Mondaikadu Kodai - 3

Any festival ushers in a lot of cheers among people and all festivals
 share one thing in common, SWEETS and Mondaikadu Kodai is
not an exception.

A kilo of mixture of various sweets (Then kulal, Laddu, Boonthi,
 Enippu sevu.......) cost around Rs 60.

Thenkuzhal or Thenkulal is the centre of attraction in Mondaikadu kodai
Thenkuzhal is made from a mixture of raw-rice and Blackgram
 flour.This mixture is physically extruded, formed into spiral or
 coil shapes and deeply fried to light golden brown color.Then
the fried matter is soaked in sugar syrup for some minutes and
then taken out.The spiral shape, is the handiwork of the master
 cook.

Master filling the steel pot (with a hole at the bottom) with the mixture



Master at his work





Taking out the fried golden brown color matter



Soaking in Sugar syrup

Delicious sweet ready to eat


Arranged in an Attracting manner
With inputs from
1.Historian Benny Sir
2.Family & Friends Download As PDF

Mondaikadu Kodai - 2

Mondaikadu Kodai has been a boon for both small traders and devotees.

Besides Catering the needs for the floating population, the annual festival pays rich dividends to the traders.

Toy Shop


Nursery


Sugarcane


Potter (not HARRY)


Towards Beach


Crowds unmindful of the scorching heat



Holy dip or Nice bath


Steamed , Spiced - Groundnuts ................................


Ingredient part of all amman festivals
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Mondaikadu Kodai - 1

Place: Mondaikadu Temple , Kanyakumari District

Event : Mondaikadu Kodai (Mandaikadu kodai)

Month : March

The annual festival called Mondaikadu Kodai (Masi festival) is celebrated in March for 10 days and it is the main attraction place in Kanyakumari district.

Apart from kanyakumari district, Mondaikadu Kodai attracts pilgrims from Kerala State. Devotees from all corners of Kerala travel to the temple by foot after observing 41 days of religious austerity. They would also carry `iru mudikattu' like the devotees of Lord Ayyappa

The ‘Valiyapadukkai vizha’ and the ‘Odukku pujas’ are the important events during the ‘Masi’ festival, which attract unprecedented crowds.





The entire temple premises was choked with women devotees who cooked sweet rice and offered it to the Goddess.


Kollukattai's offered to Bhagavathy Amman
During festival times , cooking takes place around the temple surroundings for about an km.



Animal sacrifice, which formed an important part of the festival, was abolished during the period of the King of erstwhile Travancore State, Sri Chithrai Thirunal. Download As PDF

Mondaikadu Bhagavathy Amman Temple

Place: Mondaikadu (Mandaikadu), Kanyakumari District

Location: Mondaikadu is situated in the sea coast,north - east of Colachel Port.

It is 22 kms from Nagercoil and 41 kms form Kanniyakumari.

Route: Nagercoil ----> Mondaymarket ----> Mondaikadu

Thiruvananthapuram ----> Marthandam ---->

Azagiyamandapam ----> Mondaymarket ----> Mondaikadu.



Situated on the seacoast near Colachel. ,this famous temple dedicated to Amman, dates back to the 7th century BC.

At first, it was only a mound. But divinity grew around this mound and it came to be known as Bhagavathy Amman.

According to local tradition, the area surrounding the temple was once a jungle known as ‘Manthaikadu’ – a pastoral jungle.

One fine morning, the locals, mostly shepherds, found a siddhar well versed in Asthama Siddha, performing puja to a Srichakkaram under a neem tree. He performed some miracles that astonished the poor shepherds.

His favourite miracle was to ask the shepherds to dig a hole in the ground and bury him. He would re-appear elsewhere. But when he did not re-appear they presumed that he had attained ‘mukthi.’

At the same time they noticed a mound was growing where he used to perform pujas .

Before long the mound attained divinity and around that divinity the temple has been constructed.



Main Entrance


Flag Post



The Goddess is in the form of an ant hill about 12 feet in height and with five heads. Many believe that the sick get cured if they worship the Goddess.



A Devotee tying hip chain to his child


Open kitchen at the backside


Ganapathy Shrine



Holy peepal tree


Devotees who offer worship also take a dip in the near by Arabian sea

The annual festival called Mondaikadu Kodai is being celebrated during the Tamil month of Masi (around March I week) for 10 days and is the main attraction at this place.

The temple, though small attracts a large number of people from all over the district, besides a regular flow of pilgrim from Kollam in Kerala State, about 160 kms., from Mondaikadu during the annual festival celebrated for 10 days.


On the way to the Mondaikadu Beach, we will notice Anantha Victoria Marthanda Varma (AVM) canal.




AVM canal was formed in July 1860 during the reign of Marthanda Varma Maharaja of Travancore state.

It was a scheme for connecting Thiruvanathapuram with Kanyakumari and thus extending the water communications to the extreme south of the country.

All the coastal villages numbering more than 20, including, Pozhiyur, Kollencode, Neerodi, Marthandamthurai, Vallavilai, Eraviputhanthurai, Thengapagttinam, Colachel, Kottilpadu and Mondaicaduputhur, all depended upon this resource for most of their needs, including navigation.

But today the purpose is no longer served


AVM Canal , a silent spectator of the past,present & ............?


Imagine a boat ride in the canal with a view of the Arabian sea........


Once a National Waterway of Travancore State, AVM Canal is shrinking day-by-day.


Lonely at the beach

With inputs from
Family & Friends
S.K.Venkatesh & G.Degaulle

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Chitaral jain temple -3

Most of the deities in the central shrine are believed to be those of the Jain Thirthankaras, namely Parsvanatha and Mahavira. The Hindus, however, consider these to be images of Maha Vishnu. The central shrine is divided into three chambers — one for the Goddess, another for Mahavira, and, the third, for Parsvanatha in a standing posture.




Inscriptions in Vattezhuthu



Another flight of steps leads to a pond in front of the shrine.

The adjoining hills really give a panoramic view of the temple.


The jagged outline of the Western Ghats, enveloped by white puffs of clouds, presents a pretty picture against the blue canvas of the sky.

Chitaral - a tranquil spot where History confluences with Religion


With inputs from
1.Historian Dr.Benny sir
2.Mr. Soma Basu's RLT -(The Hindu dated 2-04-07)
3.Family and Friends
S.K.Venkatesh & A.C.Rajesh Download As PDF