ALAPPUZHA: The stone idol of Perumparayan — a lower-caste labourer who is said to have been killed by feudal landlords over 300 years ago as part of human sacrifice — finally got a permanent mandapam (abode) in Pulinkunnu panchayat in Kuttanad on Thursday.
The abode was set up by local residents of Thoppilchira in Kuttanad. It is said that after killing Perumparayan, the landlords constructed and installed his stone idol on a ground in Thoppilchira to cast away bad omens. Perumparayan is still being worshipped by many.
V K Venugopal, a native of Kuttanad, said the idol was set up on a ground on the outer bund of the Ayyanad paddy field. “Before cultivating crops, we used to perform special poojas in front of the idol. Now the poojas will be performed in front of the mandapam on all Thursdays,” Venugopal said.
According to myth, the stone idol of Perumparayan stands as a testimony to the suppression of tenants by landlords during the kingly rule.
“The incident related to Perumparayan’s murder happened around 300 years ago. Ayyanad paddy polder is a 1,100-acre paddy field bordering Vembanad Lake. The cultivation here is carried out after constructing strong outer bunds and de-watering polders. When the incident happened, Kuttanad was under the rule of Thekkumkoor and Vadakkumkoor kings. Kuttupuram Kaimal and his brother Elamkuttu Kaimal of a landlord family used to carry out the administration in the region. Kuttupuram Kaimal managed agriculture matters, while Elamkuttu Kaimal looked after administration. When breaching of the bund on the north side of the polder, destroying the paddy cultivation, became a regular incident, Kaimal, who was fascinated by superstitious beliefs, brought an astrologer to find a solution. The astrologer suggested human sacrifice for the strengthening of the bund and Perumparayan became the scapegoat,” said Venugopal.
On the fateful day, Perumparayan along with other workers were ready to construct the outerbund and Kaimal supervised the work, says Venugopal.
“According to myth, Kaimal ordered other labourers to fill the bund by putting a large quantity of clay on Perumparayan, burying him alive inside the bund. Later, Kaimal’s family started facing problems. He again sought the help of an astrologer, who then said that the curse of Perumparayan was the reason for the sad plight of his family. The astrologer said that constructing an idol for Perumparayan and performing poojas in front of it were the only way to solve the issue. This led to the construction of the idol,” he said.