Muthappan Temple

The story of the Lord Parassinikadavu Muthappan is interesting too. The traditional story describing the background of the deity is a baby in a basket floating on the river is found by a Brahmin lady Padikutty who nurtured the baby as her own. She was a devotee of lord Shiva and so she considered the child to be a blessing from him. Padikutty and her husband were the landlords also called as Naduvazhi Ayyankara Brahmins. They raised the baby as a brahmin child. But as soon as he grew up, he turned out to be a hunter and offered food to the poor and the needy. And to their agony, he started eating fishes which was completely against the namboodhri brahmin culture. Ayyankara Vazhunnavar and Padikutty, after failing in the way of requesting him earnestly, admonished him. The humiliation made him reveal his divine form also called as Viswaroopam or the cosmic all-pervading form to his parents. His parents surrendered to his fierce form realizing that he’s an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Then the boy started his journey from Ayyankara, crossed many beautiful villages and reached a tribal family. He was then named as Muthappan by the tribes. They worshipped him as a God who helped and protected them.

The temple’s architecture is called as the kerala kavu, a religious style with which most of the temples in kerala are built. All the architectural wonders of Kerala is unique in India and is believed to be the testimonials of ancient Vishwakarma sthapathis of the state.