History & Legend

The ancient Chemmanthatta Sri Mahadeva temple is one of the 108 Shivalayams of Kerala, in Chemmanthatta village of Chowannur panchayat, Thalapilly taluk, Thrissur district — 4 km from Kecheri on the Thrissur–Kozhikode route, and 2.5 km from Pannithadam on the Kunnamkulam–Wadakkanchery route.

The name

It is believed that the name Chemmanthatta descends from "Brahmanthatta" — the thattakam, or place, where Lord Brahma consecrated Lord Maheswaran.

Consecration & the presiding deity

It is believed that sage Parashurama himself consecrated this east-facing Shiva temple. Lord Shiva, the main deity, is enshrined as a six-foot-tall Maha Shivalinga facing east. Here Lord Shiva resides in raudra bhava — his furious emotion — following the renunciation of Sati after the Daksha Yaga. Though present in linga form, the concept held is of Shiva standing to perform the Sivathandavam. Lord Vishnu also resides in the temple, said to calm this raudra bhava of Lord Shiva.

Shri Mahadev resides in a Dravidian-style circular sanctum sanctorum, its Kerala-style roof completely covered in chembola — a mixture plate of tin and copper. Inside the Shri Kovil, three stone lamps stand at the back; astrologers and elders consider their presence in the temple highly auspicious.

The sub-shrines

Shri Maha Ganapati resides in the southern part of the Thirumuttam — offering a garland of green karuka grass to him is considered especially meritorious. The Bhagavati deity stands to the north. Outside, on the northwest side near the circumambulatory path, Narasimhamurthy resides in a separate sanctum; special poojas are offered to him on the day of Shri Mahadev's consecration, during Thiruvutsavam, and on Ashtami Rohini.

On the southern side of the circumambulation, Shasta and Purna Pushkala Devi are consecrated together. From this Shasta Sannidhi, thousands of devotees set out for Sabarimala each year with their bundles tied for Ayyappan darshan; on Saturdays, devotees offer sesame wicks before Shasta for the family's wellbeing.

Nagaraja and Nagayakshi are enshrined on the south side of Shasta's shrine, where devotees perform Naga pooja and offer Noorum Paalum for the Nagas' blessing. Straight ahead stand the deities of Vettakkorumakan, Vana Durga, Bhadrakali and the Nagas. The ritual of Muttirakkal, using coconut, is considered vital for Bhadrakali to end the suffering of devotees.

With utmost purity and devotion, daily rituals, special poojas and abhisheka offerings are conducted for Shri Mahadev and all the sub-devas alike.

The pond, the walls, and the murals

To the north of the temple lies a vast temple pond, directly connected to the tirtha well inside — a link the local community has long kept free of contamination. The roofless temple gopuram is sculptural, built entirely of red stone, and the surrounding wall follows the Anapalla pattern; the red stone corridor wall is striking in its own right.

The Archaeological Survey of India has confirmed that the murals on the outer walls of the Dravidian-style vatta of the Shri Kovil date to the 17th and 18th centuries — one of the reasons the temple has been protected as a historic monument since 1982.