Akavoor Chathan is one of the 12 children of Vararuchi and Panchami in the famous folktale of Kerala, Parayipetta Panthirukulam. Vararuchi was a Brahman who adorned the court of Maharaja Vikramaditya of Ujjain and Panchami was a Paraya woman, according to Kerala caste hierarchy, she belonged to a lower category of caste called “Paraya”. Akavoor Chathan was adopted and raised by a Vaishya family somewhere in present day Thrissur or Ernakulam district of Kerala. According to folktale, all 11 children of the Vararuchi and Panchami were abandoned by Panchami soon after the delivery upon the request of her husband Vararuchi. All these 11 children were taken by families from different caste and religion and grew child as the cast and religion of adoptive parents. Mezhathol Agnihothri, Pakkanar, Naranath Bhranthan, Karakkalamma, Rajakan, Vaduthala Nair, Uppukottan, Vallon, Pananar, Perumthachan, Vayillakunnilappan are the siblings of Akavoor Chathan.
Life of Akavoor Chathan
Although, Akavoor Chathan was adopted and raised by a vaishya family, his life was destined to Akavoor Mana of Akavoor Namboothiri in Ernakulam and served Namboothiri as his domestic worker cum companion and later on as his advisor in all matters.
Akavoor Namboothiri served as an advisor to the king in Iranikkulam in Thrissur district. Namboothiri was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and used to perform “Tevaram”, a form of private ritual worship to Lord Shiva in Iranikkulam Mahadeva Temple, every day morning before taking his meal. Due to some distates, Namboothiri and Akavoor Chathan left Iranikkulam in Thrissur and settled near Kalady, south of Periyar river in Ernakulam district. After moving to new place Namboothiri was deeply disheartened because he couldn’t perform his daily Tevaram ritual in Iranikkulam Mahadeva Temple. But, Akavoor Chathan found a solution to Namboothiri’s distress and made a boat from stone. Every morning Akavoor Chathan dropped Namboothiri in Iranikkulam Mahadeva Temple and brought back after ritual. This continued until the end of their lives. Namboothiri has grown old and on his last trip to temple, he prayed Lord Shiva that it is his last visit and would never come back as his health was deteriorating day by day. Upon return to his house, he felt his umbrella very heavy and told Akavoor Chathan the matter and he replied everything was fine. When they reached on other shore, Namboothiri felt his umbrella normal and Chathan told Namboothiri that he was blessed by Lord Shiva and Shiva was traveling with him, that was the reason of the heaviness of his umbrella.
After their last trip, Akavoor Chathan overturned his stone boat on the shore. A woman who was cutting grass with her sickle, touched on the stone boat and witnessed bleeding from stone. Thiruvairanikkulam Mahadeva Temple was constructed over there.
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