| Andalurkavu | |
|---|---|
അണ്ടല്ലൂർക്കാവ്
| |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| Deity | Rama, Lakshmana, Hanuman, Vettakkorumakan |
| Location | |
| Location | Thalassery, Kannur, Kerala, India |
| Geographic coordinates | 11°47′41″N 75°28′38″E / 11.79472°N 75.47722°E / 11.79472; 75.47722 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | India |
Sree Andalurkavu is a very ancient and famous and prominent Thiyya Community Urayima temple in Andalur in Dharmadam village of Kannur district, Kerala, India. It counts among the Abhimana Kshethras of Vaishnavite Shrines. This ancient temple is in the name of Lord Rama and the main festival is celebrated in mid-February: the first week of the month "Kumbam" of the Malayalam calendar.[1] This Kavu also has a story of how the Kalaripayat warrior Thacholi Othenan, who once caused trouble in this Thiyar-dominated Kavu Andalur of Thalassery, was punished and defeated by the Thiyars and crossed the country through the bridge.[2]
The name Andalurkavu ("Andar-villoor-kavu") can be interpreted as the grove where the sacred weapons of deities are kept. There are interesting interpretations behind the names of all the other places that surround Andalur like Melur, Palayad and Dharmadam.[citation needed]
In Andalur kavu Thira is the main festival. It is one of the rare places where Yuddha kanda of Ramayana — the great epic — is visualised and performed. The main deities are Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman. One significance for this kavu is that it has two holy places called Mele Kavu (upper temple) and Thazhe kavu (lower temple).[3]
The ThazheKavu is a sacred grove that harbors several rare plant species typical of the Myristica swamps, notably Syzygium travancoricum, an endangered endemic plant. Much of the flora of the sacred grove has been lost due to poor regeneration and the disturbance from cattle and human activity in this thickly populated area.
The annual festival is a wonderful visualisation of devotional unity of a place where people still follow very old and sacred customs throughout the season. It is the time the village gets themselves into a feeling in which they become part of and enjoy the happiness of being part of the glory of Lord Rama. It is the festival where it pictures the great culture merging the normal and common life with great old mythologies. The festival begins in February second week lasting seven days. More than ten theyyams are performed here during the festival. Among them the theyyam named Daivathaar is the most important one. Devotees consider Daivathaar as a channel/medium of Lord Rama.
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