Vekam Shivamandir Kottayam (Vaikom Mahadeva Temple) Kottayam

The Sree Vaikom Mahadeva Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in Vaikom, Kerala, India.

The temple, along with the Ettumanoor Shiva Temple and the Kaduthuruthy Shiva Temple is considered a powerful place of Shiva. The belief is that if a devotee worships all the three temples before the Ucha puja, all his/her wishes are fulfilled. It is one of the oldest temples in Kerala and is famous for its Vaikom Ashtami festival.

The temple is one of the few temples which is held in reverence by both Shaivas, the adherents of Shiva and Vaishnavas, the adherents of Vishnu. In Vaikom, Shiva is fondly called as Vaikkathappan, the lord of Vaikom. The lingam here is believed to be from the Treta Yuga, the second age of Hinduism and is considered one of the oldest temples in Kerala where puja has not been broken since its inception.

The temple is one of the major Shiva temples in Kerala held in reverence along with the temples in Ettumanoor, Kaduthuruthy, Vazhappally, Chengannur, Ernakulam, Vadakkunathan, Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva Temple, Thiruvananthapuram and Thirunakkara.

Origin

The demon Khara, on receiving the Shaiva Vidya Upadesha, (the knowledge of Shaivisim) from Malyavan went to the holy city of Chidambaram in present-day Tamil Nadu and did severe penances and meditation for the attainment of Moksha or liberation. Pleased with his penance, Shiva appeared and granted all the boons he asked, and presented him with three great lingams, drawn out of Him. Assuring that He will ever be present in them, Shiva asked Khara to worship the Lingas to attain salvation and disappeared. When Khara was returning south from the Himalayas with the three lingams, one in his right hand, one in his left hand and other by the neck, he felt tired and rested awhile. After rest when he tried to pick up the lingas, they wouldn’t budge. He realized that it was Shiva’s magic (maya) and when called unto, the heavens spoke thus, “I shall remain here giving Moksha (salvation) to whoever takes refuge in Me!”. Khara, having attained liberation, entrusted the lingams to the custody of the sage Vyaghrapada who had followed him invisibly and asked the sage to protect and worship them.

Myths & Beliefs

On the day of Vrichika Ashtami (According to Malayalam calendar), Shiva and his consort Parvati appeared before Vyaghrapada. The Lord proclaimed, “This place shall be known as Vyaghrapadapurma“, and disappeared. The world-famous Vaikkathashtami festival and all connected holy festivals are observed here even to this day on the same Vrichika Ashtami.

Vyaghrapada continued the puja with full devotion for some time and went on a pilgrimage. Months and years passed. Parashurama had passed by the place one day. Seeing good omens, he alighted and saw a lingam submerged in water emitting heavenly rays. He could understand that it was the lingam placed by Khara. Parashurama thought to himself that, Vyaghrapadapurma, the holiest place on Earth, could be a great refuge for the devoted who wish to attain liberation. He consecrated the lingam here with his earnest prayers and recited holy mantras.

Pleased with his devotion, Shiva appeared with his consort Parvati before Parashurama. He was so pleased to see that the lingam was consecrated with the customs and rites by Parashurama, his greatest devotee.

Full of joy and gratitude, Parashurama performed puja there for some days. Then he built a temple here and entrusted a noble Brahmin man from the Taruna village. He taught the brahmin, the holy chants, mantras, procedures and shlokas necessary to perform puja to Shiva and initiated him as the chief priest of the temple. Parashurama donated the whole temple to the brahmin and disappeared. It is the belief that the temple and its connected customs and rites are planned and fixed by Parashurama himself.

It is believed that Shiva, also known here as Vyaghralayesha (the lord of Vyaghrapadapurma), gives His blessings to the devotees in three incarnations or avatars, in the morning as Dakshinamurthi, in the afternoon as Kiratamurthi, and as Shakti Panchakshari in the evening.

Vaikom Ashtami

The Vaikom temple is famous for the Vaikom Ashtami (Vaikathashtami), one of its main festivals, which is held in from November–December. The exact date of the festival is determined by the Malayalam calendar.Vaikathashtami is celebrated on the day of Krishna Ashtami in the Malayalam month of Vrischikam. It commemorates the appearance of Shiva before Vyaghrapada.