THE KURAYI STORY

Far away from the bustling city of Thrissur is the village of Arattupuzha. A culturally significant village is also home to the annual Arattupuzha Pooram that stages the grand spectacle of scores of caparisoned elephants lined up in a row to the accompaniment of ethnic percussion concerts. Located on the banks of the Karuvannur river, legend has it that Arattupuzha was the meeting place of all the Gods of the world until floods ravaged the area and forced some of participants to meet 14 kilometres north of the village—in the city of Thrissur. The Arattupuzha Pooram takes place in front of the famous Sree Sastha Temple, a Temple which is believed to be more than 3,000 years old.

About 5 kms from Sree Sastha Temple is the Kurayi Temple as we know it today. Residing in a place named Mulangu, the Kurayi Temple is a feast to the eyes and ears with its pristine backdrop, the Karuvannur river flowing alongside, the Banyan tree offering ample shade for the Temple and its worshippers and the euphonic blend of noises emanating from the birds and trees.

Today the Temple is being run by the Cheruval Kunnath House Trust which is a congregation of the family members of the Kunnath family who have joined hands for the welfare of the Temple. Each year on the first Tuesday of the Malayalam month ‘Makaram” (falls between January-February) is the day of festivities for the Goddess, wherein Pujas are conducted twice in a day followed by the distribution of “Payasam” to the worshippers.

The story of Kurayi Goddess essentially starts from a family named ‘Varikkassery’ residing somewhere in the adjoining areas of Thrissur. The Patriarch (name unknown) of the family was an ardent devotee of “Kodungallur Bhagavathy” – the Goddess Bhadrakali. He used to travel everyday to Kodungallur in order to worship the Devi at a time when transportation facilities were not that remarkable. This was a routine followed religiously by the Patriarch until one day when age suddenly caught up with him and was unable to take the due course. In between the Patriarch had married into the Kunnath family who at that point of time was being headed by a person fondly called Ikkoramman by the family members.

One fine morning while bathing at the Kodungallur Temple premises the Varikkassery Patriarch had an imminent feeling that this could be one of his last trips to Kodungallur and thus held a one-to-one conversation with the Goddess wherein he said – “Dear Devi, I am getting old and coming here daily is going to be an uphill task for me. Hence from hereon I shall serve you from my home”.

That night the Patriarch had a dream. In his dreams he saw the silhouette of the Kodungallur Bhagavathy actively communicating a commandment – “You have served me well and from hereon you needn’t come to Kodongallur to worship me. Tomorrow you will find something that will have me written all over it. You can see me through that and I will always be there with you”.

The very next morning while bathing in the Karuvannur river, the Patriarch senses something in his legs and to his utter surprise finds the Idol of the Kodungallur Bhagavathi staring at him as though acknowledging his staunch belief in Her. Gleefully the Patriarch places the Goddess in the present area known as the Kurayi Temple.

So far for the history of the Kurayi Temple. But how it became associated with the Kunnath family is another saga in itself. Much has been heard about Ikkoramman too being an ardent devotee of Kurayi Amma but still the ownership was with the Varikkassery family. As time passed by, the Varikkassery family clan withered away and eventually sold off the Kurayi temple to a family named Ombully Mana. Now why the Kunnath family was not involved here is a mystery that is yet to be answered.

Further, Kurayi Temple became a part of Ombully Mana and Kunnath family started getting detached from the Temple. It has to be also noted here that the Sri Mahavishnu Temple in front of Kurayi Temple is till date being run by the Ombully family.

During the 1920’s, TB was a major disease that was doing the rounds in several parts of Kerala. A senior member of Kunnath family named Gangadharamman was also inflicted with the disease and was not subsiding despite numerous medications. After several futile attempts, the family members decided to consult an astrologer seeking divine help for the menace. Answer came in the form of a curse being hovering around the Kunnath family from a particular Goddess though the name was not known.

After several speculations, the name of Kurayi Amma came into prominence and everyone came to recognize the true power of the Devi who after decades of negligence from Kunnath family members was seeking recognition. Such is the celestial bond between Kurayi Amma and Kunnath family members that even today continues like a never-ending stream.

Towards the end of the 20^th century, the Kurayi Temple was brought back from Ombully Mana by Kunnath family members and formed a Trust seeking the well-being of the Temple. Today we are in the crossroads of yet another tryst with the Goddess wherein we all need to contribute for the rejuvenations of the Temple and assure the Goddess is kept in a comfortable manner.

This we all believe will have far reaching implications in all our lives and sustain the power of the Goddess for this is a power that will always safeguard not only the well-being of Kunnath family members but anyone who believes in Her Power !

(This story has been derived from the writings of Shri Kunnath Ramankutty Menon)

Renovation Plans for Kurayi Temple

Dear Friends and Well-Wishers,

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you all that as per the directions from Cheruvally Narayanan Namboothiri, we have decided to undergo massive renovation plans for Kurayi Temple. Our family members had a meeting with this regard at my residence on 2^nd January 2011 and as per initial estimates we would be requiring atleast 15 lakhs for the completion of the renovation plan which includes the rejuvenations for the ‘Sreekovil’, ‘Balikkallu’, associated ‘Pujas’ as well as the construction of a boundary wall for the Temple.

At this juncture I would request every family member to donate generously for this noble cause as the prosperity of Kurayi Amma is a pre-requisite for all our well-being. I expect a favorable reply from your side atleast by the first week of February in order for us to start working on our action-plan.

Please feel free to contact any of the below mentioned persons in case you require any clarifications/assistance in this regard –

Mr Gopinath Menon (Poolani) – 0480 273 9073 / 94479 93159

Mr Sreekumar (Calicut) – 94462 54212

Mr Sethunath (Chendamangalam) – 99952 55142

Yours Truly,

Kunnath Ramankutty Menon

Thrissur