Temples

There is a myth about the origin of the Chinakkathoor temple which goes back to the Ramayana period. Rama and Lakshmana were wandering in search of Sita when they reached Vilwadri (the Vilwa Mountain). They told lord Ayyappa and Bhagavathy who were accompanying them to find a place to take rest. When they did not return even after a long time, Rama and Lakshmana went looking for them and found them taking rest at the top of the hill. The myth has it that an angry Rama pushed lord Ayyappa down to the south and gave a good beating to Bhagavathy. (The shrine of lord Ayyappa at Vilwadri temple is situated in a lower part from the rest of the structure now- like a pit and the deity is called kundile ayyappan or Ayyappa in the pit!).
Beaten up by Rama, Bhagavathy ran away from there crying “ayyayyo” and stopped running when she reached Chinakkathoor, Palappuram and took position there, facing the north. The temple faces to the south today.

It is believed that the Bhagavathy in the lower shrine is self-manifested or created by its own accord (swayambu). It is also said that Chinakkathoor temple used to be a place of worship for the people from the lower caste. There is yet another myth which suggests this. Once upon a time, a cheruma girl was cutting grass for her cattle. When she tried to sharpen her knife on a rock, it began to bleed. She was frightened and called up her elders. The older members of the community gathered and felt the presence of Bhagavathy there. They decided to worship Bhagavathy there and tried digging at the sides of the stone to know its depth. But even after digging for a long time, they couldn’t reach the root of the stone. From then onwards, that place came to be known as Chinakkathoor, to mean chinakkiyedutha ooru (the place which was dug out).

Maharshi Parasurama consecrated the idol of Mahavishnu in such a concept that the Lord is embracing Goddess Mahalakshmi. After the consecration the Maharshi entrusted the temple responsibilities to some local Brahmins. These Brahmins became prosperous of wealth by the blessings of Goddess Mahalakshmi. But later they became indifferent to the activities of the temple which brought about their downfall. The temple also lost its wealth and glory in the course of time.

After a long period Vilwamangalam Swamikal, a great disciple of Lord Guruvayoorappan visited the temple. He had the vision of Mahalakshmi engaged in the service of Lord Mahavishnu.

The history of the temple dates back to the times of the Calicut Zamorin. The period from AD 700 to 1500 saw the grandeur and glory of the Zamorin’s ruling period. It is during the start of the period the Zamorin’s family shifted their royal residence from Kondotty to Kozhikode / Calicut. And thereby Calicut became the Economic Capital and political Hub of the dynasty. Soon after this the Zamorin was busy in expansion of his territory and many political invasions were declared. Valluvand and nearby territories came under his rule.

The temple belongs to Koramboor Mana family.The temple is run by Sree Dhanwanthari Moorthi Seva Trust. On the southern side of the temple there is a small stream which flows towards the east. The practice is to have bath in this stream and then enter the temple for Darshan. It is believed that problems due to Vatha, Pitha and Kafa get cured if the devotees stay here and meditate. Doctors practicing Ayurveda also come to the temple for Bhajana (Pooja, meditation). ‘Krishna Tulasi’ is the favourite of Dhanwanthari.