Angadipuram Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy

After a long gap we decided to continue our temple episodes. When my wife suggested that we go to Guruvayoor for my birthday which was falling on 28th of March, I suggested why we don’t try some new temples. And hence we decided to go to Alathiyoor Hanuman Temple.
During our half pant wearing days appa used to ask us to pray to Hanuman as follows:
“Alathur Hanuman pediswapnam kanatuthe.
Pedi swapnam kandal valu thatti unerthename”
We were all thinking that this Alathur is the one in PGT district about 20 kms from where we stay. When we visited Alathur in some other connection, I enquired about this Hanuman temple and nobody seems to know and hence I decided to do some internet search and it was found that there is a place called Alathiyoor in Malapuram district which housed a Hanuman temple and we decided to visit the same.
After we started to stay in Oceanus there is a very small group of residents (in fact it is only three families) who meet after dinner and gossip. I took the subject of my proposed visit and then Rajkumar whose wife Nisha hails fdrom Nilambur suggested why don’t we visit Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy temple which is in a place called Angadipuram ,on the way to Alaithur. So we decided to that as well.

Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy

We left the house on 28th at 5-30 am and were in Angadipuram by 7 o clock. The route we took was PGT-Mannarkad-Perinthalmannu-Angadipuram.
What abeutiful temple. The temple is on a small hillock,not very crowded.
Angadipuram Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy/Bhadrakali temple,standing on a 60-ft high hillock has an imposing appearance, especially when viewed from the main road (Palghat-Calicut highway).
Its surroundings were extremely scenic once. The rituals here are done regularly and meticulously at fixed timings daily. and the temple's fame attracts a large number of devotees from far and near.
The idol of this temple is almost idential with that at Kodungallur, except that the Angadipuram idol is taller. Due to this, the Angadipuram Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy is considered the elder sister of Kodungallur Bhagavathy. The other difference is that no animal sacrifices are done at the Angadipuram Temple.
There is a possibility that both these temples were originally built by the same king - perhaps Cheraman Perumal. It is said that Pallava kings and Chera kings were traditional friends and when the Pallava king was defeated and sent out of Tamil Nadu he took refuge in Cheraman Perumal's kingdom and they continued to be great friends.
It is also said that the Goddess of these temples, along with many other temples, was Madurai Meenakshi (Kannagi).

Story

A long time ago, Raja Mandhata, a scion of Surya Vamsam, renounced the throne of Ayodhya and started roaming about the entire Bharathvarsha as a Sanyasin. When he reached a village called Angadipuram, in the present District of Malappuram in Kerala, he felt attracted by the beauty of the place. In those days it was a deep forest full of wild animals and thick wild vegetation. It is said that in those forests, all the animals lived in perfect peace.
To Mandhata Maharishi the place appeared divine. The symphony of the sweet chirping of birds, the musical rustling of tree leaves in a light breeze, the tintinnabulation of a miniature water-fall, where a stream with crystal clear water tumbled over uneven rocks, all made him love the place. He went up on a small hillock in the middle of the verdant scene and settled there to do Tapas, thus enhancing the divinity of the place.
After a number of years of penance, Lord Shiva appeared in front of him and asked Mandhata Maharishi what was his wish. The Maharishi said he wanted nothing. However, if the Lord wanted to give him anything at all, then perhaps he could give him the best Shivalingam of the world so that he could do daily puja in front of it. Shiva replied, flustered, "The best Shivalingam is with Parvathi (Durga), so how can I give it to you?" But Mandhata Maharishi insisted that he wanted nothing else.
How could Shiva disappoint his dearest devotee? So, without the knowledge of Parvathi, he gave the same Linga to Mandhata Maharishi. With extreme devotion, the Maharishi installed the lingam on the hill.
The next day Parvathi found the Lingam missing in the morning. Shiva told her that it was handed over to a devotee and now he could not take it back from him.However, if she wanted, she could try to get it back from him. Shri Parvathi immediately ordered Bhadrakali to go and retrieve the Lingam. Bhadrakali, together with her Bhoothagan (soldiers), went to Angadipuram and negotiated with the Maharishi for getting back the Lingam.She did not succeed in her efforts and decided to use force. The soldiers sent arrows at the Maharishi. In return, the Maharishi's disciples started throwing some wild fruit at the Bhoothagan. Each fruit appeared like a Shivalinga to them and so they ran away.
Then Bhadrakali came to the Maharishi and started pulling at the Lingam. The Maharishi held it very tight with both of his hands. In the tug-of-war, the Lingam broke into two.
All the three gods (Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva) appeared in front of Mandhata Maharishi and blessed him. The broken Shivalinga is still there and even now a ritual is enacted on the particular day (mid-October) when two groups, one at the bottom and another at the top of the hillock, throw a fruit (Attanga) at each other. After the Samadhi of the Maharishi, the place remained neglected for a long time and the area became a thick jungle again.
Parwathi also came and found that she cannot take the Sivalingam from such a Bhakta and so she also decided to stay there . As Her son Lord Ganapathy also was there with her in her lap He also stayed there.. Parwathy then tells the Maharshi that since Her daughter Bhadrakali came there first She should also be there next to me, Saying this She dissolved in the lingam.

As you enter the Sanctum sanctum you may have to stand in a small crowd and then see the huge Devi statue from the side . the idol was totally covered with silver covering. The queue went ahead and you are allowed to see the idol through a small opening.
All in all a wonderful experience .We decided to have breakfast and leave for Alathiyur