Suryakaladi Mana- KOTTAYAM, Kerala A Rich Architectural Heritage In Kerala, Has A Dark Legacy
Curated By: News Desk Last Updated: September 11, 2023, 18:55 IST Kochi[Cochin], India This mana has survived its glory to date. This story is narrated in the book Aithihyamaala: The Garland of Legends,written by Kottarathil Sankunni. Have you heard of Kerala’s Suryakaladi Mana? It is an age-old mana (Manais the Malayalam word for the house of a Namboodiri Brahmin) renowned for itsancestors, who were said to be great tantriks (those who performed the Tantramritual). The ancestral house of this family is situated on the banks of theMeenachil River and was constructed by Maharaja Swati Tirunal. It reflectsKerala’s unique architecture. This mana has survived its glory to date and is avisual treat for all visitors. According to the Malayalam News 18 report, this mana was establishedaround two hundred years ago. The younger generation is trying their best topreserve the grandeur of this majestic mana. One of the major touristattractions here is the Ganapati idol. There is a popular folklore attached tothis mana as well. This story is narrated in the book Aithihyamaala: TheGarland of Legends, written by Kottarathil Sankunni. According to folklore, a man named Bhattathiri from Kaladi Mana and hisfriend Namboothiri went to see Thrissur Pooram. They met two beautiful youngwomen, who invited them to stay at their house. They both accepted theinvitation. Reportedly, Namboothiri kept a book Devimahatmyam (a holy text ofthe goddess) near him and chanted devotional hymns. Then, one of the two womenentered his room and asked him to keep the book aside. Namboothiri suspectedthat something was wrong and didn’t accept the request. He later found that thewoman was a Yakshi (They were believed to be spirits that inhabit trees,mountains, rock mounds, rivers, and oceans) who had killed his friendBhattathiri. Namboothiri was saved and then narrated the entire incident toBhattathiri’s wife. Then she told it to her son years later. The young boyinvoked the might of the sun to avenge the death of his father, who bestowedhim with superpowers. He came to be known as Surya Bhattathiri. That’s how thehouse came to be known as SuryakaladiMana. The boy magically brought to the fore the spirit who had killed his fatherand placed her in a burning homa kunda, in the form of a deity outside themana. Suryakaladi Mana is an ancient abode of Lord Maha Ganapathy and thevision of Mahaganapathi is a tri-juncture of Siva, Vaishnava, and Sakteyatraditions. A devotee who seeks the blessing of the gods here wholeheartedly isnever disappointed. My note- A few years back I watched an interview of Sooryakalati manaBhattathiri in a TV Channel. In their ancestry, there was a Bhattathiri who performed homams with ants. He will spread a cloth and apply oil to collect ants. Forgetting negative things done people gave a lot of money and the Bhattathiri waslured. On account of this Nampoothri got Exima. Now too after generations,still the chief battathiri has exima marks in the body. He told it as poorva janma papam. Showedthe white marks in the body to interviewers. Now they perform homams only for good things. Yesterday I wrote about Poorva janma papam, Irecollected of this incident later, I thought of writing about it. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/333738105.664303.1715323669687%40mail.yahoo.com.
