In the place of sanctum sanctorum stands an open platform embracing the elements. There is no idol and you see a couple of maces, the favourite weapon of the presiding deity. But the Kaurava king is not addressed as god or lord by devotees at Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada Duryodhana Temple. For them he is ‘appooppan’ (grandfather) and the main offering is kalasam (toddy), the very reason a devotee offered 101 bottles of foreign liquor a few days ago. While the temple, said to be the only Duryodhana temple in south India, is quite famous, strewn across the northern border of Kollam are several lesser-known shrines dedicated to other Kauravas, including Dussasana and Dussala. None of them follows any tantric tradition and no mantras are recited in Sanskrit. The priests simply invoke the deities in Malayalam and seek blessings for the devotees.
“The temple remains open 24x7 and devotees cutting across caste and religion are welcome. We follow the Dravidian custom and don’t believe in ‘rahu’ or ‘gulika kaal’ that are usually considered inauspicious,” says Krishnan, the oorali (priest) of the Duryodhana temple. Myths abound about the origin of temples and the one commonly shared revolves around the story of Pandavas’ ‘agyatvas’ (incognito exile). Legend has it that the Kauravas came to these parts in search of Pandavas to make them repeat the cycle of exile.
Sole Shakuni temple
According to Janardhanan Nair, a Bhagavatham reciter at the Dussasana temple known as Ennasseri Malanada, the eldest Kaurava wanted all his siblings nearby. “We haven’t heard about any other Dussasana temple and unlike the general assumption, the deity here is calm and gentle who is very benevolent towards devotees. All these temples have very distinctive custom and we conduct ‘kodiyettu’ (ceremonial flag hoisting) during the festival of Kunniradath Malanada where Dussasana’s sister Dussala is worshipped,” he says.
Priests from these temples belong to the Kurava community and the rights are inherited. The Sakuni temple at Pavithreswaram, touted as the only Sakuni temple in India, also follows similar rituals. “As per myth, there are a total of 101 Kaurava shrines scattered across the four districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha. Each temple has its own legend and though we know about a spate of temples, we don’t know about the location of the rest,” says president of the temple committee Biju M. Thottathil.
However, both prominent and uncharted Kaurava temples may become part of a pilgrimage tourism circuit as the authorities are exploring the potential. “People outside these villages hardly know about the minor temples and we are trying to identify a few to develop a circuit. Thousands visit Duryodhana Temple during its annual festival and we can offer them packages,” says an official.
