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As
you
travel
south
from
Allapuzha,
along
the
serene
West
Coast,
you
are
reminded
of
scenes
from
the
famous
malayalam
movie
'Chemmeen'.
Then
you
hit
Haripad,
and
turn
inland.
Green
undulating
paddy
fields
and
scenic
beauty.
Soon
you
are
at
a
place
called
Chengannur.
Just
south
of
Thiruvalla
on
the
MC
road.
The
town
is
built
around
a
Mahadeva
temple.
This
Mahadeva
Temple
by
the
western
bank
of
the
holy
river
Pamba,
is
famous
all
over
the
world.
The
presiding
deity
is
Mahadeva,
in
the
form
of
a
Lingam
facing
East,
while
the
image
of
His
consort,
Parvathy
is
located
exactly
behind,
facing
West.
The
temple
is
approached
through
a
temple
tower,
built
in
Kerala
style,
and
a
golden
flagstaff.
There
are
shrines
of
other
deities
around
the
temple
for
Sastha
and
Ganapathy.
The
image
of
Bhagavathy
is
made
of
panchaloha.
The
temple
has
a
two
storeyed
gopuram
with
the
upper
storey
having
wooden
trails
covering
the
Kottupura
(a
hall
of
drum
beating
during
festivals).
The
roof
of
the
temple
and
some
of
the
pillars
have
lavish
wood
and
carvings
depicting
various
stories
of
ancient
epics,
Ramayana
and
Mahabharatha.
What
makes
this
temple
unusual,
and
unlike
other
temples,
is
that
it
attributes
a
human
trait
to
the
Divine
–
Parvathi
menstruates
here;
and
the
duty
of
the
head
priest
is
to
watch
out
for
blood
stains
on
her
clothing
every
morning,
when
he
removes
the
previous
day
adornments,
and
prepares
for
the
fresh
day
pujas.
As
always,
there
is
a
story
behind
this
also.
When
all
the
Devas
gathered
together
in
the
Himalayas
for
Lord
Shiva
and
Parvathi’s
wedding,
Lord
Brahma
feared
that
the
world
would
lose
its
balance.
He
sent
Saint
Agasthya
to
the
South
to
balance
the
weight.
After
the
wedding,
the
newlyweds
came
to
the
southern
bank
of
the
Pamba
river,
where
Agasthya
was
living,
to
pay
their
respects
to
him.
Goddess
Parvathi
got
her
first
period
during
this
visit.
The
temple
was
constructed,
supposedly,
on
the
spot
in
which
the
Saint
resided.
Shiva
and
Parvathi's
visit
were
special
and
so
they
became
the
deities
in
the
Temple.
But
since
a
girl
attaining
puberty
is
a
moment
to
celebrate,
that
became
the
most
important
ritual
of
the
temple.
Once
a
‘blood
stain’
is
seen,
the
eldest
woman
of
a
Brahmin
family,
Thazman
Matt,
where
the
priests
of
the
temple
belong,
is
called
upon
to
confirm
if
the
Devi
is
indeed
menstruating.
If
yes,
then
Parvathi’s
idol
is
shifted
into
a
small
room
off
the
sanctum
sanctorum
and
the
temple
remains
closed
for
four
days.
Two
women
are
deployed
throughout
the
day
as
thozhi
(helpers)
and
they
will
stay
in
front
of
the
room
of
Devi
during
the
four-day
festival.
On
the
fourth
day,
Parvathi’s
idol
is
taken
to
the
Pamba
river
for
an
‘arrattu’
or
bath.
With
pomp
and
splendor,
the
Devi
is
brought
back
to
the
temple
where
Lord
Shiva’s
idol
awaits
her
at
the
entrance.
The
festival
is
called
'Thriputharattu'.
Parvathi
‘menstruates’
once
in
two
or
three
months,
but
devotees
say
that
until
a
few
years
ago,
it
used
to
be
a
monthly
affair.
I
have
not
heard
of
this
phenomenon
for
many
years
now,
though,
in
my
student
days,
this
was
quite
normal
occurrences.
Can
an
idol
menstruate?
The
legend
goes
that
a
European
officer,
Colonel
Munro
poked
fun
at
the
ritual
and
stopped
it.
Soon
his
wife
had
intense
pain
and
heavy
bleeding.
He
was
forced
to
restart
the
ritual.
In
a
place,
like
Kerala,
where
menstruating
women
are
banished
from
temples
for
seven
days;
such
a
ritual,
certainly,
has
an
added
significance.
As
you
travel
along
the
Main
Central
Road
from
Angamaly
to
Thiruvananthapuram,
do
take
a
break
at
Chengannur
and
visit
this
famous
temple.
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