Madayi kaavu

Madayi Kavu

Was one of the temples we visited near Kannur

Details copied from Wikipedia ..

Pictures mine

Thiruvarkadu Bhagavathi Temple (a.k.a. Madayi Kavu) is the mother temple of all Bhadrakali shrines of North Kerala. The deity is the Fierce form of Bhadrakali. The Bhagavathy is addressed by tantrics in the vicinity as Tiruvarkkad Achchi due to this. The temple administration is Malabar Devaswom Board. The temple is a revered shrine of Chirakkal Royal Family and a shrine of Chirakkal devaswom before. The temple is situated in Madayi, Payangadi, hence prominently known as Madayi Kavu.

The Arayal Thara in front of Tiruvarkad Bhagavathy Temple (Madayi Kavu). Arayal in Malayalam is synonymous to Bodhi Tree or Pippallam

The temple is addressed as Thiruvarkkadu Bhagavathy,
Thiruvar-in proto-Tamil-Manipravalam is used to address Shiva of the shrine, i.e. The most respectable one. The temple architecture of some shrines in the region shows how the Goddess is perceived in the region. The temples such as Annapoorneshwari temple and Madayikkavu has strong Brahminic influence. The Brahmin women in ancient time, were not allowed to show their faces in the sit-out, they were mostly inside their home and was addressed as Andarjanam by Kerala Brahmins. The Goddess is considered as Brahmin Mother and hence do not face the temple entrance gate, her sanctum is inside the shrine; the sanctum that one can see while entering from the front entrance is of Shiva (also due to the tantric temple architecture Rurujith Vidhanam) and in Annapoorneshwari Temple it is Krishna's shrine in the front entrance. So the temple is known by the name of Shiva rather than the Goddess. Tiruvarkaadu means The forest of the Lord.

Legend
There are different folklore about the origin of the temple. One of the legend says, The Bhagavathy, Madayikkavilamma was residing in the Rajarajeshwara Temple. But, as she was non-vegetarian she could not exist in the Shiva temple. She ordered the then King of that region to construct a separate shrine for her.

Saraswathi Mandapam
In another legend, long ago Madayi was troubled by a demon Darika and Madayikavilamma killed him and requested Shiva to enshrine in a temple near him. Lord Shiva ordered his disciple Parashuram to consecrate a shrine for the Shakti. Parashurama created the Madayippara and the Holy shrine on it.[3] The shrine is considered the last resort for the removal of Occult Sorcery(Black Magic and Witchcraft).

There used to be a "strothasamuchayam" known as "panchasthavi" in Kashmir province. There were Laghustuthi, ghatasthi, charchasthuthi, Ambasthuthi, sakalajananeestuthi. These five came unbder "sreevidyasambrathaaya" which stipulates like Aanavopayam, Saakthopayam, saambhavopayam, anupoyam etc. These were practiced by the Bhattakaaras of kashmir. One of the Bhattakarar travelled from kashmir towards south and he has built 13 temples of saakthyaaradhana. they are from north starting from mannampurath kavu of Neeleswaram, Thiruvarkkattu kavu or Madaayi kavum, Kalarivathulkkavu of Valapattanam, Mamanikkunnu kavu near Mattannur, Thiruvancheri kkavu near Koothuparambu, Kaliyam kavu near edacheri of Vadakara, Koyilandi kollam pisharikkavu, thiruvalayanaadu kavu of Kozhikode, Modikkunnathu kavu near Pattambi, Thirumandamkunnu kavu of Angadipurath, Kodungallurkkavu, Muthoot kavu of Thiruvalla, Panayannar kavu of Mannar near thiruvalla.

The Pradanmar or the Brahmins performed the poojas came from Kashmir and they practiced Saaktheya pujas, which is practiced here at Madaayikkavu/

History
During the incursion of Hyder Ali into Malabar, Circa 1780, Madayi Kavu was desecrated with the entrails of slaughtered cattle, following which a local Nair warrior named Vengayil Chathukutty beheaded the miscreant responsible for the act, delivering the severed head to temple authorities. Thereby the Nair family of Vengayil received the title of Nayanar.[4]

Worship
Kattumadom Esanan Namboothirippad is the Tantri (Head Priest) of the shrine. Kattumadom is one of the 4 major Mantravada clan of Brahmin families in Kerala.[5] The priests at the temple belong to the Podavar Brahmin community which allows meat and alcohol consumption.

