Socio-cultural Processes and Livelihood Patterns at Tirurangadi - CDS

Larger temples are fewer in number in the entire field area. The larger temples are
conventionally called devaswams, with lands and other properties of their own. These
temples are, Nirakaithakkotta temple and Ariyallur Siva temple in Vallikkunnu, Koyappa
temple in Thenhippalam, Velimukku Subrahmanya temple, Pappanur temple and
Kattuvachira temple in Munniyur, Siva temple at Trikkulam, Siva temple at Ullanam,
Kaloor temple, and Siva temple at Nannambra are some of the major temples in the area.
With the exception of Velimukku and Koyappa temples, all others have been devaswams
and had lands of their own. The largest of the devaswams was possibly Trikkulam Siva
temple, the uralan of which was the Zamorin of Calicut, and a substantial share of the
Trikkulam amsam, now part of Tirurangadi was in the hands of the Devaswam. Ariyallur
temple was controlled by Nilambur Raja. Nirakaithakotta was controlled by the zamorin.
Among the other temples, the Uralan of Pappanur Siva temple was Velimuttath Mussad,
Ullanam Devaswam was Chiramangalath mana and that of kattuvachira temple was
Thottassiri panikkar. Nannmbra temple was controlled by Muthedath mana. Velimukku
temple was a mukkalvattam, in which Chiramangalath mana had some interests. Koyappa
temple was only a local temple controlled by local landlord families. It appears from the
above that temples with powerful landlord families or kovilakam as uralar were
devaswams and others were simply developed forms of kavus, such as velimukku temple.
Interestingly, among the major temples, Siva and Bhagavathi temples seem to
predominate. Nirakaithakotta is a bhagavathi temple of the classical mould and
apparently downtrodden groups like the thiyyas and mannans had rights in the temple.
There is also a story that originally the deity of the temple was the tutelary deity of
parappanad kovilakam and later the Devi was brought and installed in the present
Ayyappankavu at neduva. Nirakaithakotta temple itself is one the highest locations in the
field area. The temple is located in a picturesque environment, with a tank and a mini –
forest area nearby, and on further ascending, we find elevated rocky region on the top of