A land of myths and mysteries

Mythological and historical stories have a way of intertwining with each other to reflect the essence of every culture. For a state like Kerala, whose origin itself is linked inseparably with the myth of Parashurama throwing his axe in the sea to raise a new land and cleansing its salinity with Kundalini by releasing snakes, this mythological background becomes even more relevant.

With numerous period dramas and historical epics piquing the interest of Keralites in recent times, both through films and literature, we take a look at the mythological and historical stories that are innate to Kerala this 59th state formation day — Kerala Piravi.                           

The Vayalar award winning novelist K.R. Meera is no stranger to mythology. She narrates one of the surreal stories from her mother’s hometown, Thiruvalla, as the one that intrigues her the most. “The myth related to the deity of Thiruvalla Sree Vallabha temple is a telling tale of the male dominance in our culture.

The idol in the temple is a six-foot statue of Vishnu’s standing pose. Legend has it that once a sweeper woman at the temple saw the idol in its full glory, decked from head to toe in ornaments and silks, and ended up wishing for a husband who looked like that.

Angered that someone who was just a sweeper wished for someone like him to be her husband, the Lord cursed the woman and turned her to stone.

Following the incident, the temple was closed to women except for two days a year — Onam and Vishnu. Even on those days, the idol would be blackened with soot and made unsightly as they feared that women who laid their eyes on the idol in its original form would fall in love with it because of its enchanting beauty.

This custom was curbed only after the Communist rule came into effect in Kerala. The temple itself is a beautiful architectural feat, but whenever I go there, I become intrigued by this myth of a male deity being so concerned about his chastity,” she narrates.

Some of our other mythical stories, often associated with the scent of Jasmine and Pala flowers, spook and captivate the Malayali psyche forever, no matter how many times you hear it. “The Yakshi stories of Kerala have always fascinated me.

Kerala has a bewitching scenery with dark green foliage, tree tops veiling the sky and intensely dark nights. I have always felt that Yakshikathakal are stories well connected with this geography of our state. I think these Yakshi stories are very typical of Kerala and wouldn’t work in other states as they wouldn’t find the same intensely dark ambience.

The stories wouldn’t have the same effect if it took place in the barren lands of Tamil Nadu, as it does in the thick greenery of Kerala,” says actor-scriptwriter Murali Gopy.

Even the historical stories of the state have achieved an epic and legendary status thanks to the craft of writers like Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. “I love looking at Kerala and its history through the eyes of Basheer. I had been working on some plays based on Vaikom Muhammad Basheer stories recently and, as part of research for the play, everyone involved in the production travelled to Kozhikode together. We spent some time talking to his family, people whom he wrote about and people who were in jail with him. It was a great experience to meet these people who told us personal anecdotes about him. We have done many stories like Mucheettukalikkarante Makal, Premalekhanam, Mathilukal, Shabdangal and all of his stories and characters are so real and his characters are people who strive for individuality even amongst a crowd. So through these stories alone, you can glance at Kerala as a whole,” explains actress Aparna Gopinath.