There’re no frogs in this pond – Thavalayillakkulam

Sometimes, it’s the stories behind certain places that leaves an indelible impression on your mind. I love to hear such stories.

And this is one such story…

Ponds with water lilies are not a rare phenomenon in Kerala. But I really do not know what made us stop our vehicle and ask about that particular pond at Parassala, the border of Kerala and Tamilnadu. We were on our way to Kanyakumari and the journey began from Thiruvananthapuram. 

Padmakumar Chettan, a local living in the area became curious when I started taking its pictures.

He came to me and said “ It’s called ‘ Thavalayilla Kulam’ ( Ponds sans frogs). There are no frogs in this pond. Would you believe it?”

” What a curious name,” I said.

” Yes, indeed,” and he voluntarily started narrating the story behind it.

“ The story is old as well as interesting too,” he said.

King Marthanda Varma was ruling the erstwhile Travancore state.

The Kingdom of Travancore was an Indian kingdom from 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram.

He used to visit a temple which was near to this pond. The frogs in the pond were so fond of him that they would cry whenever the King left the temple and the place.

“ Just imagine, thousands of frogs crying at the same time,” he said with a little smile on his face and continued the story.

After some time, their pleading became too unbearable that somebody cursed the frogs – ‘Let there be no frogs in this pond ‘.

“ That’s it, and thus frogs ceased to exist in this pond and hence the name,” he concluded his little story with a sad face.

Wow! What an imagination?

But he couldn’t answer my questions like who cursed the frogs? 

Was it King Marthandavarma or somebody else?

What was it called before?

Still, it’s a lovely little story, right..

I believe certain questions have to remain unanswered to make them more alluring. What do you think?

PS : Thiruvananthapuram is the Capital city of Kerala.  Parassala is a town of Thiruvananthapuram and is at the southern end of Kerala, bordering Tamil Nadu.

The Myth of Kappiri Muthappan - an African Spirit

 Every day, as the dusk falls, Shyamala would light a lamp in a small stone structure in front of her house. Once in a month, she would offer meat, toddy, cigarettes and boiled eggs to the deity installed in the structure, hoping that it would ward off all evils.

The folk deity who goes by the name ‘Kappiri Muthappan’ is a saviour not only for Shyamala’s family.Around 15 families living at Veli, Fort Kochi and Mattancherry  in Kochi, Kerala worship the deity, a cigar-smoking treasure-guarding spirit, which has its roots in Africa.

The lore goes like this: when the Portuguese arrived in Kerala, about 500 years ago, they brought with them many ‘Kappiris’ or native Africans as slaves. But the whole scene changed when the Dutch usurped power from them. It was a violent takeover.

With little time to take away their amassed wealth,they buried them in deep trenches along the bodies of ‘kappiris’ whom they slaughtered, in the fervent belief that their ghosts would guard these treasures. But the Portuguese never returned.

As the years passed by, the tale assumed the nature of a myth and the people started believing in ‘Kappiri Muthappan’ who rests on a wall called ‘Kappiri Mathil’ (‘Negro’ wall), smoking a cigar.

Jaya Ramesh Pai says she has observed the ritual from the day she bought the house where she is living now.

“When I bought the house, the stone structure was there and the previous owner said that it would do me good if I observe the ritual. I light the lamp everyday and give the offering once every six months,” she said.

Jaya said being a Brahmin, she offers the deity bread, cigarettes and delicacies made of rice flour, instead of meat. The offerings are later consumed as ‘prasadam’.

There are around 20 such walls in and around Mattancherry. You can light a candle too.

If you are someone who is fascinated by the stories of ‘ spirits’ and ‘ ghosts’, please do try to see such places when you are in Kochi.

Pictures Courtesy : Artist Dinesh R Shenoy

Published here as : Kappiri Muthappan - From Slaves to Folk Deity  ( The New Indian Express )

“ Did you come across any such place? If so, please do share?”