THE LEGENDS OF IGGUTHAPPA
In
Kodagu, nothing happens without Igguthappa. He is the rain god, the grain god
and even controls the date of Putthari, the harvest festival of Kodavas. A
priest at the Igguthappa Temple ascertains the exact date through the Kerala
Panchangam system. Igguthappa's migration from Kerala to Kodagu symbolises the
transfer of culture and religion that came in the wake of inter-state trade. It
is the stuff of legends.
The idol of Lord Igguthappa
It is said that Igguthappa
left Kerala because he found Kodagu more hospitable. He was accompanied by
his brothers Baithurappa (from Vayathur), Palurappa (from Palur),
Thirunelli Pemmaiah (from Thirunelli), Payyanurappa (from
Payyanur) and sister Pannangalathamme (from Pannangala). Tired and
hungry after walking for days, they came to Mallamma Betta near Kakkabe. They
fashioned a pot out of the earth, milked a stray cow and with the rice they had
brought along, cooked some payasam by the heat of the sun. When it was
cooked, they needed vessels to eat and asked
Pardanda family, whose land they had strayed onto, for plantain leaves.
The Pardandas, angry at the intrusion, refused and Igguthappa cursed them that
henceforth no plantain would ever grow on their property. And so it remains to
this day.
Igguthappa Temple, Kakkabe, Kodagu.
Meanwhile, more rice
was cooked. The sharp-witted Pannangalathamme challenged her brothers to eat
the food without salt, which living in coastal Kerala, they were so accustomed
to. Palurappa complained and threw the rice over his head, which fell down as
pearls. Pannangalathamme smote him with the serving spoon. It's said that
impact was such that Palurappa's head turned left and even today, the idol in
his temple faces left.
According to another
legend, the mighty king Lingaraja came on an elephant hunt
in this area. After a whole day passed in futility, the enraged king ordered
his Divan to assemble all the elephants in the area by the next day. As he
slept that night, an elephant came and knocked the king's tent over, but left
him unharmed. Puzzled, the king went back to sleep and next morning rounded up
32 elephants and shot them. They bled profusely, but calmly walked off as if
nothing had happened. Lingaraja was told that the animals were under the
protection of Igguthappa. The shaken king was overcome by guilt and instructed
his minister Boppa Divan to gift an engraved silver elephant to the
temple, which can still be found next to the main idol of Igguthappa.
The silver elephant gifted by Lingaraja and the inscription on it.
