Kanjirottu Yakshi is a folkloric deity of South India. According to the myth, she was born into an affluent
Nair tharavad
Tharavad () (തറവാട്), is the Malayalam word for the ancestral home of aristocratic families in Kerala, which usually served as the common house for the joint family system practiced in the state. The German linguist Hermann Gunder ...
by name Mangalathu at
Kanjiracode in
Southern Travancore
The Southern Division, or Padmanabhapuram Division till 1921 and Trivandrum Division from 1921 to 1949, was one of the administrative subdivisions of the princely state of Travancore. It covered the five taluks of Agastiswaram, Eraniel, Kalkula ...
(now in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
). Also known as Chiruthevi, she was a beautiful courtesan who had an intimate relationship with Raman Thampi, son of King
Rama Varma and rival of
Anizhom Thirunal Marthanda Varma. She turned into a
Yakshi
''Yakshinis'' or ''yakshis'' (यक्षिणी sa, yakṣiṇī or ''yakṣī''; pi, yakkhiṇī or ''yakkhī'') are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from devas and ...
after being murdered by her palanquin-bearer, waylaying men with her beauty and drinking their blood.
Folkloric Background
Sreedevi or Chiruthevi was a courtesan who had as her clients the high and the mighty, and who enjoyed toying with the lives of her many admirers and driving them to financial ruin. However, she fell in love with Kunjuraman, her palanquin-bearer, who would carry both her and her brother Govindan around on his back. However, Kunjuraman was already married and did not reciprocate Chiruthevi's feelings. On the other hand, Govindan and Kunjuraman were very close, with some versions of the tale claiming that the two were lovers.
Frustrated by Kunjuraman's romantic indifference towards her, Chiruthevi arranged for Kunjuraman's wife to be killed. When Govindan found out that his sister was behind the plot, he told Kunjuraman, who agreed to sleep with Chiruthevi. While they were in bed, Kunjuraman strangled Chiruthevi in order to avenge the murder of his wife.
Following her murder, Chiruthevi was reborn as a yakshi to a couple in Kanjirottu. She magically transformed into a bewitchingly beautiful woman moments after her birth. As a yakshi, she proceeded to seduce and terrorize men and drink their blood, never forgetting to harass the still-living Kunjuraman, whom she still desired.
To help Kunjuraman, Govindan, who was also a great upasaka of Lord
Balarama
Balarama (Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Balad ...
, made a deal with the yakshi whereby she could cohabit with Kunjuraman for a year, after which she was to become a devotee of
Narasimha
Narasimha ( sa, नरसिंह, lit=man-lion, ), sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is regarded to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to slay Hiranyakashipu, to end rel ...
. The other conditions of this deal were that she must agree to be installed at a temple after the year was up, and that she must pray for Govindan and his relationship with Kunjuraman in this birth and all subsequent ones. The yakshi swore on 'ponnum vilakkum' in agreement, and after the year was up, she was installed at the Kanjiracottu Valiaveedu Temple which was destroyed many years later.
Kanjiracottu Valiaveedu Temple
A year after her deal with Govindan, the yakshi was installed at a Temple which later came to be owned by Kanjiracottu Valiaveedu. The members of Valiaveedu started worshipping this Yakshi besides their Guardian Deities, Lord Ramanuja (Sri Krishna accompanied by Sri Rukmini) and Lord Balarama. Devotees used to offer
Pongala
''Pongala'' is a harvest festival of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The name 'Pongala' means 'to boil over' and refers to the ritualistic offering of porridge made of rice, sweet brown molasses, coconut gratings, nuts and raisins. Generally women devotee ...
to Yakshi Amma on Pooram in the month of Meenom and on the first Fridays in every Malayalam month except Meenom. The Temple no longer exists.
Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple
After becoming a devotee of Narasimha, the Yakshi is now believed to reside in Vault (or 'Kallara' in Malayalam) B of the ancient Sri
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
The Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of Kerala, India. The name of the city of 'Thiruvananthapuram' in Tamil and Malayalam translates to "The City of Lord Ananta" (The City ...
in
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. References to the temple have appeared in literature dating back to the
Sangam era
The Sangam period or age (, ), particularly referring to the third Sangam period, is the period of the history of ancient Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of Sri Lanka (then known as Tamilakam) spanning from c. 6th century BCE to c. 3rd century CE. ...
, though nobody is certain of when it was constructed. It is currently managed by the royal family of Travancore. Vault B is one of six vaults of the temple, five of which were opened in 2011 following an order by the
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...
. A horde of gold and jewels estimated to be worth over US$20 billion, one of the largest
treasure troves
A treasure trove is an amount of money or coin, gold, silver, plate, or bullion found hidden underground or in places such as cellars or attics, where the treasure seems old enough for it to be presumed that the true owner is dead and the he ...
in the world, was revealed. However, Vault B remains unopened due to ongoing legal issues, as well as the legend that suggests that while even bigger treasures lie within the vault, any attempt to open it would stir up the Kanjirottu Yakshi, interrupting her prayers to Lord Narasimha and unleashing her evil upon the world. As Princess
Aswathi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi
Aswathy Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi (born 1945) of the Travancore Royal Family is a noted writer from Kerala. She has ten books to her credit.
Aswathy Thirunal is the niece of the last King of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma.
Birt ...
observes, "Disturbing her peace would be a disaster especially if her current quiet temperament reverts to the menacing nature that was once hers." The enchanting and ferocious forms of this Yakshi are painted on the south-west part of Sri Padmanabha's shrine.
In July 2020, the Supreme Court of India upheld the rights of the Travancore royal family to manage and manage the Temple. The royal family has maintained that they oppose the opening of Vault B, stating that it is a "secret and sacred place." According to the July 2020 ruling, the decision to open Vault B or leave it undisturbed stands with the advisory and administrative committees appointed to help manage the Temple.
Sundara Lakshmi
Sundara Lakshmi, an accomplished dancer and consort of Maharaja
Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma
( ml, സ്വാതി തിരുനാള് രാമവർമ്മ) (16 April 1813 – 26 December 1846) was the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Travancore. He is also considered as a brilliant music composer and is credited with over 40 ...
, was an ardent devotee of Kanjirottu Yakshi Amma.
See also
*
Yakshini
''Yakshinis'' or ''yakshis'' (यक्षिणी sa, yakṣiṇī or ''yakṣī''; pi, yakkhiṇī or ''yakkhī'') are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from devas and ...
References
{{reflist
Yakshas
Indian courtesans
Regional Hindu goddesses
Tamil deities
Vampires
Kerala folklore
Hinduism in Tamil Nadu