The Stories of Kadutha and Vavar

The temple of Manikanta on Sabari Hill is redesigned and reconstructed in a unique manner. The design of the temple is believed to have originated from the specific instructions of the Lord Manikanta himself. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple faces the east. There are eighteen steps in front of the temple. These steps represent the five `indriyas' , the eight `Ragas', the three `Gunas', `Vidhya' and `Avidhya' . The positions of `Malikapurathamma', `Kadutha' and `Vavar' are also believed to be predetermined. Lord Manikanta wanted his Shakti, Malikapurathamma on his left at a few yards from Sannidhanam and his lieutenants Vavar and Kadutha to be positioned as guards at the foot of the eighteen holy steps.

The stories related to Kadhuthaswami and Vavarswami according to `Bhoothanadha Puranam' are very interesting. Kadutha, who was a great warrior and a dependant of Pandala Raja, belonged to a family by name `Malamel Veedu' situated near near Killiseri,Chenganoor, Kerala. At Kaduthaswami temple, contrary to the usual practices of a Brahmin being the Pujari (Hindu Priest), traditionally a Nair belonging to the the Malamel family (ancestral house of Kadutha), performed the rituals. Kadutha was an expert in mountain-warfare. He played an indispensable role in defeating the armies of Udayanan and rescuing several Pandya Kings. Therefore Kadhutha was called to protect and assist the King of Pandalam, who decided to proceed to Sabari Hill to reconstruct the temple. Kadutha sacrificed a considerable time of his life in the reconstruction of the temple. By the time they remodelled the temple, Kadutha became very attached to Lord Manikanta. After the construction was completed, Kadutha decided to stay back at Sabari, in order to devote the remaining days of his life, at the feet of his beloved deity.

One day, while Kadutha was engrossed in deep prayer, a few scheming warriors of Udayanan’s army decided to take advantage of the situation and surprised Kadutha with a lightning attack. Kadutha rushed to the temple and took refuge in its premises. Hugging the deity, he fervently prayed to his beloved God. The marauders were surprised to see this single-minded devotion with which Kadutha was trying to protect the deity without any regard to his own life. On seeing such devotion the warriors were moved . They praised him and withdrew the attack on the temple. After his death, it is believed that the Priests of the temple received a holy message from Lord Manikanta to immortalize Kadutha by providing him a niche, at the very feet of the Lord.

Another prominent deity near `Pathinettam Padi' (eighteen steps) is `Vavarswami'. The deity of Vavar is believed to be as old as the deity of Ayyappa. The estimated time of the most recent major remodeling of the temple happened during the year A. D. 1905. Even today, at the shrine of Vavarswami, a Muslim priest performs the `Poojas' (rituals). There is no distinguishable idol, but just a carved stone slab symbolises the deity of Vavarswami. A green coloured silk cloth is hung across one of the three walls. The fourth side is open. An old sword is also kept near the wall. The main offering to Vavarswami is green pepper. A Hundi (a donation box) is kept in front of this shrine, into which one can drop cash/coins etc. In addition to green pepper, rose water and sandalwood paste along with coconut and `ghee' (clarified butter) are also offered by the pilgrims. Some of the pilgrims bring goats to Vavarswami. This is mainly due to a belief that the pilgrims accompanied by goats could reach the Sannidhanam safely. The Devasam Board (the temple authorities) auctions these goats later.

Some of the families at Vaipur near Thiruvalla in Alapuzha district claim to be the 14^th or 15^th line of descendants of Vavarswami. The descendants of Vavar are believed to be Vaidyas practicing the Unani(Greek) system of medicine. They were believed to be Brahmins who had later converted to Islam. However, there is another interesting story relating to Vavar. According to this reference, Vavar originally belonged to Pandya Desam near Madurai in Tamil Nadu (currently Chennai). The myth says that the Vavar family migrated to Travancore during an attack from Thirumalainaicken, a minister of the Pandya kingdom.

There are other legends too about Vavar and his association with Ayyappa. Some believe that Vavarswami was a Muslim saint who migrated from Arabia to India with the intention of spreading Islam. Others suggest that he was a warrior who reached the shore of Kerala as a pirate in a ship to loot and plunder. During his encounter with Lord Ayyappa, he was defeated and subdued by Lord Ayyappa. Since then Vavar became a close associate of Lord Ayyappa and helped him in the wars in the mountainous region. As time passed ,Vavar too became an ardent devotee of Ayyappa just like Kadhuthaswami and came to be known as Vavarswami. The old sword on the wall of the Vavar shrine symbolises the eminence of Vavar as a great warrior. It is believed that the Lord Ayyappa Himself instructed the King of Pandala Desam to build a mosque for Vavar at Erumeli and a shrine at Sabarimala.

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