Kumaranalloor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kumaranalloor
Suburb
Kumaranalloor Bhagavathy
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Kottayam
Area
• Total	13 km2 (5 sq mi)
Population
• Total	42,481
• Density	3,270/km2 (8,500/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Malayalam, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	686016
Telephone code	0481
Vehicle registration	KL-05
Nearest city	Kottayam
Sex ratio	1000:1016 ♂/♀

Kumaranalloor is a suburb of Kottayam city in Kerala, India. It is located about 5 kilometers south of Kottayam. Until 2010, Kumaranalloor had its own local government called a grama panchayath. Now, it is part of the Kottayam municipality. The old Panchayath office is now a local administrative office for the municipality. This town is also situated along the banks of the Meenachil river.

Kumaranalloor's Rich History

Kumaranalloor is an ancient place with a rich cultural past. It is well-known for the Kumaranalloor Devi Temple. The annual Trikarthika festival at this temple is a big event.

Long ago, this area was called ‘Thingalkkadu'. Later, its name changed to ‘Indu Kananam'. Some old writings also refer to the temple as mahishari kovil.

Kumaranalloor Devi Temple

The Kumaranalloor Devi Temple is one of the most important Devi temples in Kerala. It is believed to be over 2400 years old. This age is based on historical stories and other information.

The temple's design is very special. Its nalambalam (outer structure) and sreekovil (main shrine) are built in the sreechakra style. This style looks like a ring with a handle, similar to what the goddess Devi holds. This unique architecture is rarely seen in other temples.

A famous song about the temple is 'Sri Kumara Nagaralaye'. It was composed by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal. Many famous musicians, like Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and M S Subbulakshmi, made this song popular.

The Story of Cheraman Perumal

Cheraman Perumal was a king who ruled Kerala a long time ago. He started building two temples. One was for the goddess Durga in Udayanapuram, near Vaikom. The other was for Lord Kumara (also known as Subramanian) in the place that later became Kumaranalloor.

Around this time, something strange happened at the Meenakshi temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. A valuable nose ring belonging to the goddess Devi went missing. The king ordered an investigation. He also said that the temple priest would be punished if the nose ring wasn't found in 41 days. The priest was innocent and very worried. He prayed to Devi for help.

The Divine Light and a New Temple

The priest spent many days and nights praying. On the 40th night, he fell asleep at the temple's entrance. He had a dream where Devi appeared and told him to leave the place immediately. When he woke up, he saw a bright, divine light (called thejas) moving forward. He followed this light without knowing where it would lead.

The thejas guided him a long way. Finally, it reached the place that would become Kumaranalloor. At that time, the temple there was still being built for Lord Subramanian.

A Divine Voice Changes Plans

The divine light entered the sreekovil (main shrine) of the temple. This happened at the exact moment when the idol was supposed to be installed. Then, a divine voice (called asareeri) was heard. It said, "kumaran alla ooril" in Malayalam, which means "this place is not for Kumara." It meant that this place was meant for Kumari, or Devi. Because of this, the place got the name Kumaranalloor.

King Perumal was disappointed. He then traveled to Udayanapuram to install the idol of Kumara there instead. He faced some challenges on the way but eventually succeeded in placing the idol of Subramanian in the temple's sreekovil.

The Idol of Devi

Later, King Perumal returned to Kumaranalloor with Devi's idol. He prepared to install it. But then, he had another idea. He thought the idol should be changed. There was another idol in the water at Vedagiri, a nearby place. Perumal brought this idol from Vedagiri. People believed that the sage Parasurama had made and worshipped this idol in the past.

At the time of the installation, a wise Brahmin sage with matted hair appeared. He quickly entered the sreekovil and installed the idol in just a second. As soon as he finished, he vanished. To this day, people believe that this sage was Maharshi Parasurama himself. The Brahmin priest who had followed the divine light from Madurai became the main priest of the Kumaranalloor temple. His family home is known as Madurai illam, and his descendants still serve the Devi today.

