Parumala

Parumala Parumala
town

Parumala is a small town in Pathanamthitta district, bordering Alappuzha district. This is an island in Pampa River. Mannar is a small town across the Pampa river near Parumala.

Panayannarkavu is situated in Parumala and is one of the few temples in the state of Kerala where the Sapta Matas, or the Seven Mother Goddesses are worshipped as the presiding power. Chamundi, the fiercest of them all, gets the predominant place as Kali. There is also a temple of Siva in the premises. Situated in a luxuriant grove near Parumala and girdled by a tributary of the Pampa, this apparently modest temple is only about 2-miles from Mannar, a village well known for its bell-metal lamps and vessels.

HISTORY of PANAYANNAR KKAVU DEVI TEMPLE

Although there are hundruds of kali temples in kerala, devotees all over Kerala consider thee temples as most important. They are Thirumandham kunnu in Malabar region, Kodungalloore in Cochin region and Panayannar kavu in Thiruvithamboor region( Ithihya mala- Kottarthil sankunni).

Panayannar Kavu is situated in a small ilond in Parumala, Mannar of Alapuzha district of Kerala. This islond is sarrounded by river pamba.

A king from chiravayil kovilakam went to panayoor kavu for conducting devi bhajanam ( this kovilaka was near Kadapra), and as he made his bhajanam with utmost devotion, he had Darshan of devi. He requested devi to come to his land for their prosperity and devi so devi asked the thamburan to conduct a 12 day bhagavathi seva at Parumala temple, where she will come soon. King did all the rituals and on the day of completion people witnessed a ball of fire coming from the northern direction to the temple. The king with the help of Tantri, made pratishta of devi in the southern side of siva temple. But because of the time of pratishta and rituals performed the nature of deity become too horrible as the bhava of Gooddess is ' as she is going to Kill Daruka".there fore the diey became too horrible and athyugra moorthy. even general public become afraid to go there; and because of this they have consulted the Tantri and made another pratishta facing north.This was in the form of goddess who have killed darika and was in a bit relaxed stage. But still the roudra bhava of devi didn't dimnish. as the poojaris conducted rituals in a very secret and strict way, the power of devi increased day by day.

In order to reduce the power of goddess kali and her assistants(bootha ganangal), the King has started giving her BALI ( slaughtering of goat, hen, elephants and even human beings). from that day onwards the temple become very famous in kerala and people from all over the state has started oming to the temple for their Upasana. All these offerings continued for years and after some decades, on the day of a nara beli, ( slaughter of human), the girl who was going to be killed; did a final pray to the goddess Kali and at that time there was a sound from Goddess Kali's central sanctum; not to kill her and from that day onwards, close the main central sanctum. ( still it remains closed).After that incident they have never opened that central sanctum, and now no rituals are performed for the maha kali in the central sanctum. In order to reduce the power of the Goddess Kali of the main central sanctum, a meru (srichakra - meru) pratishta was also done and now all the rituals to goddess kali of the central sanctum are performed in front of the meru. Now nobody has the courage even to go near the main sanctum and even the poojaris or brahmins of the temple go only to the meru and come back.

The king had given the ownership of the temple to the girl who was behind all these, and now her family is called as 'adissans'; who are the present owners of the temple. Their family building is near to the temple and ther is also another deity ( which is the moolasthanam); where the karanavar ( most aged man of the family) daily perform a secret puja (ritual ) to the goddess in Kaula saktheya sampradaya. (rurujith vidhanam). They were experts and famous in astrology and also mantra vada and tantra.

MIRACLES @ PANAYANNAR KAVU TEMPLES The miracles which has happened and which are still happening here are countless. Some decades back, an elephant in ambalapuzha temple dead within the temple compound and as it cant be buried there, the authorities came to panayannar kavu and requested the velichapadu to do some thing. He went there; and with his power (devis blessings)took the elephant outside the temple complex. Witnessing this, the king of ambalapuzha gave some acres of land to panayannar kavu temple( which is still in the possession of the temple).

The British ruler of the state Mr.Manro, tried to check the gold ornaments of goddess Kali and become senseless and remained unconscious for some days; and as a remedy he has donated some gold to the temple; which is also there in the temple.

A Christian missionary called Kadamattathu Kathanar tried to control a Yakshi ( demon) and found no place to give her a stay. He came and prayed to the goddess kali of this temple and with the devi's blessings; was able to control her. ( shes still there in the temple compound).

Parumala is alsohas an Orthodox Church of Mar Gregorious (Parumala Thirumeni). It is here that Geevarghese Mar Gregorios the first declared saint of The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is entombed. The commemmoration ormapperunnal celebrated on the first and second of every November, is very famous at this time, as a large number of people flock to this place for worship. People prefer to get here at that time by walking from all over the Nation. The government recognised Parumala Church is known as the International Pilgrim Center.

