Once believed to be an elephant sanctuary established and protected by Lord Parasurama (one of the avataras of Mahavishnu) Karipuram became Thiru Karipuram and abbreviated to Trikkaripur. Probably one of the oldest temples in Kerala, believed to be consecrated by Parasurama himself as Sathru Samhaaramurthy (the one who destroys enemies). And legend has it that even Tipu Sultan’s army could not penetrate this place while his army ravaged many Hindu temples in the north Malabar area. Tipu’s army was made to believe that a herd of elephants chased them from approaching the walls of this temple.
Trikaripur has a hoary cultural past with Kathakali gurus such as T.K. Chanduppanikkar, Chindanpanikkar and Ambuppanikkar, well known as the trio Kathakali legends. The Brahmin communities (Namboothiri Illams) nurtured and patronised several Kathakali, Oottamtullal and martial art Kalaris. This place has given birth to several great poets, playwrights and freedom fighters whose names are in the pages of Kerala History.
Chakrapaani –Vishnu wielding the discuss – symbolises the great story of ‘Gajendra Moksha,’ supposed to have taken place in the nearby Lotus tank, which is full of lotus on certain seasons even today.
The most unique thing about this small village near the big commercial towns of Payyanur and Kasargode, is the perfect harmony between the Hindus and Muslims. The majority are rich Muslim community who believe in worshiping this deity for their prosperity and for generations together they have liberally contributed to the performance of the rituals and daily pujas at this temple. This unity between communities may be taken as an example of Hindu- Muslim maître (friendship) as Mahatma Gandhi envisaged. This writer is a true witness to this phenomenon since he has grown amid this atmosphere during his formative years.
Being one of the oldest temples, this shrine at Trikaripur lies in a state of disrepair and funds from devotees are solicited to reconstruct the temple and reinstate the lost glory. The work is in progress with support from people of all communities who strongly believe in Sree Chakrapaaniswarar, who has legendary connection with Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.
Tamil inscriptions
The inscriptions engraved on the walls of the Sree koil and the praakaaram are found in Tamil, which clearly indicates that once upon a time Tamil used to be the language largely spoken in the area. If we delve deeper into the past history it will reveal that many kings and feudal lords from Chola, Chera and Pandya kingdoms have worshipped and contributed to the protection of this temple and also benefitted by winning over their enemies by worshipping the deity at this Sathru-samhaaramurthy- Sreechakrapaani temple.
To give this ancient shrine a new lease of life donations are solicited. Those who wish to contribute may contact the Temple Renovation committee or visit the www.sreechakrapanitemple.com for details.
