The presiding deity is goddess Sree Bhadra Kaali who is in the forms of love, kindness and blessing. "THE LEGEND OF THE TEMPLE"
“Ponmana is renowned as the place of ‘Manas’. In the western border of the village, in between back water and sea, lies the charming and severe land scape ‘Ponmana’. Here, in the western part of Ponmana, in the coast of Arabian Sea, the almighty and the epitome of love, k
indness and blessing; ‘Aadiparasakthi, Sree Bhadra Devi’s‘ temple, ‘Kattil Mekkathil Temple’ is situated. To understand the legend of the temple, it is inevitable to get aware of the geographical history of Ponmana. It was a beautiful valley with golden sky scrapers of mounds and sacred land was enriched with wick palely fields like the granary of Kerala. More than from the oral literatures, mythical-historical scriptures give the evidence that there existed three palm trees and two ponds in the temple compound. Both ponds contained pure water. One of them was used for the temple needs and the other was used by the people in the locality. As a succession of this two wells and a palm tree can find even now in the temple compound. The most miraculous and satisfying factor is that both the wells contain pure water, although they are very closer to the sea. The temple that having remarkable mythological and historical significance, has been following ancient religious customs and practices which are heavily based on the myth of the temple. The place is also sacred with the footprints of ‘Cheran Chenkuttuvan’, the first emperor of ‘Chera Dynasty’ [from Gokarnam to Kanyakumari and to Madurai in east] to the Travancore Kings, the servants of ‘Sri Padmanabha’. In A.D.1781 [according to astrological calculation, a full moon day of star ‘Pooyam’ in ‘Poushya’ month], the Travancore King, ‘Marthandavarma’ was on the way back from his royal visit to ‘Odanatu King’, in the royal canon [the water route is now known as T.S canal]. In his journey, he slept for a while and the time he had a dream in which a resplendent deity was appeared in the western horizon [in the direction where the temple is situated now] and it sank into the sea. After a sudden awakening from the dream, the King ordered to keep the canon fast to the land. Then he moved towards the direction where he saw the glorious Goddess. He reached the place and sat there meditating for a long time. The Goddess was appeared in the meditation. After the meditation, the King said that there exist, a resplendent deity who is the embodiment of the ‘Holy Trinity’ ‘Brahma’ Vishnu and ‘Maheswar’. Then he continued that the place would victim for the arousal of a great temple with national fame. Then with the order of the King a rest house like a palace was built near the sacred place for him and his followers to stay when they came for temple worship. After it, the place is known as ‘Kottarakkadavu’ (in Malayalam ‘Palace’ means ‘Kottaram’). A few years ago, there was an ‘Ettukettu’ in the northern part of Ponmana (the place where now ‘Kuttumthara veedu’ is situated). The households were the persons who received best compliments from the people of the locality and of having good personality. At that time, it had to travel a long distance to buy fertilisers for agriculture and to sold the agricultural products. The water route which is now known as T.S canal was the main travelling route at that time The stocks were transported through this route in large canons. One day ‘the karanavar’ (the head of a joint family or ‘Tharavadu’) of the ‘Ettukettu’, with his servants went to Alappuzha, for purchasing agricultural equipments and fertilizers. They landed the place ‘Chambakkulam’ to buy fertilizer. There they saw a glorious girl about eight years old was crying, after consulting her, they went to buy fertilizers. But, the karanavar felt a very close and inseperable addiction with that girl. Her charming face haunted him. So he approached her. She was so interested to go with the karanavar, so he decided to bring her to his home. They reached the place ‘Kannittakadavu’ (in ponmana), at very evening. The news, of bringing a girl from Chambakkulam but the karanavar, was spreaded fastly like forest fire. At this time two families who were the relatives of this karanavar resided at the northern part of Ponmana [where the ‘Mudippura’ is situated now]. The girl was brought up with all luxuries, in the ‘Ettukettu’. When she reached the marital age, she was get married to a young man belonged to ‘Kattilpadeettathil veedu’. And they together led very happy family life. Years passed, a brother and a sister belonged to the later generation of the girl were caught with an unknown severe disease. Many local practitioners treated them, but nobody could cure them. At that time four persons came from north to south, on foot. They reached ‘Kottarakadavu’. Accidently, the karanavar of Ettukettu(karanavar at that time) met the persons. They were great personalities and great scholars in Astrology and Medical Science. The karanavar invited