ABOUT PALLASSANA BRAHMINS' AGRAHARAMS & MANDRADIARS

There are TWO AGRAHARAMS ( VILLAGES ) of Brahmins in Pallassana which are called as KIZHAKKE GRAMAM and PATINJARE GRAMAM. Both these villages have temples of their own. While Kizhakke Gramam ( East Village ) has Lord Shiva's Lingam as the deity, Patinjaare Gramam ( West Village ) has a temple for Lord Santhana Gopalakrishna Swamy. I also like to state here that the brahmins who came from earstwhile Pandhya Desha , generally have their deity as Lord Ayyappa. The reason , as far as I have inferred is that the IYERS of Pandya Desha came from Madurai side as merchants and they had to pass through Sabari Malai. They used to perform Shaasthaa Preethy at Shabari Malai Temple to invoke the blessings of Lord Dharma Shastha, so that they could sell the clothes which they brought to Kerala, fast and earn profit. Hence , when they settled in Kerala, they built temples for Dharma Shaastha in their Agrharams. In the same way, some IYERS and VAISHNAVATES from KUMBAKONAM and TANJORE side on the invitation of Palakkad Raja, who believed in Lord Shiva worship and Lord Vishnu worship, hence built temples for Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu respectively.

However, the IYERS who came to PALLASSANA and settled in West Agraharam is seen having their temple for Lord Santhana Gopakrishnaswamy. Since all IYERS are followers of Adi Shankara and Adi Shankara believed in ONE GOD as the ultimate who had no GUNAS ( NIRGUNA BRAHMAM) , it is possible that West Village Brahmins were originally Vaishnavates who later joined as followers of Adi Shankara might have migrated to this Village who constructed a temple for their ISHTA DEVATHA i.e. SANTHANA GOPALAKRISHNA SWAMY since Adi Shankara, himself has said " SHIVAAYA VISHNU ROOPAYA". However, now I saw a small Shiva Lingam also in this Temple. Further, generally the Brahmins of this village used to wear the sign GOPEE CHANDANA although , now a days they also wear the sign with Bhasma.

Now. coming to Meekulaththi Kavu, which is even now managed by MANDRADIARS who are VAISYAS and who also came from Tamil Nadu , to sell jewellary , colonised in certain places in PALLASSANA. They believed in MADURAI MEENAKSHI AMMAN as their deity. I do not like to state the story of MEENKULATHTHI KAVU since it is known to all Pallassanites. This present temple which is very famous not only in PALLASSANA and KERALA but also in TAMIL NAADU is built by Vasisyas i.e. MANDRADIARS and even now controlled by them. However, during festival season in this temple, all Pallassanites join hands and make it a grand success. This Kavu has good revenue from the devotees not from Kerala but from Tamil Nadu.

I do not know whether IYERS came first or MANDRADIARS came first.

This TEMPLE of Meen Kulaththi Amman is known as PAZHAYA KAVU not because of its antiquity but because a New Temple has come up which is called PUTHTHAN KAVU ( New Temple ) . It is possible that many temples were in Pallassana since Pallassana is older than the arrival of MANDRADIARS and IYERS (TAMIL BRAHMINS). It is high time that Pallassanites put their heads together to find out this fact at least for academic reasons.

Friends, I am originally from Pallassana West Village, to be precise from SHANKU PATTAR MADHOM. My Grand father who was the first graduate lawyer from this village, settled at Kozhikode. Even now, my second cousins are settled in Pallassana. I visit this beautiful place once in a year to pay my obeisance to Meen Kulaththi Amman and also to pay my respects to Santhana Gopalakrishna Swamy, who is our GRAMA DEVATHAI.

At present, I am settled in BANGALORE. Thus men go to different places and settle there and merge with the customs of those places.

P.R.RADHAKRISHNAN, M.A.