Temples of Kozhikkode District

The monograph on Temples of Kerala which was published earlier covered the general aspects on temples in Kerala like history of temples over the last two thousand years, mode of worship, architectural features, iconography of idols, deva-prasnam, temple rites, priesthood, temple customs, offerings, temple administration, ritualistic and performing arts, carvings and paintings etc. This volume, the fourth in the series of district monograhps, is an addendum to the monograph on Temples of Kerala and it attempts to cover an account of the temples of Kozhikkode district. The background of taking up this exhaustive study needs little elaboration. The Census Organization of India undertook a study on Temples of Madras State as an ancillary study of the 1961 census. Thus study evoked keen interest among scholars, the Government and statutory bodies of Kerala etc. Late Sree R. Vasudeva Poduval a renowned archaeologist, requested the Registrar General, India (Late Sree A. Chandrasekhar) as early as 1969 to launch a study on temples of Kerala similar to the one that was conducted in Madras state and the latter readily agreed to this suggestion. But the study could not be taken up due to heavy pressure of work in connection with the 1971 census. In 1973, the Travancore Devaswam Board also came up with a similar request but the backlog of census work of 1971 census stood in the way in launching the study. In 1979 the Advisor to the Government of Kerala on temples and traditional arts again requested the Director of Census Operations to commerce the study. But again some unforeseen circumstances prevented the organization from taking up the study. However, in May 1990, the Government of Kerala again requested the Census Directorate to take up a detailed survey on temples of Kerala and the Registrar General (Sree A.R. Nanda I.A.S) directed to commerce the survey in June 1991. The field-survey of Kozhikkode district was done during 1993-96 and, therefore, subsequent changes on structures, idols etc. have not been incorporated in this monograph except in few cases where re-visits were done. The data thus collected through the field survey is published in this monograph. The earlier proposed title of the monograph, ie., Temple Directory (mentioned in the earlier monograph–Temples of Kerala), had to be changed in the district monographs consequent on the introduction of a section dealing with the general background of temples of the district.