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Caption: Temples of
South India Kerala
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Caption: The drive to the temple in my ancestral village in Kerala is devotion on its own.
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Caption: Puthucode Kerala
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Caption: Puthucode has four streets with row houses. It would be apt to say they radiate from the central Annapoorneswari temple.
Caption: Temples Usually form the center of the village, the deity or goddess becoming the 'Kula Deivam' or 'Family Deity' of the families that reside or originate there. The connection I've seen my parents have with the Puthucode Goddess or Bhagavathy, is powerful. The connection I feel when I visit the temple is inexplicable, considering I've never lived there.
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Caption: The archway is flanked by the Goddess and Ganapathy, considered the God of beginnings and found in most temples. Almost all temples in Kerala have an inner and outer ring. The beautiful archway leading to the outer ring is a specialty of the Puthucode temple.
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Caption: The outer ring wall is lined with rows of mud lamps. On a particularly dark night, when the temple is lit by only these lamps, the energy is powerful.
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Caption: Deepastabham is a tall mud lamp with many wicks that marks the entrance to the inner ring.
Caption: The inner ring of the temple is where the main deity house and smaller deity houses are located. There is a sacred well where water is drawn for cooking and other duties, and a cook house. The food I have had in these temples is by far the tastiest South Indian food ever!
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Caption: The Goddess Annapoorneswari is a vision when she is draped in a red silk saree, her face smeared in sandalwood and her 4 hands raised in blessing and protection. Other deities are dressed and decorated in equally sacred attires, most suitable to the energy they inspire.
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Caption: Musical instruments, lamps and vessels are the property of the temple and considered sacred. They never leave the premises.
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Caption: Of the temples I've visited, most of them have a smaller Siva temple close by. There is usually a huge pond right behind the Siva temple and one often finds the villagers bathing there.
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Caption: The peace and sanctity I feel when I visit these temples cannot be explained by religion. I can only attribute it to the peace and positivity of the earth that our ancestors lived on.
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