Kerala unplugged: Spiritual tours of Kerala

Shailesh Nair

So many Gods, so many people, so many temples and so many choices - truly God's own country. Kerala is an ideal place for pilgrimages or pilgrim tourism.

The architecture, the history, the significance, the festivals, the traditions, the rituals, the myths, the elephants, the music...the list goes on. This gives Kerala a mystical charm and an edge over other states. The repertoire of temples to choose from gives Kerala a fabulous promotional scope in this segment. However this is still not a well known fact outside Kerala. Leaving aside a few big shrines like Sabarimala, Guruvayoor, Chootanikkara, Ettumanoor, Padmanabhaswamy temples - the others have not attained prominence outside the state. There has not been much of an effort in promoting these temples either.

There have been some individual efforts by few tour companies in promoting some temple festivals. However, they have been event managed for a specific client/segment only. Mass movement has been limited to only a few temples. Due importance has been given to the traffic to Sabarimala with facilities and infrastructure improving every year to accommodate the ever increasing number of devotees. As can be noticed from the numbers, there is tremendous scope for increasing the traffic, provided similar importance is given along with information to the devotees. Some of the devotees club the pilgrimage with a short vacation to ease off from a hectic work schedule. This is a very potential revenue generating segment.

For an inbound tourist, India is a land of mysticism- they look forward to see and feel the diverse culture, people and rituals. It is like transporting them to a different world where they are awestruck by what they see. Kerala has achieved a cult status as a tourist destination in the minds of people across the world. Right from North to South Kerala, the entire stretch of narrow land is dotted with temples. Some of the destinations where these temples are located are ideal tourist getaways in waiting.

Let's look up some of the unique not-so-known temples.

Sarpa Kavu (Naga Temple) at Mannarssala

The Mannarssala temple dedicated to Naga Devatas is located in the middle of a large grove dedicated to serpents. There are several hundred granite images of snakes covering this area. The central temple contains images of Nagaraja, the king of serpents and his consort Sarpayakshi. Some of the many images are said to have been brought and left here by families who were unable to maintain the snake groves within their homes. Worship services are performed by a female priest who resides within the confines of the grove. The priestess adheres to an austere lifestyle. From the moment of assuming priesthood, the priestess is considered to be a bride of the snake king, Nagaraja. Her very residence is considered to be a temple, and it is believed that a guardian serpent dwells in the cellar of the home. Legend has it that when Parasurama reclaimed Kerala, the new inhabitants of the land waged a war with the then inhabitants, Nagas. Parasurama intervened and decreed that a small corner of each yard be dedicated to the original Naga inhabitants of the land and hence the concept of a Sarpa Kaavu.

Kanjiragat Shiva - Vaidyanatha temple at Taliparamba

The Vaidyanatha temple regards Shiva as the divine physician or Vaidya. Shiva as enshrined here is said to bear the aspects of Aditya the sun God and hence, Sundays are considered to be of great significance in this temple. The water from the abhishekam ceremony is offered as the prasadam here and is said to possess medicinal properties. It is believed that many suffering from diseases, find cure upon offering worship here. It is said that in the Taliparamba temple, women were allowed to visit the temple only after the evening worship service, and that this temple was built to facilitate all visitors to offer worship at all times.

Pandava Temples

Legends from the Mahabharata are an intricate part of the cultural web of India, which transcends regional and linguistic affiliations. Five temples of Kerala, dedicated to Vishnu (Krishna) are connected with the Mahabharata. Legend has it that the Pandava princes set out on a pilgrimage throughout India, after installing Parikshit as the ruler of their vast empire. During their tour of Kerala, the five brothers built a temple each. These temples are:

• Chengannur (Yuddhisthra)
• Tiruppuliyur (Bhima)
• Aranmula (Arjuna)
• Tiruvanvandur (Nakula)
• Tirukkodittaanam (Sahadeva)

....and many more. I have mentioned only about temples; however so diverse is the culture of Kerala that we have churches, mosques, Jain temples and Buddhist shrines which date back centuries and have their own stories to tell. Needless to say, spiritual tourism is going to the next offering of Kerala.

The author can be contacted on info@mystikalindia.com