Udyaneswara Siva

     The Udyaneswara Temple popularly known as "Shivakshethram" is situated to the north east of the Thirumala Devaswom temple tank.

 The Shivalingom embedded and installed in this temple, it is believed, belonged to Trikanna Mathilakam, in Trichur District. Dissentions among the Uralers, Thekkedath and Vadakkedath Nairs led to the decline of the temple and later on the place went into the hands of the Dutch from Samoothiri. The Shivalingom was taken to Fort 'Cochin, then the Dutch head quarters along with other relics of the temple, Some members of the Gowda Saraswath community bought this Shivalingorn from the British who by then were in possession of the area and a temple was constructed in the centre of an existing nurtured garden. Thus the temple came to be known as the Udvaneswara Temple (Lord of the Garden). The shrine was renovated in 1967.

  The actual height of the Lingom is 18 feet but only less than 5 feet is visible above the ground level. The worship of Shiva in this temple is popular. Monday is considered the most propitious day for worship of Lord Shiva and hundreds of devotees mostly women throng in this temple on Monday evenings. Rudrabhishekam, Archana and other rituals are in vogue and hundreds of devotees perform this and seek Lord Shiva's blessings.

  A unique feature of this temple is that on the 7th day of Mahotsava and Rathotsava Thirumala Devar is taken in grand procession to the Udyaneswara Temple, the assumption being that Lord Venkatesa goes to meet Lord Udyaneswara to invite him for Pallivetta i. e. hunting. This may also be considered a symbol of cordiality between Vaishnavites and Saivites.

Detailed History: 

About half a kilometere west of the Mattancherry Jetty in Kochi, on the northeastern side of the TEPPAKULAM of the Cochin Thirumala Devaswom in Kochi stands a  temple dedicated to Lord Siva called Udyaneswara temple. A history has been woven around the origin, of the temple.

Tradition has it that the gigantic 'Lingam of Siva enshrined in this temple belonged to an ancient temple 'Trikkanamathilak!am'  Kunavayil Kottam of Tamil literature at Mathilakam, a place situated about thirteen miles from Iriniallakuda in the Trichur district of Kerala. The Mathilakam itself is derived from the said, temple of Siva which was built within walls. According to Trichur District Gazett6ler,1962 , "Trikkana Mathilakam" was also famous at a later stage as the site of a famous Siva temple to which many other temples of Kerala such as Guruvayur and Koodalmanikyam temples are alleged to have been once subordinate., Also, In th ASHTAMANGALYAPRASNA  (astrological query for the welfare of the ternple) conducted at the Guruvayur temple in July 1990 it was revealed that "  in ancient  history Guruvayur temple was associated as KEEZEDAM, sub-ordinate temple to Trikkana Mathilakarn Siva Temple".  

The LINGAM of Siva of Mathilakam is said to have been installed by Parasurama for the benefit of 64 gramams of Namboodiri Brahmins. The boundary wall of the temple was said to have extended upto TEPPAKULAM in the north and NARANJERIKULAM in the South, a distance . of one and half miles. On the western side of the temple there existed a tank called CHEMPALIKULAM. The Perumals, the early rulers of Kerala, held their Parliament in the upper hall of the tank‑shed of the reservior of CHEMPALIKULAM. The Parliament was also known as 'VIDVALSABHA'  an Assembly of wise  to enact laws and also to give the last word on political matters. The daily offerings to the deity consisted of NIVEDHYAMS prepared out of 101 PARAS of rice.

      The Uralers, that is the Nairs, known a TEKKEDETH and VADAKKEDETH, of the Perumals, is said to have renounced all his temporal pawers and handed which were written by Chittala Chattannar , the younger brother of the mythical Chera, Emperor senguttavan were for the first time published by the assembly of the wise at Mathilakam.

The URALERS after assuming the full management of the Mathilakarn temple wanted to erect six more walls around the temple in order to permit people of different castes to occupy each enclosure. According to their plan the outer-most wall ought to run inside the SANKETAM of the Naboodiries of Irinjalakuda gramam. They Protested strongly to the Nairs against their decision of building the outermost wall within their SANKETAM, but was of no avil. The Namboodiries were imprisoned. Others who lay in the trenches made for the erection of the wall were beaten up severely. An order was passed that the foundation be built over the bodies of those who refused to leave the ditch. Finding no other way the Namboodiris decided perform a HOMA and offered prayers to the gods for the destruction of their foes. Namboothiries from different parts of Kerala participated in the function. They undertook a  fast for 41 days and during which period they  subsisted on water and fruits alone. The late Sri T. K. Krishna Menon, in his Speeches and Writings says that "their prayers had the desired effect. Over a trifle, the Nair Chieftains quarreled, and their dissensions, in course of time, led to the decline and fall of those two Nair families  and of the famous Mathilakam temple". (Page 206).

      Narnboodiris since then gave up even entering or residing in the DESAM where the temple of Siva of Mathilakam existed as that was the place they cursed. The temple left a deserted one. By the end of the 14th century Trikkana Mathilakam had come into the possession of the Zamorin,of Calicut. But in 1717 A. D. the Dutch got full sovereignty over Pappinivattom, where the temple of Mathilakam existed, from the Zamorin. Sarder K. M. Pannikar.  In his book 'Malabar and the Dutch', 1931, writes ..... a definite peace was made with the Zamorin (1717). Pappinivattom (Pappanety) was given over In full sovereignty to the Company (the Duthc East India Company).", (Page 44). Further, the Trichur District Gazetteer. says, "....Mathilakam isnamed after the ancient temple Trikkana Mathilakam ‑- the K,unavayil Kottam of Tamil literature, The temple is said to have been destroyed by the Dutch.Mathilakam was in the past a centre of learning, though there are no relics h ere at present to remind us of its ancient glory," (Page 619). The Dutch removed the LINGAM along with other relics of the temple to Fort Cochin which was then  their headquarters. They, used the LINGAM of Siva as mooring on the sea‑shore of Fort Cochin for the lighters that carry cargo to ships. The Dutch surrendered to the British at Cochin in the year 1795. The Gowda Saraswath Brahmins otherwise known I 'as Konkanis in Cochin bought the LINGAM of Siva from the British East India Company in whose possession it was then.  

 Continued Page-2