History of Parumala

Parumala is a small stretch of Island on the shores of the river Pampa, which has an area of about 4 square miles (10 km²), the place became almost wild, desolate area. The famous ‘parumala palii' was situated south of the Panayennar kavu temple.

Panayannarkavu is one of the few temples in the state of Kerala where the Sapta Matas, or the Seven Mother Goddesses are worshipped as the presiding power. Chamundi, the fiercest of them all, gets the predominant place as Kali. There is also a temple of Siva in the premises.

Situated in a luxuriant grove near Parumala and girdled by a tributary of the Pampa, this apparently modest temple is only about 2-miles from Mannar, a village well known for its bell-metal lamps and vessels. Until recently, esoteric tantric rituals were conducted in this Saktheya temple.

From an allusion to this temple in the 14th century Malayalam epistolatory poem, ?Unni Neeli Sandesam?, countless legends and stories sprang and gained credence, about the sacrifices and rituals practiced to invoke the blessings of the ferocious goddess. The poem mentions, in figurative language, the practice of sacrificing elephants to appease the goddess.

And even today, the goddess inspires fear and awe in the faithful. But as one walks into the temple and beholds the paintings around the shrines, the initial fear vanishes and a rare calm settles in. Familiar stories from the Puranas, in gentle and pleasant tones adorn the walls.

Along with Mahakali and Bhadra kali the "Sreemeru chakra" is their in which all pujas are performed. The temple also has idols of saptha matas; (Brahmi,Maheswari,kaumari,Vaishnvi,Varahi,Indrani,Chamundi and Sulini (a raw energy of Durga),verabhadran,Ganapati and Shiva as Aghora murthi(RURUJITH vidhaana,but with a slight difference in disa and Chamundi as Bhadrakali where in Kodungallur the vaishnavi is Bhadra kali) and two Very fiercy form of Kali ,Karim Kali and Kodum kali with Bhutham,Yakshi (Nili),Rakshas,Skshetrapalaka ,Annapurnaswari and 5 Nagarajas And all 32 Yakshini's.

In those days, Rama Rayar, Peshkar (District Collector) of Quilon registered present Parumala a big plot of land was given permission to cultivate after registering necessary documents to a well-known resident of Pavukara, Sri Koruthu Mathen of Arikupurathu Family, as per the ‘Vila Adharam’ (Registered Document).

Arikupuram

In those days, Palakkunnath Mathews Mar Athanasius was staying in the Parish-house of the Niranam church, taking care of the administration of the church as Malankara Metropolitan. Thanks to the favourable attitude and intervention of the British Rulers, the Metropolitan was given special privileges and powers. He supported and followed the reformation movements in the church begun by his paternal uncle Palakkunnath Abraham Malpan. It was during these days that Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius was ordained as Metropolitan. Despite being the real ‘Head’ of the Malankara Church, Mar Dionysius did not have the influence or clout to confront his adversary who kept all the institutions of the church in his custody, especially in the southern regions. The Metropolitan wanted to establish a seminary in this area and submitted everything before the will of the almighty. This fervent wish was uppermost in his mind while he was staying in the Paliyekkara Church, Thiruvalla. There he met Arikupurathu Mathen Karnavar one day and the Seminary project cropped up in their conversation. Before long, the Metropolitan rode to Parumala and the generous Karanavar freely donated a square plot of 30 ‘Dandhs’ area for the construction of the seminary on 13th Karkkadakam 1047 ME.

Azhippura

The plot has an area of 2 acres (8,100 m²) as per modern measurements. An ordinary building called ‘Azhippura’ was soon built on this plot of land for conducting classes for the deacons etc. Syriac classes were begun here under the care of Fr. Yakob. In course of time, Metropolitan Mar Dionysius gave the charge of the seminary to Metropolitan Mar Gregorios (Later known as Parumala Thirumeni), in order to carry on the Syriac teaching sessions more efficiently and also to help him in other church matters.

Construction of the Old Church

Gradually the number of disciples in the seminary substantially increased and they were all particularly drawn in by the Saintly Bishop’s devout life of prayers. All these people could not be accommodated in the meager space of the Azhippura. So His Grace Mar Gregorios mostly had his rest and sleep on a veranda to the south of this building. Yet another room (known as ‘The New Room’) was built to solve this problem. As and when this work was finished, the Bishop shifted his residence to the new room. A temporary church for prayers and rites was already there in the land donated by Arikupurathu Family in 1885. This was originally built by Arikupurathu Karanavar for their spiritual needs when they fell off with the Niranam Church. The devout and prayerful Mar Gregorios wanted to rebuild this temporary church into a befitting beautiful church. The Bishop had no special capital for this. Making use of the personal gifts he received and the donations from the various parishes, he built the church and an adjoining seminary building at a cost of approximately Rs. 20,000 on 27 January 1895. On the feast day of Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Metropolitan Mar Gregorios himself conducted the temporary consecration of the church and offered the Holy Qurbana in the presence of Metropolitan Joseph Mar Dionysius.

