Overview

Mukkai Sivan Temple - Lord Shiva is represented by a Shivalingam.

The agraharam does not exist anymore

Location

History

Agraharam came up around the year 1793 when Vadamalai Subramanian (alias

Chamayan) was given land in the Mukkai/Malampuzha area by the Raja of Palghat. He

and his family settled there. At its height there were about 40 mud-houses in the

agraharam. The residents were primarily performing farming. After the enactment of

“Bhu Parishkarana Niyamam” many residents left the Agraharam to seek livelihood

elsewhere. Somewhere in the late 1940s floods destroyed many mud houses and the

Agraharam slowly ceased to exist. Mukkai Sivan Temple is the main temple which was built by the Raja of Palghat. Lord

Shiva is Swayambu and resides in the rock below the Garbhagriha in the form of

Parvathi Parameswaran. The Shivalingam identifies the spot where Swamy resides. The

Chamayan family established an Ayyappa Temple (Poorna Pushkalamba Sametha

Hariharaputhra Swamy), after settling in Mukkai. Mukkai Ayyappa Sangam, a registered

Trust, looks after the affairs of the Ayyappa Temple and also supports the Shiva Temple

as needed.

Deities

Photo Gallery

Utsavams

Vahanas

Adimakkavu

Other Agraharam Information

Contact Information

Well Known from the Agraharam

Food and Catering

Hall for functions and Lodging

Bank Accounts for sending Kanikkai, donation or vazhipadu

Author's Notes

*Mukkai - 100 Agraharams Project*

*Agraharam 85 in the 100 Agraharams Project*

Mukkai

Once a thriving agraharam, Mukkai has now faded into memory.

The name “Mukkai” (முக்கை) comes from Tamil—munru (மூன்று, three) and kai (கை, hand)—perhaps referring to a triad. William Logan, in his Malabar Manual, notes that Mukkai was where the Palayar, Malayar, and Walayar rivers joined to form the Kalpathy river. Today, these tributaries are hard to trace—possibly altered by the later formation of the Malampuzha dam. It is likely that this confluence gave the agraharam its name.

According to local oral history, the agraharam once stood along the riverbank but was washed away in the devastating floods of 1906. Mukkai, along with Old Kalpathy, Govindarajapuram, and Vaidyanathapuram, formed what I believe to be the earliest Brahmin settlements in Palghat.

Sri Lakshminarayanan, in Cauvery to Neela, records that many Atreya Gotram immigrants settled in Mukkai. He also mentions Harikatha Mukkai Sivaramakrishna Bhagavatar, a famed exponent of the art form, and a founder of a Kalpathy school who hailed from here.

The temple at Mukkai sits atop a flight of steps, and the Nandhi stands slightly askew. It reminds me of the poetic lament of Nandar in Vazhi Maraitirukkude, when Shiva commands Nandi to move aside.

During the monsoon, Mukkai is magical. The elevated Shiva temple offers a panoramic view of the wide, flowing river and the distant Kalpathy. My friend Sri Sangameshwaran often recalls: “Of the five music schools of Palakkad, one was in Mukkai… joined by Mundaya, Manjapra, Ennapadam, and Thondikulam. Mridangam legend Mani Iyer’s first performance was with Mukkai Sivaramakrishna Bhagavatar.”

After the Malampuzha dam came up in 1955, the river changed—lesser flow, disrupted ecosystems, and silt build-up downstream. But when the gates open during monsoon, Mukkai roars back to life.

Each visit to Mukkai reminds me of impermanence. Like the river, we must learn to flow.

Radhe Krishna!

Warm regards,

Sriram (Hari) Trustee, Rama Bhagavatar Charitable Trust +91 9840773410

*100 Agraharams Project*

*Itihasapurana Project*

18 June 2025