Lord Narasimha Moorthi roars again in Malappuram, Kerala
By R Venugopal, Cochin
DEAR readers, read this story with your heart and if you feel anything at all, be a part of this divine venture, which will help all of us to hold our head high. During the campaign of Tipu Sultan in Malabar region of Kerala, hundreds of temples were destroyed and plundered by the Muslims. Prominent among them were Tali Shiva Temple and Shri Narasimha Moorthi Temple at Malaparamba, both in Malappuram district. The former was reconstructed after a massive struggle with the Communist Government under EMS Namboodiripad.
The second temple came to existence nearly 350 years ago. But it got destroyed due to neglect by the family members who owned it. Afterwords, it was one Kundrakkal Nair who took up the reconstruction work. With Tipu Sultan’s entry into Malabar region in 1779, this temple also got destroyed along with others. Then, one Unnian Saheb got a lease of 100 acres of land around this temple for rubber plantation.
Now begins the present story. One night in 1947, Unnian Saheb had a dream of a fearful face shouting and screaming at him. He got very much afraid. The dream continued for several nights. His Hindu friends advised him to consult an astrologer. The astrologer found out that it was Lord Narasimha who had appeared before him in his sleep. He was demanding Unnian Saheb to resettle Him in his old temple. The astrologers told to resettle the Lord in His old temple. Unnian Saheb agreed to the proposal to reconstruct the temple in all its glory. Wonderfully enough, his bad dreams stopped worrying him!. He was wonder struck. He began to visit the temple site. He saw a number of Namboodiri pujaris, granite stone cutters, the Narasimha idol being brought by the architects. It became a very busy centre of people from deferent professions. The mantras being recited influenced him very much. Finally, he declared to the Hindu priests his intention to get converted into Hinduism! The Hindu society leaders were only very happy to grant his wishes. He also asked his two small sons and his brother to get converted. They were taken to Calicut town, (45 miles away) to the Arya Samaj centre, which was headed by one Buddha Singh. Singh converted them after performing due rites and named the brothers Rama Simhan and Daya Simhan and the children were named Fateh Singh and Zoravar Singh (after Guru Govind Singh’s sons!). They returned to their house. After the temple construction was almost over, he expressed his wish to get his younger brother converted into a Namboodiri Brahmin! The Namboodiri society readily agreed to do so. After the due process was over, he was also married to a Brahmin girl! The two children were sent to Delhi Arya Samaj school for education.
The whole family was murdered
The temple was to be duly consecrated in August 1947. All these events angered the Muslims of Malappuram district. On the night of August 3, 1947, a large force of Muslims came in two trucks with all types of arms, demolised the house of Rama Simhan and brutally murdered the whole family including one Hindu servant. The children escaped murder since they were in Delhi. The Brahmin cook escaped with serious injuries in his leg.
How far the demonic Islamic fanaticism can go to obey the Koranic verses! But then, the Hindus of the whole locality got afraid and hid themselves in their houses! How far can the timidity of Hindus go by this act of theirs? Nobody was there to claim the dead bodies of Rama Simhan and his family. RSS was not a mature organisation then. The bodies were unceremoniously buried by the police on the hill lock.
Days and years passed by, for 60 years. By then the RSS got stronger. The young bala swayam-sevaks of 1947, now grown very much elderly, had not forgotten the incident in Malaparamba and their own helplessness at that time. They prepared themselves to redeem what they could not do in 1947. With great difficulty the Mattummal Narasimha Moorthi Temple Trust went to the court to get an order for handing over the temple lands to the remaining dependents of Rama Simhan. His two children who were in Delhi, were brought back and grown up as Muslim again. The Court allowed the Trust to reconstruct the temple. The happy members of the Trust began the reconstruction joyously with very strong black granite stones. It took 5 years for the temple work to be finished. After an elaborate religious Vedic rites, the temple complex (consisting of the main Lord Narasimha Moorthy, Lord Ganesha, Devi Durga, Lord Ayyappa and Lord Subramania) has been opened to the devotees again. The Hindus of Malappuram are practically roaring like Narasimha. They are now putting fears in the hearts of the enemies of Hindutva.
This is for the fifth time that this temple has been constructed at the same place. One is strongly reminded of Somnath temple in Gujarat, which was destroyed 17 times by Muslim marauders and how Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel, Home Minister of the first ministry of Independent India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, the President, and KM Munshi, president of the Trust, reconstructed the temple. It is to be mentioned here that the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru with his typical pseudo secular mind tried to dissuade Rajendra Babu from partaking in the kumbhabhishekam of Somnath temple. But Babuji refused to surrender to Nehru’s wish!
Hindus of Malappuram have received enthusiastically the Moorthy, when it visited many temples around its original home before returning, to be ceremoniously consecrated with Vedic rites. A new sense of self-confidence seems to have been felt by the Hindus of Malappuram. It must be mentioned that there is not a single Hindu house within four kilometers of this temple. Still hundreds and hundreds of people are coming to worship the Lord. Bharat has lived long and strong and be the protector of all the weak countries of this world too.
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