the enlighted persons to his home and treated them in proper way. During their conversation, the scholars came to know about the disease of the siblings, from the karanavar. And the scholars examined the patients and found something mysterious in their disease and they suggested some solutions. Then according to the astrological law, they identified and said that, a girl from ‘Chambakkulam Mulakkal’ family had been brought there before. The family of the girl at Chambakkulam had been extincted. The place was encroached by strangers. Their family(Tharavadu) and the family temple was also extincted. The Goddess in the temple had lost her place. So she wanted a place. She was greatly interested in the beautiful coastal area were the later generation of the girl was residing at that time. The deity wanted to the embodied in that place and it was the reason for the severe disease. After hearing this, the karanavar revealed his helplessness that his family was not financially sound. In order to living the resplendent deity there. He pleaded the scholars to suggest remedies for it. After understanding his conditions, the scholars said that, the Goddess would came there by travelling through the water route by sitting upon a crocodile. Then, she would mark eight lines were she was interested to be embodied. Then they continued that the mark lines should be kept by fixing eight stones and light lamps in those stones. After it the scholars left the place and continued the journey towards south. ‘Kattil padeettathil’ family accepted the words of scholars with great respect and interested to make them into practice. This led to the caring of disease of the siblings. As the prediction of the scholars, the Goddess reached the place(now the place is known as ‘Aarattu kadavu’) by travelling upon a crocodile. Then, she walked towards north and saw a light of lamp(in ‘Malayil house’). As it was the first light she saw, she revolved the lamp and went to the place where the temple is situated now. Then she marked eight lines there. The family members of ‘kattil padeettathil’ fixed eight stones there and began to light lamps there. Days passed, the family members together built ‘Srikovil’ for the deity. The idol of the deity that was brought from Chengannur installed in the ‘Srikovil’. The family members together carried out the activities and practices in the temple. The resplendent glory of the deity is get progressed day by day by providing all blessings to those who trusted her. During this time, there was a custom called ‘Yogiswaran Thullal’ existed in the temple. Through this custom, the solutions to the worshipper’s problems were suggested. Then the family members joined and decided to make a ‘Thirumudi’ for the deity and made it to be in practice. When the ‘Thirumudi’ was brought outside for the first time. The blessed ‘Thirumudi’ revolved the temple and moved towards south and began to spring with great power. Suddenly I was disappeared and the worshippers became anxious. After a few minutes, a light was seen in the southern part and all people went to there. they found the blessed ‘Thirumudi’ in ‘Malayil veedu’. They identified that it was by seeing the light of the lamp in the house. ‘The Thirumudi’ went to there. Before this incident, an old lady in the house had made an offering for the deity. She told that the offering might be given when the blessed ‘Thirumudi’ came her home. The offering was a golden chain and the authority told the households to living the offerings to the temple with a succession and they did so. The deity had seen the lamp for the first time in ‘Malayil veedu’ after coming from Chambakkulam. This is why ‘The Thirumudi’ went to that house first. As a succession of this, the custom is practise in even now. This is why it has been told that the customs of the temple are heavily based on its myth. In another occasion, when the ‘Thirumudi’ was brought outside for worship, on the way of deity from ‘Aarattu kadavu’ to temple. The ‘Thirumudi’ got blessed and the ‘Panickan’ who bore the Thirumudi went to sea with it. By seeing this, the people prayed well by calling ‘Amma’ as a result of this the Panickan came back with Thirumudi. On the basis of this incident a ‘Devaprasnam’ was conducted from this, it is known that there is another temple in the death of the sea. The deity has decided to go to this temple and be back after seven days. It had been marked in the ancient tail literature ‘Chilappathikaram’, that there was another temple existed in position just west to the new temple and it was the basic temple. This old temple belongs to the ancient temples in which ‘Cheran Chenkuttuvan’ installed the idol in A.D.176. It was also marked in ‘Chilappathikaram’. It was destroyed in natural calamity occurred in A.D.1600 and the destroyed temple was accepted by ‘Jaladurga’. The name of this ancient temple was ‘Raja Rajeswary Temple’, Ponmana. If so, the temple marked in ‘Chilappathikaram’ is same as the temple mentioned in the ‘Devaprasnam’.”
