Mazhuvannur Maha Siva KshethramMazhuvannur Temple Legend. See
"Mazhuvannur Temple Legend"
is an ancient

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Tharuvana Tharuvana is a village in Vellamunda Panchayath of Wayanad district, Kerala, India. The place is a junction connecting the Vythiri-Tharuvana road to State Highway 54 running between Kuttiady and Mananthavady. Etymology The word "Tharuvana" is ...

in Wayanad district of the Indian state of

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 ...

. The presiding deity is Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

; other deities are Arayil Bhagavathy, Shree Durga, Nandhi, Lord

Ayyappa Ayyappan an incarnation of dharma sastha, also called Manikandan, is a Hindu deity popular in Southern India, He is considered to be the epitome of dharma, truth, and righteousness and is often called upon to obliterate evil. Although devotion t ...

and Lord

Ganapathi Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu de ...

. This temple is situated on the highest peak in the areas of

Karingari Karingari is a small serene village near Tharuvana in Vellamunda panchayath, Mananthavady area, Wayanad, Kerala, India. Important Landmarks * Government Upper Primary School Karingari (G.U.P.S. Karingari) is a nine decade old public school in t ...

, Paliyana, and

. Daily ''

poojas Pooja Gauthami Umashankar, mononymously known as Pooja, is an Indian-Sri Lankan actress, who has primarily appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Cinema of Sri Lanka, Sinhala and Malayalam language films. Early and personal life Pooja's mother, Sandhy ...

'' (prayers) were performed there from ancient times. Mazhuvannur Thekke Illam family members have been involved in leading ''pooja'' for many centuries.

Legends

It is believed that the name Mazhuvannur is derived from the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

words "Mazhu" (Axe), "Vanna" (Come), "Oor" (Place), which means "the place where axe had fallen". Legend speaks of Lord Shiva appearing to Banasura after his arduous ''tapas'' (meditation) and offering him a wish. Banasura used this to ask Lord Shiva to guard his Kingdom. Lord Sbiva and

Parvathi Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in ...

guarded his castle (Banasura Kotta). Meanwhile, Banasura's daughter Usha was affectionate towards Anirudhan, son of Lord

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. One day Anirudhan came to Banasura Kotta to meet Usha. This led to a fight between Anirudhan and Banasur that ended with Anirudhan;s capture and sentencing. Lord Krishna, in order to free his son, started a war with Banasur. Because Lord Shiva was a guardian to Banasur, he was forced to fight Lord Krishna. Lord Shiva used his weapon (Sivajwaram) and Lord Krishna resisted with his weapon (Vishnujwaram). Neither was able to claim victory. This led to Lord Shiva throwing his axe against Lord Krishna from the Banasura hills. The axe was believed to have fallen in Mazhuvannur at the location of the temple and Parasurama is believed to have built the temple at this spot.

Functions and activities

Daily ''pooja'' has been carried out in this temple from ancient times. During festival times like Onam, Vishu, Aaayudha Pooja, etc., special poojas are carried out. During Sabarimala season daily evening pooja is carried out. These functions are widely attended by many people from around the country. During Sabarimala season Bhajana (singing prayer) and special prayers are carried out. Recently the temple committee has started giving "Annadanam" on the first Sunday of each month as a form of offering food to monks and other people.

Renovation

The temple, which was built with bricks and wood in ancient times, was renovated recently. The temple had "Naalu Kettu" in very ancient times, but only its remains are still visible there. Presently the temple is under Malabar Dewaswom Board. They planted trees in temple land and made a signpost among other upgrades.

Design

The main temple complex is a Lord Ayyappan tree-based structure. A pond and surrounding land are known as Banglow Kunnu, Naaga Kaav, temple land and idol at Puthusseri.

Landscape

Banasura Hills are near this temple.

Banasura Sagar Dam Banasura Sagar Dam, which impounds the Karamanathodu tributary of the Kabini River, is part of the Indian Banasurasagar Project consisting of a dam and a canal project started in 1979. The goal of the project is to support the Kakkayam Hydro ele ...

, one of the biggest earth dams in Asia is nearby.

Gallery

Image:mazhuvannur.jpg, Mazhuvannur Temple Image:mazhuvannur2.jpg, Side view of the temple