Lokanarkavu
A
temple frequently alluded to in the northern ballads or the 'Vadakkanpattu' of
Kerala. The three rock art caves in the temple premises are artfully engraved
with beautiful carvings and fascinating murals. The main deity is Goddess
Durga, with two adjacent shrines dedicated to Vishnu and Siva. The main temple,
according to legend, is more than 1500 years old. The offering of Eratttipayasam
is said to please the Goddess here. The annual festival called
'Pooram' is celebrated in March/April.
Lokanarkavu Temple is situated at Memunda
5 km from Vatakara, in North
Malabar region of Kerala state of south India Lokanarkavu is a short form of Lokamalayarkavu which means lokam (world) made of mala (mountain), aaru (river) and kavu (grove). It is the official
family temple of the five hundres [Aryan] Nagariks who had migrated to kerala
and their successors. Temple
can be reached by train by getting down at vadakara, which is 4 km from
temple. By air the nearest airport is Calicut
airport which is 87kilometers away. Pooram is the important festival here and
it is conducted with great pompo and show. The week-long festival begins with
Kodiyettam (flag hoisting) and concludes with Arattu. The temple dedicated to
goddess Durga has great historical importance as Thacholi Othenan, the
legendary martial hero of Kerala, used to worship here every day.
Lokanarkavu and
Kalarippayattu
Forty-one day Mandala
Utsavam is the annual festival at the Lokanarkavu Bhagavathy Temple. This is the only temple where a
peculiar folk dance called Poorakkali is presented during festivals. The dance,
performed during the festival resembles the martial art Kalarippayattu. Even
today, all Kalaripayattu artists seek the blessings of the deity before their
debut due to the association of lokanarkavu temple with legendary hero thacholi
othenan
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