well and were also not averse to receiving some presents from the WhiteFaces for finding and snitching about the Raja's hideout. 

There are different versions of how the beloved king died. He swallowed a diamond  in a 'Death before Dishonour' gesture . ...A  betrayer knifed him ..... An EIC soldier shot him .... An archival document  gives proof to the last theory, quoting Sub Collector T.H.Baber , who oversaw the final assault. How ever death came , the Englishmen saw to it that he was given a funeral befitting a proud king - brownie points . 

Did the cornered Kerala Simham entreat the Mahashiva of Thodikkalam to help him in his hour of need , as had the young brahmin boy from Mayavaram (TN) two centuries earlier , when faced with danger? On that occassion,  Siva had sent his Cobra to vanquish the blacksnake that had  pursued the boy with an intent of fulfilling a terrifying prophesy made for him by his father's astrologer. The boy was saved from his foretold fate, thanks to his  Father's divine dream . In it he was directed  to bring the boy to this far off  Thodikkalam to alter his fate. Long story  short , the Father , a Bhu Swami (a rich Land holder) commissioned the building of this temple ( or granted land to the existing shrine) in 16th century , as thanksgiving. That's the Sthalapuranam. He probably brought artisans from his own native land to beautify the walls with paintings . Art historians seem to think , these paintings have lines and coloring techniques somewhat different from what is seen in other Kerala temples .

Sthalapuranams and local legends are matters of Faith and need no analysis. For sure. But cannot help wondering if the Bhuswami dreamt his divine dream by chance or if he had heard the Puranic story of Raja Harischandra installing a lingam here ? This unfortunate Raja did wander around a lot , say our puranas, so we take it he came this far too. It was here that he saw , by chance , a vision of Shiva dancing in a cremation ground - called Chudalakkalam in Malayalam. And immediately all his fears and worries cleared away and he installed a Lingam he had obtained from some sage. We are told , the word Chudalakkalam got corrupted to Thodikkalam in time. 

That late morning of the visit , the Cab-man had indicated that the temple would have closed for want of visitors . Though a living temple with four pujas a day , not many visited it except on Festival days. Thats the bane of all temples , anywhere in our country , which are situated in small villages. They are difficult to fit into the busy itinerary of  packaged pilgrimage tours , given the time needed for detour from major roads. For people within limits of a site , it becomes the backyard shrine to be visited on Holy days only. Interested people from elsewhere do visit , but  dont come in droves everyday. There is no incentive to keep it open till  12 . 

After climbing the last flight of steps to the Namaskara Mantapam , found  a couple with a small child , sitting with a bag of puja necessities. They were waiting for the Melsanthi (Priest ) . He was either yet to arrive or was clearing up for the noon. So the sanctum was still open , by chance ! 

There is a distinctly heightened sense of  "Darshanam" when the small sanctum is lit only with oil lamps . You see the icon, yet you dont . He is what you will imagine - He is what you create in your Mind. 

The Priest went about the ritual requested by the couple , so there was time enough to explore the murals on the outer walls. 

Stunning ! Absolutely ! 

Also painful to see  random patches defaced / limewashed/ faded/ crumbled . What remains is still a treasure . Reportedly the largest area covered by Murals in North Kerala ( 700 sq ft) . Dividing the panels are pilasters bearing huge stucco images - Krishna , Kirata etc . 

The original Sudhasilpam ( stucco sculptures) were made with a wooden core , covered with a  moulding dough of limepaste , clay , tamarind seed gum , jaggery etc. Repair jobs with cement look shabby. 

Among the mural figures are some unusual ones . One has been identified as Adi Shankara ( seated in Yogic pose) by art historians . Another is a set of 11 identical Shiva murtis , said to be Ekadasa Rudras , not seen anywhere else. A large panel depicts death of Ravana . 

In all Kerala temples  , photography is strictly prohibited in the inner enclosure. So disappointing ! How can memory carry so many details , in HD , and even if it did , how long before that memory gets archived in unreachable recesses ? 

There are two more  new looking sannidhis in the inner precinct , to Ganesha and Shastha. The Devi's  simple shrine is some distance away in another hamlet it seems. Did not visit. 

Came out into an oppressive air of mid day humidity . Was in two minds, whether or not to stroll on the paved path , lined with nice  looking lamp posts , all around the great cubic platform .

Finally, did. Noticed that there were portals with stairs on the other three sides of the platform too , with flimsy gates creaking in the wind . Climbing up to the rear portal , was thrilled to have a panoramic view of the great two tiered Vimana ,( which could not be so well seen in the front where view is obstructed by the roof of the nearer namaskara mantapam ) . AND a wonderful  view of the painted wall in full glory . 

No Photography inside the enclosure , ok. Stood outside and zoomed. If MahaShiva had not wanted me to click , I could not have decided to circle the cube.. I treasure the pictures i now have , got by chance !

Came away with the feeling , "This is MY temple" . Perhaps Harischandra, The Bhuswami of Mayavaram , Pazhassi Raja all felt the same too. But I know for certain that one Artist and Art Historian did feel " This is MY temple" , half a century ago, when he made a wrong turn on his way to a tribal village and landed up at a neglected ,almost ruined ,temple atop a mound. When he went up to explore , he "discovered" the Murals , unknown until then in the Art World . By chance. ( C.Sivaramamurthi makes no mention of this site in  the chapter on Kerala murals in his 1968 book "South Indian Paintings" )

Resurruction of Thodeekkalam temple was entirely thanks to the efforts of that one Art Student , now a feted artist , Krishna Kumar Marar . His discovery  spurred him to study Murals of North Kerala full time and today he is regarded as an authority on this subject . The most definitive and comprehensive book on this subject to-date , with numerous plates of the Thodeekkalam murals , is the one authored by him with Albrecht Frenz . (Published in Stuttgart).