"Kaasiyil Paadi Kalpaathy!"
The above statement in Tamil/Malayalam compares this Kshetra with Kaashi.
Located near Palakkad town in Kerala, the famous Visaalaakshi Sametha Viswanaatha Swaamy temple has Lord Shiva as Viswanaatha and His consort Parvathi as Visaalakshi (the one with big eyes).
Also known as "Kundukovil" due to its lower elevation than the surroundings, the temple is located at the banks of the Neela Nadhi/Kalpathy river. This area is home to the "Palakkad
Brahmanas" who speak Tamil with a Malayalam accent.
Like the Viswanaatha temple in Kaashi, Kaala Bhairava is present here too. The temple also houses Lord Subrahmanya along with Valli and Devayaanai. The Shiva Lingam worshipped here was brought from Kaashi by a lady, who got the temple built by the king who ruled this place, about seven centuries ago.
This temple is well known for the annual ceremony called the Kalpaathy Rathotsavam, held
towards the end of the Tamil month of Aippasi (Mid-November). This grand event, in which
temple chariots are taken in procession draws huge crowds. Veda Manthras are chanted and
cultural events take place during the festival.Chariots take members of the divine family throughout the neighbourhood. While Viswanaathar and Visaalaakshi occupy a chariot, another chariot has their first son, the Vignaharta Ganesha, and the last one has the second son, Lord Murugan.
Those who are near Palakkad/Coimbatore during this time, must take part in this event to
feel the aura of this holy place!
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