The temple rites are in Koula sampradaya. The ability to control Ashtapaashas (eight chains) – ghrina (hatred), lajjaa (shame), bhaya (fear), shanka (doubt), jugupsa (reproach), kula (caste), jaati (creed) and sheela (modesty) – is key for meditation especially in Koula Sampradaya. If a devotee is able to control these, the Bhagavathy raises our[who?] consciousness to Shivam.[6] The major festival of the temple is Pooram in March. There are also festivals in the Malayalam months of Thulam, Vrishchikam and Makaram in addition to the Pooram in Meenam. The Perumkaliyattam is in the Malayalam month of Idavam.[7] The temple is also associated with the Bhadrakali temple of Mannanpurathu Kavu (Nileshwaram) and Vadukunnu Shiva Temple.

The Shiva shrine faces east, while the Bhadrakali shrine faces towards the west. The priests at the temple even though Brahmins are not Namboothiris, they are Pidarar Brahmins, belong to a particular sect associated with Kali worship, and are not barred from consumption of meat. A particular aspect of the temple is Kozhi Kalasham, which is the sacrifice of poultry for the goddess which is held in high regard.

cancer treatment

Cancer treatment in India

From an international perspective as having worked in premier oncology centers outside India I can sum up in one sentence that we Indians are lucky to have centers and skilled professionals in oncology compared to many other countries specially so in Kerala
The cost of cancer treatment is prohibitive the world over
The reason for this is modern medicine is evidence based, every single drug to get an approval takes long years and has to go through rigorous trials based on scientific principles and have to be accepted by bodies like the FDA etc which are later accepted the world over ,
this makes it extremely costly as the medical companies who have invested In research for the molecule needs to get back their investments with profit the cost skyrockets .
Nonprofit and government managed research centers and universities also contribute their mite but the process is lengthy, costly and exhausting.
Patency rules prevent substitution of these molecules for cheaper versions though India so far has been getting away with this in the international market for eg when the breakthrough for Chronic myeloid leukemia TKI inhibitor and targeted agent Imatinib Mesylate came into being with the Times magazine calling it as the magic bullet for Cancer as a breakthrough in cancer treatment .
It produced amazing results in CML though the drug was very costly and then an Indian company Natco created a cheaper version which was more cost productive, with the newer drug policy which the Government is forced to accept these days if it wants to be an international player the cost of cancer drugs can rise abominably and one cannot accuse the government without knowing the intricacies of world trade complexities .
Cancer treatment in India is much cheaper compared to anywhere in the world
Still my point here is how much cheaper drugs used in cancer is in India when compared to the rest of the world
Similarly India today charges the lowest for surgeries, investigations like PET scans or for bone marrow transplants etc
Most of the countries around the world charges 10 to 50 times what is charged in India and this also shows how much potential India has for medical tourism if supported by proper infrastructure and awareness.
Just like in space industry we do it the cheapest with equally good results
The palliative care network in India especially in Kerala is something way ahead of many other countries in the world even in developed countries
Economics of cancer treatment and its burden
Still it is a blow to many families to be spending such huge amounts for a relatively long period as cancer treatment can go on for long in many cases
This is where projects like Sukrutham if done well will help people below poverty line as the government needs to take care of this group
For upper middle class and richer people there should be insurance schemes designed to cover cancer and people should also be made aware of taking medical insurances just like they do for their automobiles etc ,this would help in a big way in the unfortunate instance of their getting cancer
Employee insurance covering cancer should also be instituted mandatorily
Guidelines of Treatment
Oncology treatment in modern medicine all over the world including in all reputed centers in India is done following international guidelines
These like the NCCN,( national comprehensive cancer network )ESMO,( European society of medical oncology ) NICE guideline (National Institute of Health and Care Excellence ) lay down updated guidelines for oncology practioners globally of course the practioners have the flexibility to tailor it to their patients’ needs but generally follow its recommendations .
This makes it very objective
This is lacking in other systems of medicine which are not evidence based .
Research in cancer
there are no scientific trials to many claims which are advertised many formulations given to patients have not gone through stringent scientific scrutiny
systems of medicine where research in a big way is needed in big way like Ayurveda science may contribute a lot ot cancer treatment .
basic research in these systems of medicine indigenous to our country should be our focus as this can be done best here though western countries are also looking seriously into them these days
Research for oncology in modern medicine which is very cost prohibitive is a strain for Indian centers we need to focus more on early detection and intervention, screening and adequate treatment when diagnosed

