Muthappan Temple

Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple
Parassinikadavu Temple
Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple Location within Kerala
Name
Proper name	Parassinikadavu Madappura
Malayalam	പറശ്ശിനിക്കടവ് മഠപ്പുര
Geography
Coordinates	11°58′56.87″N 75°24′7.22″E / 11.9824639°N 75.4020056°E / 11.9824639; 75.4020056Coordinates: 11°58′56.87″N 75°24′7.22″E / 11.9824639°N 75.4020056°E / 11.9824639; 75.4020056
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Kannur district
Culture
Primary deity	Muthappan
Architecture
Architectural styles	Kerala Kavu Architecture
History and governance
Temple board	Malabar Devaswom Board

Muthappan Temple, also called Parassinikadavu Muthappan temple is a Hindu temple, located at Anthoor Municipality on the banks of the Valapattanam river about 10 km from Taliparamba and 16 km from Kannur City in Kannur District, Kerala. Principal deity of the temple is Sree Muthappan, a manifestation of two mythical characters called Thiruvappana and Vellattam. According to the local tradition the presiding deity is a folk deity and not a vedic deity, but there are recent attempts to associate the deity to Vishnu or Shiva.

Rituals of the temple is unique in that it does not follow the Satvic Brahminical form of worship, as in other Hindu temples of Kerala. The main mode of worship is the a ritual enactment of both the characters of Muthappan, through a traditional dance known as Muthappan Theyyam. Fish, meat and toddy are the customary offerings to Muthappan.Muthappan Thiruvoppana Mahothsavam is the major festival of the temple, celebrated for three days every year on 19, 20 and 21 of Kumbham (the days correspond to 3, 4 and 5 March).

A version of the legend of Ponnu Muthappan is narrated here: Naduvazhi of Ayyankara Brahmin family in Payyavoor village and his wife, Padikutty Antharjanam, had no offsprings. Padikutty Antharjanam was an ardent devotee of Shiva and when she found a baby floating in a basket of flowers in the river water when she was coming back after a bath in the river, she took it as the blessing of Lord Shiva, and so was her husband. The child grew up and in his boyhood, he was always for the benefit of downtrodden and poor people. However, to the agony of his family he practiced hunting, and also started eating flesh, which was not allowed for a Brahmin. Unable to bear the indictments from his family, the boy decided to leave home. When his mother attempted to stop him, he looked at her in fury and appeared in his original godly figure before the parent. She bowed down before her son. Nonetheless, she requested him to cover his eyes with a Poikannu, a type of shield for the eyes, since she was afraid that such a fiery look on another occasion may cause to emanate the cosmic force, Shakti, that could change the entire world. Wearing a shield on his eyes, he left the family, and passed through various villages in Malabar, such as Kunnathurpadi, Puralimala, Padavil, Thillenkeri, Kannapuram, Parassinikadavu and Valluvankadav.