With ‘intolerance’ being the buzzword in the current political discourse of the country, the story of a Hindu temple in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, where a Muslim brigand is worshipped, offers food for thought.
A shrine, which was installed over a century ago inside the Hindu temple in honour of Kayamkulam Kochunni – the legendary 19th century Muslim outlaw - still attracts devotees in large numbers.
Just like the fabled Robin Hood of Nottingham, Kochunni would rob the rich and help the poor. Locals remember him as a kind and noble man, who helped those in genuine financial distress, and the legend of Kochunni has now become part of folklore in Kerala, over the years.
The shrine is probably the only one of its kind in the country, dedicated to a robber.
The Hindu in a recent article reported that a specially designated priest also performs rituals and offers puja everyday. Devotees offer candles, incense sticks, country-made liquor, betel leaves, areca nut, tobacco regularly.
A still from the movie inspired by the folklore
The shrine is attached to the Edappara Maladevar Nada temple at Karamvely, near Kozhencherry and is visited by many devotees from neighbouring districts as well.
It is believed that Kochunni rode on horseback and looted travellers with his friend Ithikkarappakki and distributed the wealth among the poor and the needy.
Kochunni lived in the Central Travancore region of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore and died at the Poojapura jail in Thiruvananthapuram in 1859.