Muthappan

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Muthappan
Muthappan Theyyam as Lord Shiva
Muthappan Theyyam as Lord Shiva

Sree Muthappan is the most popular local God in the Kannur district of north Kerala, south India.

Muthappan is also the theyyam performed in the famous Parassinikkadavu temple.

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[edit] Myths and Legends about Sree Muthappan

Sree Muthappan is believed to be the personification of two divine figures - Thiruvappana and Vellatom. Fundamentally the dual divine figures Thiruvappana and vellatom are not very different from the Theyyamkaliyattem of the north Malabar region. Though Sree Muthappan represents a single god, it represents two godly figures, Vishnu (with fish shaped crown) and Shiva (a crecsent shaped crown).

Sri Muthappan as a theyyam is performed year round whereas other theyyams are seasonal (lasting October to May).

[edit] Story of Parassinikkadavu Muthappan

Muthappan Theyyam as Lord Vishnu & Lord Shiva
Muthappan Theyyam as Lord Vishnu & Lord Shiva
The Naduvazhi (landlord) Ayyankara Illath Vazhunnavar was unhappy as he had no child. His wife Padikutty Antharjanam was a devotee of Lord Shiva. She offered several things as sacrifice to the God Shiva. One day in her dream she saw the Lord. The very next day while she was returning after a bath from a near by river saw a pretty child lying in a flower bed. She took the child home and brought him up as her own son.

The boy used to visit the jungle near by their house (mana)for hunting with his bow and arrows. He would take food with the poor and with the backward communities. As these acts were against the Namboothiri way of life, his parents earnestly requested him to stop this practice. But the boy turned a deaf ear to their warnings. Ayyankara Vazhunavar became very disappointed.

One day the boy went to his parents and shown his parents his divine form (visvaroopam) with bow and arrow and fiery eyes. His parents understood that the boy was not an ordinary child but a God. They prostrated in front of him and 'He' blessed them.

The God started journey from Ayyankara. The natural beauty of the Kunnathoor stopped him from his journey. He was attracted by the toddy of palm trees.

Chandhan (name of a toddy tapper who was illiterate and uncivilized knew of his toddy being stolen from his palm trees every day. So he thought of guarding his palm trees. While he was keeping guard at night, an old man was found stealing toddy from his palms. He got very angry and tried to shoot the old man using his bow and arrow. While he was about to aim an arrow at him, he fell unconscious.

Chandan's wife who came there seeking for her husband saw him lying unconscious. She cried broken heartedly. When she looked up she saw an old man at the top of the palm tree, she called "MUTHAPPA " (as if addressed to a grandfather, Muthappan means grand father in Malayalam language). She earnestly prayed to God to save her husband. Before long chandhan regained consciousness.

She offered boiled grams, slices of coconut, burnt fish and toddy to the Muthappan (Even today in Sree Muthappan temples the divotees are being offered boiled grams and slices of coconut). She sought benediction from him. Muthappa choose Kunnathoor as his residence at the request of Chandhan, this is the famous Kunnathoor padi.

After spending some years at Kunnathoor Sree Muhtappa decided to get more favorable place as his residence so that he could fulfill his aim of reincarnation. He shot an arrow up ward from Kunnathoor. The shaft reached at Parassini where the famous Parassini Temple resides now. The arrow which was emitting glow from the Theertha (sacred water ) near the temple was received with evotion and placed on the altar of the temple. Since then lord Muthappan is considered as residing at Parassinikkadavu.


[edit] Another story

As a boy, Muthappan was rebellious. He was a great hunter and would skin the animals that he killed and wear their skins as clothes. One day, he came across a coconut tree that was being tapped for toddy, the liquor fermented from coconut sap. He climbed the tree and emptied the jar that was holding the toddy. When the toddy tapper returned and saw Muthappan, he immediately challenged him. Muthappan turned the man to stone for daring to address such a powerful god in this manner. During performances of Muthappan theyyam, the performer consumes the toddy liquor and passes it around to the spectators. Hence, Muthappan “breaks” the temple rules by allowing alcohol into temple grounds.


[edit] Sree Muthappan and Dogs

Sree Muthappan is always accompanied by a dog. Dogs are considered sacred here and one can see dogs in large numbers in and around the temple.

You can see two bronze carved dogs at the entrance of the temple to symbolise the trustworthiness of bodyguards of God. When the prasad is ready it is first served to a dog that is always ready inside the temple.

Local legends enhance the importance of dogs to Sree Muthappan, one such story is as follows:

A few years back temple authorities decided to reduce the number of dogs inside the temple, they took some dogs and puppies away. Surprisingly from that very day, the performer of the Sree Muthappan Theyyam was unable to perform (it is said that the sprit of Sree Muthappan enters his body and the performer becomes God till the theyyam performance is finished). Since the dogs was taken away from the temple, Sree Muthappan does not enter the theyyam performer's body. Knowing this, the Dogs were bought back to the temple. From that day onwards theyyam performance was as usual.


[edit] Temple Festival Procession

Tradition has it that for the Annual Festivial ('Ulsavam') of the Muthappan Temple at Parassinikkadavu to start a procession led by a male member of the "Thayyil" clan of Thayyil, Kannur begins from the family home & terminates at the main altar of the temple with a 'pooja' (prayer) to the Gods.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

    [edit] External links