Thiruvarkat Sree Siva Temple Matayi kavu

Overview

The Mattayi Kavu is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located in Kannur, Kerala. People visit the temple to be blessed and be worry free. Thiruvarkadu Bhagavathi Temple, is the mother temple of all Bhadrakali shrines in North Kerala.The deity is the fierce form of Goddess Bhadrakali. Goddess Bhagavathy is addressed by tantrics in the vicinity as Tiruvarkkad Achchi due to this. The temple is under administration by Malabar Devaswom Board. The temple was a revered shrine of Chirakkal Royal Family and Chirakkal devaswom. The temple is situated in Madayi, Payangadi, and hence prominently known as Madayi Kavu.

About The Temple

The temple is addressed as Thiruvarkkadu Bhagavathy, Thiruvar in proto Tamil Manipravalam is used to address Lord Shiva of the shrine, i.e., the most respectable one. The architecture of some temples in this region depicts how the Goddess is perceived among locals. The temples such as Goddess Annapoorneshwari temple and Madayikkavu have strong Brahminic influence. The Brahmin women in olden days, were not allowed to come outside in the sit out lounges, they were mostly inside their home and was addressed as Andarjanam by Kerala Brahmins. The Goddess is considered as a Brahmin Mother and hence do not face the temple’s entrance, her sanctum is inside the shrine. The shrine of Lord Shiva is seen at the entrance of the temple. Also due to the tantric inspired temple architecture and Rurujith Vidhanam, in Annapoorneshwari Temple it is Lord Krishna’s shrine in the front entrance. So the temple is known by the name of Lord Shiva rather than the Goddess. Tiruvarkaadu means the forest of the Lord. There are different folklore about the origin of the temple.

Legend and stories

According to the mythology, The Bhagavathy, Madayikkavilamma was residing in the Rajarajeshwara Temple. But, as she was a non vegetarian she could not be in the Lord Shiva temple. She ordered the then King of that region to construct a separate shrine for her. In another myth, long ago Madayi was troubled by a demon Darika and Madayikavilamma killed him and requested Lord Shiva to enshrine in a temple near him. Lord Shiva ordered his disciple Parashuram to consecrate a shrine for the Shakti. Parashurama created the Madayippara and the Holy shrine on it. The temple rites are observed as per Koula sampradaya. In Koula Sampradaya, the key to meditation is the ability to control Ashtapaashas meaning eight bindings, those are Shanka(Doubt), Ghrina (Hatred), Jaati(creed),Bhaya (Fear), Jugupsa(Reproach), Lajjaa (Shame), Kula(caste) and Sheela (Modesty). If a devotee is able to control these, Goddess Bhagavathy will help raise our consciousness to Shivam. The shrine of Lord Shiva faces East, while Mata Kali shrine faces West. The priests of the temple even though Brahmins are not Kerala Namboothiris, they are Podavar Brahmins, belonging to a particular sect associated with Kali worship, and are not barred from consumption of meat. A particular aspect of the temple is Kozhi Kalasham, which is the sacrifice of poultry for the goddess which is held in high regard.

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