Another! In the recent year;-one Tahsildar of Changannur, pious officer, performed in an elaborate manner a 28-day-Utsaval with pomp and splendour. During this period, the Mother had menses. The officer with a view to completing the Utsavam as planned, turned a blind eye to the occurrence and hushed it up using his official powers. Could he hoodwink the omnipresent M0THER? Would she endure this desecration? Result: His wife had profuse bleeding- Unusual and Untimely too, Enlightened by Munro's experience, he offered special pujas as an act of atonement. His wife got relief. So the belief gained currency and fortified the potency of the MOTHER and respect for age-old belief. Would any heckling `ISM' blink at this? With what could it measure that divine sport? It is not literature to set aside labelling it as fevered flight imagination, but pure history recorded with distilled facts and dates at it. Scepticism or agnosticism must remove the coloured glasses soon; for getting better perspective for their own benefit first. 

THE AFFERMATH OF SATI'S IMMOLATION
There is another version, accounting for the bleeding of the archamurthi in the shrine. This pouranic episode too has received greater respectability along with acceptability with mute submission.

        According to it, when Sati immolated herself in Yogagni a the ruthless humiliation meted out to her by none but her father Lord Siva descended right at the Yagna Sala and put the place and people to total destruction, that went beyond recognition. Placing the. Corpse on his shoulders, he started Thandava Nrithya in such frenzied fury and wild excitement that the world and people shook and shivered to an incredible magnitude that Lord Mahavishnu appeared on the scene and thwarted the Mahapralaya by cutting the corpse into several pieces with his potent Sudarsan disc. The fragments fell at several places throughout the length and breadth of India. And each place became a much-hallowed Saktipita of ethereal significance, universal veneration and perpetual visitation. Among the fragments that flew and fell at different places, Mother Sati's Yoni -reproductive organ fell here at. Chengannur .And that accounts for the menstruation of the Principal image -Mother Parvathi since then. Which out steps which in credibility is not the lesson to be sought for from the two, but unconditional total mute acceptance of the divine power, permeating every inch -of the sacred place is the important point that alone beckons the theists for visitation and adoration. Aren't the sports of the Divinity mysterious?

THE TEMPLE
This sacred temple built on a vast six- acre land is deemed one of the biggest of its kind by Kerala standards. It has a massive prakara and a tall three,. Tiered tower over the Gateway, facing east, and another on the west. Its architectural beauty is of high order and detains the visitors with its beauty. Crossing the Mahadwar, when proceeded further you see the Anakottal -elephant shed. Next comes Kuttambalam in front of which lies the tall, brass plated flagstaff, then Balikalpura leading to the imposing Mukhamamtap. Finally the circular Srikoil enshrining the images of Lord Siva in the front, facing the east and Mother Parvathi facing west, just behind in the same garbhagriha but separated by a passage. This is one of the distinctive features of the temple that indeed marks it out from the rest of the temples found anywhere in India. The roofing covered with copper plates is quite huge and beautiful sloping steeply downwards. The outer walls, the wooden pillars of Srikoil and the eastern mandapam are adorned with fine wood carvings; the craftsmanship is so exquisite and impressive that Marthanda Varma the famous builder of Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple employed them all after visiting the temple. Their skill is superb and the pouranic stories they carved are life-like in expressions, style and design.

THE IMAGES
The Swayambhulinga is of three feet in height and wears a forlorn look, recalling his separation from the Sati after her immolation in the court of Dhaksha. This linga is adorned with Swarna Kavacha, fashioned into Ardhanariswara form. It looks extremely beautiful and resplendent that joins the palms of the bhaktas at a mere single sight.  

The image of Parvathi called popularly Bhagawati was originally a granite one, but it was replaced by a beautiful two and half a feet high panchaloha vigraha. The Mother is exceedingly beautiful with her enchanting lotus-petalled eyes and smiling countenance. She reveals with two hands -one in Varadamudra and the other Abhaya. Decorated with several invaluable dazzling jewels and resplendent silks, she casts an enchantment that the bhaktas rivet their gaze at her for long. The numerous brass lamps burning bright heighten her loveliness to million fold and make the viewers oblivious of this world for a while. It becomes verily an unforgettable experience to avail the darsan of both Gouri and Shankar in one and same Srikoil, moreover one behind the other. There are many Upadevathas like Ganesh, Nilasiva, Sthaleesan and Dharma sastra in different places receiving veneration. Near the western gopuram, there is a mini-shrine for Krishna with Ganga and Gangodhar enshrined as Upadevathas. Another visit-worthy place in the complex is the giant peepal tree grown tall. It lies on the right side of west Nada and it is worshipped by the victims of Sunyam and evil spirits. There is a belief that evil spirit flees off, no sooner than a nail is driven into the trunk of the tree. Hence the crowds throughout. This temple like the shrine of Guruvayur is famous for the celebration of marriages, annaprasana etc, and they are conducted in the west Nada of the temple and here congregate people in large numbers both for performing bhajans and offering special pujas. A ritualistic puja called Pushpanjali is very popular here. It is akin to archana with a difference. If it is offered for 41 days regularly, the worshipper reaps several merits. Many hope-lost, desperate bhaktas gained solace, and prospered well with this Pushpanjal offerings.

ODDITY OF CONSTRUCTION
Mention must be made of certain peculiar constructional features found in the temple, and some of them are deliberately made with motives. The Mukha mandapam, in front of Lord Siva's Koil is purposely built in a lower level to preventing the occupants from having direct view of the Presiding deity. Another! The Kuttambalam too is built right in front with the same motive of obstructing the direct view of the Lord. This is due to unhealthy and malicious intentions of the builder Perunthachan, the celebrated builder deemed to be the Viswakarma of Kerala. When entrusted, with the work of building, he arrived here by boat on the river Pampa. To his great shock he found on the surface of water, flowers, darbha, banana leaves etc. to such large quantity, indicating the countless persons engaged in temple for doing pujas. During his stay, he found the dominance of Nambudris, and there were thousands of families thriving, depending on the temple. He purposely introduced certain ominous designs to spell disaster on the brahmin community. The building of Mukha Mandapam in a lower level etc. really brought ruination and thousands of families were reduced to only 20 to 30 in a few years. Was he really profited by such evil intentions? No. Retribution came in the form of a sharp, big chisel which slipping from his hand while working atop fell direct on the head of the dearest son, who died at once. And the son as the word went round far surpassed that Viswakarma in work and skill.

THE SANCTITY OF WEST GOPURAM
Among the other uniques the temple is deservedly famous, for the west Nada deserves mention. On the right side of the west Gopuram there is a hole and it has an exotic episode to narrate. It is supposed to contain a venomous serpent inside, and one is afraid of taking oath-inserting finger into it. If he utters lies while the finger in the hole, the serpent bites him and instant death follows. So one is mortally frightened to take oath at this place in this method. Liars met with instantaneous deaths, hence the very mention of west Nada of Chengannar strikes terror into the minds of liars. Its origin is quite interesting-it appears once a fake Vishavaidya from Tamil Nadu went there and boasted that none would beat him in curing snakebites. Unfortunately a twelve-year boy, the lone survivor renowned for Vishavaidhya heard it and reported it to his fond mother. She was crest fallen; for it was dishonour to her own town, and her husband, whose mantrikasati was unparalleled. In the same night the boy had a dream and he was provided with a small pipe by the Naga King himself with sufficient guidance to tackle the bogus Tamilian Mantrika.