Madayi
|
Madayi മാടായി Madai |
|
|---|---|
| Village | |
Madayippara
|
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| Coordinates: 11°58′0″N 75°18′0″E / 11.96667°N 75.30000°ECoordinates: 11°58′0″N 75°18′0″E / 11.96667°N 75.30000°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Kerala |
| District | Kannur |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-KL |
| Vehicle registration | KL-13 |
Madayi (a.k.a. Madai, Malayalam: മാടായി ) is a village near Pazhayangadi in Kannur district, Kerala. The famous Bhagavathy shrine, Madayi Kavu (Thiruvar Kadu Bhagavathi Temple) where devotees worship Bhadrakali is located here. The Goddess is one of the family deity of the Chirakkal Royal family, and the temple is known for the Koyikalasham (Offering of chicken). The temple was one of the few to survive desecration by the armies of Tippu Sultan, which devotees attribute to the grace of the Goddess. The Kolathiri Rajahs were the administrators of the temple, however recently the administration was transferred to the Malabar Devaswom Board. Nearby is the Vadukunnu Temple dedicated to Shiva. The temple was razed by followers of Tippu Sultan in the 18th century, but fortunately the temple has been rebuilt and is a vibrant centre of religion in the region.
Madayi is also well known for the Malik Ibn Dinar mosque(a.k.a. Madayi Palli). This beautiful ancient mosque is believed to have been originally built by Malik Ibn Dinar, a Muslim preacher. A block of white marble in the mosque is believed to have been brought from Mecca by its founder, who came to India to spread the word of the Prophet. Nearby lies a dilapidated fort believed to have been built by Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore.
Madayi today hosts a vibrant community of Hindus and Muslims alike. Madayipara is a flat topped hillock overlooking Pazhayangadi town on the northern bank of Kuppam river, located in the Madayi village, at latitude 12°2’ N and longitude 75°16’E, about 21 km north of Kannur town, the district headquarters of Kannur district in Kerala (Sreedharamenon, 1957; Anonymous, 1996). As noted by Logan (1887) the river Kuppam "bending slightly and passing under the guns of an old ruined fort of the Kolathiris" on the south eastern edge of Madayipara, suddenly turns due south at Pazhayangadi and takes a course parallel to the sea to meet the larger Valapattanam river at Matakkara, finally discharging into the Lakshadweep Sea at Azhikkal. The available geo-morphological and historical data suggest that, till 1450 A.D. this river was drained into the sea, flowing west from Pazhayangadi instead of turning south. On the northwest of Madayipara lie the wetlands of Chembullikundu and Kunhiniangalam formed by the Ramapuram River, Peruvamba River and Kawayi backwaters. On the west, at the seacoast, is situated the promontory of Ezhimala. The altitude of the Madayipara ranges from a minimum of 40 m to a maximum of 47m above sea level. The southeastern edge of the hill is slightly elevated compared to the remaining areas. As the name suggests, the top of this hillock is a laterite plain more than 365 ha in area. On the western side of the plateau, there is an ancient temple named Vadukunda Shiva temple; a few yards away from the temple is a perennial fresh water pond, which is about 1.5 acres in extent. On the northeastern slope of the hill, is situated the Thiruvarkad Bhagavathi temple (Madayikavu) and its sacred grove, drawing thousands of devotees every year. It is a temple of the mother Goddess Kali and belongs to the royal family of Chirakkal. The entire plateau once belonged to this temple, and even now the temple festival is being celebrated on the vast expanse of the hill near the Vadukunda pond and the Kottakunnu especially during the ten-day-long festival of ‘Pooram’ in the month of March. There are remnants of a fort believed to have been occupied by the dynasty of Kolathiris and later by Tippu Sultan. The Madayi Palli, one of the oldest mosques in India and believed to have been built in around A.D. 740 by Malik lbn Dinar of Arabia, is situated on the eastern slope of the hill. Another monument of importance is the "Jew’s pond" which indicates the presence in the area of Jews between 605 BCE and 490 CE. The British rulers had also built a travelers bunglow in 1793 on the eastern side of the Madayipara, endowed with a rich scenic beauty of landscapes.
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