Madhur Sri Madanantheshwara Siddhivinayaka Temple- Kerala

Address

Madhur Sri Madanantheshwara Siddhivinayaka Temple- Madhur, Kerala 671124 Phone: 04994 240 240

Diety

Sri Madanantheshwara Siddhivinayaka Amman: Parvati

Introduction

Madhur Sree Madanantheshwara-Siddhivinayaka Temple is a popular Shiva and Ganapathi temple located 7 km (4.3 mi) from Kasaragod town, on the banks of Mogral river, locally known as Madhuvahini. Though the main deity of this temple is Lord Shiva known as Madanantheshwara, meaning the god who killed Kama, the god of desires, more importance is given to Lord Ganapathi, who is installed facing south in the main sanctum itself. Priests of this temple belong to the Shivalli Brahmin community. Kashi Vishwanatha, Dharmasastha, Subrahmanya, Durga Parameshwari, Veerabhadra and Gulika are the sub-deities of this temple. There is also presence of Goddess Parvati inside the main sanctum.

Puranic Significance

The temple was built by the Mypadi rulers of Kumbla in the 10th century and was renovated later to its present form in the 15th century. The imposing temple attracts not only devotees but also connoisseurs of architecture who find its blend of Hindu and Jain architectural styles fascinating. The temple has a three-tiered dome of which the top two storeys have copper plate roofing and the lower one has tile-roofing. The intricately carved wooden pillars and beams inside the temple compound speak volumes for the artistry of the craftsmen of a bygone era. The walls and roofs of the temple are decorated with stucco images depicting scenes from Indian mythology. The Namaskara Mandapam (the pavilion in front of the sanctum) is adorned with wood carvings depicting scenes from the Ramayana. There is a deep well inside the temple compound. The water, which remains untouched by the rays of the sun, is believed to have many curative properties. Madhur temple was originally Madarantheswara (Shiva) Temple and as the lore goes, an old women called Madaru from local Tulu Moger Community discovered an “Udbhava Murthy” (a statue that was not made by a human) of shiva linga. Initially, the Ganapathy picture was drawn by a boy, on the southern wall of the Garbhagriha(sanctum sanctorum) while playing. Day by day it became big and fat; so that the boy called Ganapathi as “boddajja” or “bodda ganesha”. The legend of Kumble seme says Tipu Sultan wanted to demolish the temple like Adooru Mahalingeswara temple during his invasion of Coorg, Tulunadu, and Malabar. But after drinking water from the well of the temple, he changed his mind on attacking and demolishing the Garbhagudi and marched towards Malabar. But to satisfy his soldiers and Islamic scholars he made a cut with his sword symbolizing the attack. The mark is still visible on the building that is built around the temple well. The temple architecture is of 3-tiered gajaprishta type resembling the back of an elephant. One can also find beautiful wooden carvings depicting scenes from the Ramayana. The vast spacious gopurams give good ambiance for the devotees to relax and enjoy the Ganapathi`s presence. This is one of the most famous Ganapathi temples of six ganpathi temples of ancients Tulunadu, the other five are located at Mangalore (Sharavu Mahaganapathy), Anegudde, Hattiangadi, Idagunji and Gokarna.

Special Features

The temple resembles much like the back of an elephant with its three levelled Gajaprishtha styled architecture. The devotees often exhilarate with the idea of feeling the presence of Lord Ganesha while exploring the enormous Gopurams. The wooden carvings on the walls of the Madhur Temple attract the attention with the depiction of the mythological stories of the Ramayana. The poojas offered to Ganapathy here are Udayastamana, Sahasrappa and MoodappamSeva. After the pooja, don’t forget to avail the Prasad –Appa from the temple counter.

Festivals

Devotees usually offer prayers to Mahaganapathi in the form of “Udayastamana”. “Appa”, Madhur’s famous prasad, is a very tasty preparation. This is prepared daily and anyone offering prayers can avail these at the counters. Among the special poojas that are performed, “Sahasrappa” (Thousand appas) is very prominent. It consists of making an offering of thousand appas and then the devotees get to take home all these (and eat them with full relish). Another very special pooja that happens is Moodappam Seva which involves covering the Mahaganapathi statue with Appam. This is usually done on a community scale. Ganesh Chaturthi and Madhur Bedi are the occasions when the temple is at its busiest. The temple usually carries out special poojas on all the major festivals.