On Friday (May 31), Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar backtracked from his claims that black magic rituals involving animal sacrifice were performed at the Rajarajeswara Temple in Kannur against the Karnataka government. However, while recanting his position, he got the temple name wrong. DK Shivakumar referred to it as the temple dedicated to Devi Rajareshwari while it is Sri Rajarajeswara Temple and dedicated to Lord Shiva.
“I am a big believer and devotee of Devi Rajarajeshwari, and I know that ‘shathrusamharapooja’ is NOT performed in Rajarajeshwari temple. My words are being misconstrued, and so I would like to clarify that I was talking about this pooja being performed some 15kms away from Rajarajeshwari temple and in a private place,” Shivakumar tweeted.
I am a big believer and devotee of Devi Rajarajeshwari, and I know that 'shathrusamharapooja' is NOT performed in Rajarajeshwari temple. My words are being misconstrued, and so I would like to clarify that I was talking about this pooja being performed some 15kms away from… pic.twitter.com/kTNJyUYSu7
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) May 31, 2024
He further added, “The only reason I mentioned this temple was to give a context of the location near which this pooja is performed. Privileged to have received the blessings of Rajarajeshwari temple a while back.”
However, an X user who goes by the handle @HKUpdate, a global community of dedicated Keralites with a peace mission as per its bio, corrected Karnataka Deputy CM, highlighting that the temple in question is not a Devi Temple but a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and called as Sri Rajarajeswara Temple, not Rajarajeshwari Temple.
For your kind information, Temple in Thaliparamba is not a Devi Temple
— HKupdate (@HKupdate) May 31, 2024
It's Rajaraeswara not Rajarajeswari
Temple is one of the ancient Siva Temple in Kerala https://t.co/SMak1Gc9OF
DK Shivakumar’s allegations of black magic rituals performed at the hallowed Sri Rajarajeswara Temple in Kannur triggered a furore, prompting quick repudiation from the temple and the Kerala government.
Kerala govt and Rajarajeswara Temple refute claims made by DK Shivakumar
On 1st June, the Kerala government restated that, contrary to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s claim, no animal sacrifice was performed in the vicinity of Rajarajeswara Temple, which is located at Taliparamba in the Kannur district of the state’s northern region. The Congress leader had levelled serious allegations that animal sacrifice was carried out at the Kerala temple using tantriks against him, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka. Now Kerala Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan has come out refuting the allegations, and the temple also has denied the charges.
K Radhakrishnan said, “We investigated the claim and also contacted the Malabar Devaswom Board. The preliminary report we got states that nothing like that has happened in or near the temple. The Devaswom Board also confirmed it.” He asserted that an investigation into the reasons behind DK Shivakumar’s charges is necessary. Furthermore, the minister mentioned that although initial reports did not indicate that such an occurrence had transpired in the state, the administration was looking into whether anything similar to DK Shivkumar’s accusation happened anywhere else in the state. He also argued that it was improbable that animal sacrifices happened in Kerala because they had been outlawed since 1968.
The State Police Chief has also received a report from the Special Branch refuting Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister’s contention.
Meanwhile, Rajaraeswara Temple on 31st May also dismissed his assertions, and a trustee of the temple board named Madhavan voiced that a temple should not be dragged into politics. “There is no such puja that takes place in Rajaraeswara Temple. There are no nearby places where animals like goats and buffaloes are sacrificed, as he (DK Shivakumar) claims. We would know if there was any such activity, but still, we checked about it. No such puja can be done without the outer world knowing,” he reaffirmed.
History of Sri Rajarajeswara Temple
The Rajarajeswara Temple, dedicated to Shiva, is in Taliparamba, Kannur district, Kerala, India. It is considered one of Kerala’s 108 ancient Shiva temples and holds significant importance among the many Shiva temples in South India. Historically, it had the tallest shikhara among temples of its era, with a top weighing approximately 90 tonnes.
Legend has it that Sage Parashurama renovated the temple long before the Kali Yuga began. Centuries ago, the Mushika (Kolathiri) dynasty kings also renovated it, and it was rebuilt into its current form in the early eleventh century. The temple features a two-tiered pyramidal roof over its quadrangular sanctum and a namaskara mandapam in front of the sanctum. Unlike other temples in Kerala, it does not have a kodi maram (flagstaff). Entry to the temple is restricted to Hindus only.
The Shivalingam in the sanctum of the Rajarajeshwara Temple is revered as one of the Jyotirlingas and worshipped under various names, including Rajarajeswara, Perumthrikovilappan, Perumchellurappan, and Thampuran.
Taliparamba is considered one of the ancient Shakti Peethams, believed to be the location where the head of Goddess Sati fell after Shiva’s tandavam following her self-immolation. The Shivalingam here is thought to be several thousand years old. According to legend, Lord Shiva gave Sati three sacred Shivalingas for worship. Sage Maandhata, after intense prayers to Goddess Parvathi, received one of these Shivalingas with the condition that it be installed where there was no cremation ground. Taliparamba was found to be the ideal spot, but after Maandhata’s death, the Linga disappeared into the earth. His son Muchukunda also received a Shiva Linga from the Goddess after similar prayers, which also eventually vanished. The third Shiva Linga was given to Sathasoman, a king of the Kolathiri dynasty, who installed it in the present temple he built.