Temple Architecture and Art

The Kumaranalloor temple covers an area of 15,000 square meters. The main entrance, called a gopuram, faces east. High walls surround the temple, with three other gopurams on the south, west, and north sides.

When you enter through the main gopuram, you see a beautiful sight. There's a golden dhwajom (flag staff) and a balickal pura with many sculptures. These carvings include figures of Ganapathy, Shiva, and other saints on the pillars. Inside the nalambalam, the sreekovil and the main mandapam are surrounded by paths made of carved stones. A temple for Shiva is on the right side of the main sreekovil. The Bhadrakali temple is to the south, with carved stone paths all around.

Murals: Ancient Wall Paintings

The Murals in Kumaranalloor temple are very special and rare. The outer walls of the sanctum sanctorum (sreekovil) are covered with beautiful wall paintings. These paintings show hindu gods, goddesses, and scenes from the great epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. Natural colors and medicinal plants were used to create these amazing frescos.

Kumaranalloor Thrikkarthika Utsavam

The most important festival at the temple is Thrikkarthika. It is celebrated in the Malayalam month of Vrischikam, which is usually in November or December. On Karthika day, people traditionally make an offering (called nivedyam) at the Udayanapuram and Thrissur Vadakkunnatha temples.

There's a story that the gods from these two temples were so charmed by Devi's beauty as she returned from her Karthika bath that they came out of their temples and stood on the compound walls to watch her. The temple priests, searching for the gods, found them on the walls at the southern end of the temples. Because of this, during Karthika, special prayers are performed on the walls of these temples.

The highlight of this celebration is the beautiful display of lights in the evening, known as Karthika Vilakku.

Educational Institutions

The Kumaranalloor temple also manages several schools:

• Devi Vilasam LP School
• Devi Vilasam UP School
• Devi Vilasam High School
• Devi Vilasam Vocational HS School (specializing in Medical Laboratory Technology and Computer Application)
• Devi Vilasam Public School (English Medium up to 7th standard)

A Century of School History

In 1905 (ME 1081), the School Inspector, Sri M Raja Raja Verma, visited the temple. He noticed that many young Namboothiri boys were not learning English. He offered to start a special school for them. Sri CN Thuppan Namboothiri, who managed the temple at the time, was given this task.

Under his guidance, the school started with 12 students on Vidya Arambham day. Sri Kumanam K Govinda Pillai and other important people like Sri Kakkanattu Padmanabha Pillai served at the school. After six months, the school received a small grant, but more money had to be collected from other sources.

The school's first anniversary was held in 1083 ME. School Inspector Sri R Eswara Pillai led the meeting and suggested ways to improve the school. However, the school faced challenges and closed for a while.

Later, when Sri CN Thuppan Namboothiri became a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), he helped reopen the school up to the 7th standard. Since the school didn't have its own building, donations were collected from Namboothiris to build the current large building.

The new school building was opened by the Diwan of Sri Travancore, Mannath Krishnan Nair. Dr. Gill was also a special guest at the event. The school also offered boarding facilities for Namboothiri boys from other places. A government grant of Rs. 500 was given for the boarding facilities, and extra money for the building came from donations.

This school operated for four years. Later, Diwan Raghavaiya visited and suggested converting it into an English medium school. Due to financial problems, the school had to close again for some time.

Eventually, the Maharaja of Travancore ordered the school to become a Sanskrit school. People and the temple management (devaswom) supported its development. Later, the school was opened to everyone as a regular academic school. Sri CN Thuppan Namboothiri was appointed as the lifetime manager but later resigned. The children of the area greatly benefited from this school. Many donations were received, including from NSS College. The Kumaranalloor Uranma Devaswom spent more than it could afford to support this important school.

School Facilities

The schools managed by the temple offer various facilities:

• Arts and cultural training
• Sports and Games
• Bharat Scouts and Guides