Effective communication on Cancer
Myths needs to be broken
Public has to be informed of the strides made in oncology
This can be done effectively by media
The general negative attitudes to the disease has to be broken only by good communication for this attitude discourages people from active treatment as they develop a fatalistic attitude to the disease
Communication sadly is not only restricted to lay people many medical professionals themselves are not aware of the importance of instituting timely and correct treatment and screening needs

The menace of half knowledge
The advances and reach of palliative care and pain management may be a feather in Kerala s crown but it has also created an army of people with half or less than half knowledge who by learning the basics of palliative care come to the conclusion that they have become oncology experts and even at times give wrong advice that but for pain management no other treatment is needed which is counterproductive
Any patient with cancer has to be evaluated by a qualified medical oncologist, surgical oncologist or clinical oncologist/radiotherapist as the need maybe before a line of management is instituted
There is a lacuna in the number of such qualified people but Kerala is better off compared to other states in this matter
Many of the cancers today if diagnosed early can be cured while some become like chronic diseases like Diabetes etc
The large number of people who fall for scams and quackery in Kerala is well known, misleading advertisements offering get quick cures for cancer patient make them easy prey to such charlatans and many lose a fortune on supplements most of which are not only useless but also harmful for the patient
Many of these supplements also contain heavy metals and steroids which can harm the patient and prevent him from having treatment later

Exploitation of cancer patients by false claims
This is not only in Kerala but all over the world
Cancer cures are multicrore business and umpteen claims which appear scientific for the layman are available today in the internet
Many are not only a waste of money that could be used for better nutrition and proper treatment some are potentially harmful by causing renal failure or liver failure and preventing much needed treatment ,some delay treatment as patients tend to put off their conventional treatments for the claims .
Its always advisable to discuss with the oncologist any food fads or cancer cures
The Government should bring effective scrutiny of such claims and spread the message that false calims are unscientific and harmful

Multispecialty inputs for cancer
Oncology treatment is multispecialty and it needs the services and skills of surgeon, radiotherapist medical oncologists and many other specialties like infectious diseases nephrologist’s cardiologists and so many other specialties during the treatment
the role of psychologists physiotherapists oncology trained nurses and palliative care physicians the holistic management of a cancer patient are equally important
The time has still not come when one could say that cancer is not a fearsome diagnosis to hit families it is still so its is devastating for the family materially, psychologically and morally and it is an uphill task to go through the treatment which has many complications
But the time has come to say that the progress made in modern oncology has decreased the side effects of treatment to a large extent the sophistication of targeted treatment precision radiotherapy sophisticated surgical skills and diagnostic equipment’s have all created a vast difference between the mortality and morbidity rates of cancer sufferers
The need for Kerala is to recognize its advantages in this field and try to support and improve its services
Involvement of government with newer projects participation of organizations lessen the burden of the patients while the medias role is in imparting the right information and in reducing the scare and panic the word cancer has brought along with it while explaining the changes happening over the years and warning the going astray from instituted evidence based medicine into the lure of charlatans
Screening in Cancer
There are only three types of cancer where screening is approved
Colon cancer Breast cancer and cervix cancer ,there are guidelines for screening ,this has to be encouraged by adequate media coverage and everyone should take up screening to detect earlier and have a better outcome
For this awareness is very important

For all the disadvantages a country like India has it also has advantages
We need to strengthen our positives and to fill in our deficiencies
The right picture of the disease is to be communicated efficiently while at the same time myths needs to be broken.
Cancer management is hardy path but a lot had been travelled and can be so too .

Picture was taken when i was in Brunei cancer center