This church is dedicated in the names of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. The saintly Metropolitan is buried in the northern corner of the church were the octagonal altar and the rectangular ‘Haikla’ of the church join together (the saintly Metropolitan was taken to his heavenly abode on 2 November 1902. The Holy Episcopal Synod Canonized him as a saint in 1947).

Embellishment of the Church

The western face of the tomb was closed in 1910. The altar on the northern side was dedicated in the name of St. Mary and the one on the southern side in the name of St. Thomas. Subsequently all the three altars were embellished with the beautiful ‘Kdouskudisin’ golden gilt work. During this phase, in the development of the church, the then Malankara Metropolitan Vattasseril Mar Dionysius was the main organizer of the activities. Later on, Very. Rev. Punnoose Ramban (who later became the illustrious Catholicos of the East - His Holiness Baselius Geevarghese II) was the Manager of the Parumala Seminary.

Expansion of the Church

On 6 June 1925, Metropolitan Yuyakkim Mar Ivanios (1858 - 1925) who used to stay in the Parumala Seminary died. His mortal remains were entombed close to the tomb of Parumala Thirumeni. The church at Parumala, built by Mar Gregorios could contain only 300 worshipers. Hence the church was extended towards the west in 1930, with a porch (Natakasala) and with a balcony hall above. Then the church was large enough to accommodate 800 devotees. In 1960, a pillared-hall with a dome overhead was built on the northern side of the tomb so that people could conveniently pray and make their offerings. A tower was also built on the north-west side.

Old Church after extension

The Parumala Seminary was highly useful, especially for the deacons in the south, when the Kottayam seminary was in the possession of Mathews Mar Athanasius. Had it not been there, the Syriac - learning of the Deacons in the south - would have been badly affected.

This not parumala history, this only for parumala church history.

St.Gregorios Hospital

St. Gregorios Cardio Vascular Centre Cardio Vascular Centre under the effective leadership of renowned heart specialist Dr.K.M.Cherian.

St Gregorios Cardio Vascular Centre is a 150 bedded state of the art dedicated tertiary cardiac care centre, situated at Parumala, Kerala. It’s a unit of Frontier Life line Pvt Ltd, Chennai, sponsored by Dr KM Cherian Heart Foundation.

The cardiology department does about 1200 cardiac catheterizations per year. We have a well equipped ICCU and invasive and non-invasive cardiac laboratory facilities. The department has Echocardiography Lab with Doppler facilities, TMT (Treadmill Test) and Holter Monitoring, most recent Electrophysiology Lab (for arrhythmia study), Facilities for Balloon Angioplasty with stenting, Balloon Valvotomy and valvoplasty and Device Closure for Congenital defects (ASD, VSD & PDA). Our Lab is fully equipped CCU with facilities of temporary and permanent pace makers, Ventilators, IABP, etc., and Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP). In this hospital four cardio thoracic surgeons. five Consultant Cardiologists, one Peediatric CArdiologists etc. They are doing coronary angioplasties, peripheral interventions, and permanent pacemaker implantations including dual chamber, balloon mitral Valvotomy and basic EP studies

250 coronary angioplasties, 50 permanent pacemaker implantations, and around 35 RF ablations and 10 EP studies and 20 BMV are done in a year. Department of Cardiac Surgery

The Department of Cardiac surgery is under the leadership of the world famous Cardio Thoracic Surgeon Dr. K.M Cherian in this hospital they are doing all kinds of heart surgeries including pediatric and adult. Open Heart Surgeries like ASD, VSD,ICR, BT Shunt,ICR, ROSS Procedure, Mixoma,MVR,AVR, DVR, All kinds os closed heart surgeries, like PDA and commonly doing CABG etc. There is a well equipped Critical Care Ambulance also available all the time in this Ambulance all kinds of critical care services are available. includind Ventilator, defibrillator Monitor, Temporary pacemaker etc.

St.Gregorios College of Nursing

BSC Nursing College situated on the bank of river Pamba.

Niranam Church

Niranam St.Mary's Church, established by St. Thomas in AD 54 is only three km from Parumala.

Nearest Bus Station

• Chengannur
• Tiruvalla

Chengannur to Parumala 10 km - There is also a famous temple in Parumala called Panayanar Kaavu (kali- devi). It is considered as one of the oldest temple in Kerala.

Nearest Railway Stations

• Chengannur, Thiruvalla

External links

• Official WebSite of Parumala Church
• An exclusive website on the life & history of Parumala Thirumeni
• An official Web Radio of Malankara Orthodox Church broadcasting from Parumala Church
• An official Web TV of Malankara Orthodox Church broadcasting from Parumala Church

Related Links

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* (THE SAINT OF PARUMALA) History of Parumala Thirumeni - Prayer Request - Prayer timings of Parumala Church - Parumala Church Council - Living Words -Gallery - Music - Videos - Online TV and Radios - Downloads and More......

References

• Parumala Thirumeni (Mar Gregorious)