The Mridanga Saileshwari Temple is situated in a place called Muzhakkunu in the Kannur district of Kerala. The temple is believed to be one of the 108 Durga temples built by Parashurama. The current temple is said to be around 500 years old.
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Saileshwari Devi here is well known to answer all the prayers of her devotees who pray to her with utmost devotion. The idol here is made of an alloy of five metals, which is about three feet tall. Until now there were three failed attempts of stealing the idol by robbers but the shocking factor is that the robbers themselves returned the idol to the temple.
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It was one of the temples which at a point of time, was ignored to such an extent that there were no regular poojas conducted, but things took a turn all of a sudden and there was a huge rush of devotees to this temple which continuous till date.
The temple came into the limelight after a retired senior police officer narrated his experiences while questioning the robbers who tried to steal the idol, which has a huge market value.
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The officer said that the robbers were not able to take the idol further than a few kilometres in two attempts and in one attempt they fled leaving behind the idol at a distance of not more than a few hundred metres.
The dacoits who made the first attempt confessed that they felt dizzy and could not control their need to urinate and defecate and had to leave behind the idol. In the second attempt the idol was found abandoned on the roadside with a note left behind saying that the idol belongs to the Mridanga Saileshwari Temple and a request to return it. In the third attempt they were not able to go for a long distance and left the idol in a lodge.
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After the narration of this officer went viral on social media, there was a sudden inflow of devotees which brought back life into the temple.
The Association With Music And Kathakali
The goddess here is in the form of Durga. However, the idol is said to have appeared in the form of a mridangam, a percussion instrument and hence it is said that the goddess has a connection with music.
Apart from the main idol, there is another idol towards the south of the temple where the goddess is said to have appeared in the form of mizhavu. This is now housed in the main temple.
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The origin of the female forms in Kathakali is said to have originated from this temple after the goddess was manifested at the temple pond in front of Kottayam Thampuran, who is considered as the father of Kathakali, in a particular attire and this attire is still seen in Kathakali.
The Clan Deity Of Pazhassi Raja And The White Leafed Peepal Tree
The goddess here is in the form of Porkkali or devi who is all ready to head for a war. Hence the deity was worshipped by the legendary King Pazhassi Raja who fought against the British much before the sepoy mutiny happened. The name Porkkali came into existence as the kings would offer a sacrifice to the deity before they headed for a warfare.
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Another interesting sight to be seen here is the peepal tree which has leaves in white colour and not green, which leaves the visitors here curious.