Kulathupuzha Sree Ayyappa Swamy Temple/ Sree Bala Sastha Temple - Kerala

Address

Kulathupuzha Sree Ayyappa Swamy Temple/ Sree Bala Sastha Temple – Kerala

Diety

Ayyappa

Introduction

Kulathupuzha Sastha Temple is located on the banks of Kulathupuzha river, a tributary of Kallada River. It is located in Kulathupuzha in Punalur taluk of Kollam district in the Indian state of Kerala. The presiding deity there is Lord Ayyappa in the form of Balasastha. It is also one among the pancha sastha shrines and one of the 108 Sastha shrines in Kerala. The idol there is believed to be installed by Lord Parashurama, and is made up of eight pieces of stones. The temple is constructed as per Kerala style of Temple Architecture.

Puranic Significance

Lord Ayyappa is the principal deity. He is in the form of Balasastha (child form of Ayyappa) and commonly known as ‘Kulathupuzha Balakan’. There is a popular song titled ‘Kulathupuzhayile Balakane’ praising the deity of this temple, along with the deities of Achankovil, Aryankavu, Sasthamcotta, Chamravattom and Sabarimala temples. The peculiarity of the idol is that it is not made of a single stone, but is made of eight pieces or stones. The idol here is believed to be installed by Lord Parasurama. Here the deity is in fierce mood (ugramoorthi) as well as in auspicious mood (mangalapradayakan). The temple pond has a number of fishes, The fishes in the Kulathupuzha river are called Thirumakkal (Sacred children of the Lord) Meenoottu (feeding of the fishes) is a special Vazhipadu here. Lord Shiva, Ganapathi, Karuppaswamy are found in the temple premises. The Kulathupuzha Balakan, also known as Manikantan, is venerated as the child form of Ayyappa. The temple is situated on the banks of the Kulathupuzha, a tributary of the Kallada. The idol is not in a single stone, but of eight pieces of stone. The legend behind it is that when a Brahmin on his way back from Rameswaram went to bathe in the river, his servants made a hearth with three blocks of stone to cook food. But one stone always remained taller than the rest, whatever the adjustments made. When they attempted to drive that stone down, it broke into eight pieces and started bleeding. When the Brahmin returned, he saw Manikantan in the stone and reported it to the king of Kottarakara. The king then ordered the construction of the temple (believed to be more than 700 years old), and the idol was created using the eight stone pieces. Later, when the area came under the Kingdom of Travancore, the kings worshipped at the temple on their way to Shencottah and Ambasamudram, the north-eastern boundary of the then Travancore. This is the only Sastha temple where a ritualistic ceremony known as “Thiru- kalyanam” for the wedding of Ayyappa takes place during the Sabarimala pilgrimage. A ritual depicting the betrothal, or “Pandiyan Mudippu” ceremony, is held. By tradition, the wedding ceremony gets aborted.

Special Features

The peculiarity of the idol is that it is not made of a single stone, but is made of eight pieces or stones. The idol here is believed to be installed by Lord Parasurama. Here the deity is in fierce mood (ugramoorthi) as well as in auspicious mood (mangalapradayakan). It is believed that the fishes in this area are ardent devotees of Dharma Sastha and hence the fishermen will never enter this area to catch fish. Kulathupuzha Dharma Sastha temple experiences a heavy rush during every Mandalam period when lakhs and lakhs of devotees come to visit Shabarimala. Here the Presiding deity Lord Ayyappa. He is in the form of Bala Sastha.