Overview

Sri Vilwadrinathan Raman Temple

Location

History

Deities

Photo Gallery

Utsavams

Vahanas

Adimakkavu

Other Agraharam Information

Contact Information

Well Known Elders from the Agraharam

Food and Catering

Hall for functions and Lodging

Bank Accounts for sending Kanikkai, donation or vazhipadu

Author's Notes

Koottala Gramam - 100 Agraharams Project

Though small, with only a few homes, this gramam exemplifies how a close-knit community of agraharam residents preserves the heritage passed down by their forefathers.

According to the recollections of elders from various agraharams, the Land Reform Act turned many families into paupers. Some shared that these reforms pushed agraharam residents to explore new ways to generate wealth. However, the loss of land, along with the associated produce and revenue, left temples impoverished, and many agraharams were unable to regain their former grandeur.

When I wondered the name Koottala I came upon the page from the gramam - "There were about 18 houses in the village and all were ‘dhayadhis’-(all were related to each other) .  Each one valued and respected the sentiments & properties of others. This Ideology – coming by tradition – became a mantra for unity amongst “koottaliers”. To epitome all, functions – held every now & then in the temple built by ancestors – united the villagers and the differences if any among them got vanished and understood each other!"

"But now with most of the houses gone to dust through ages, the temple stands as a symbol of unity. Those days all residents of that village had landed property and they had also provided some land in the temple’s name to ensure regular income for its maintenance and other expenses. When the state government of Kerala decreed that all agricultural land would belong to those who cultivated them and not to the landlords who leased them out to tenant farmers for cultivation, the tenants failed to pay compensation to the landlords. The old temple forever lost its only source of income. Since then it has been depending entirely on voluntary donations from devotees and other well wishers for its maintenance and other expenses. Most of the residents of the village were compelled to move out to different places for survival, as they too had lost their landed property leased out earlier to farming tenants. Only two families who have been cultivating their own land are staying in the village and looking after the temple by engaging a priest to perform the daily poojas. From my elders it is learnt  that over 600 years ago, a very dedicated group of pious and orthodox people who had migrated there from Tanjore (Tamilnadu), built a temple in Koottalai with Sri RAMACHANDRASWAMY  as the presiding deity."

Located about 25 kilometers from Palakkad Junction, Koottala Gramam feels far removed from the bustling roads, nestled in the middle of vast fields, like a scene straight out of a picture postcard.

Radhe Krishna

Sriram(Hari)

100-Agraharams Project

Rama Bhagavathar Charitable Trust

October 19, 2024