Temples of Malappuram District

The monograph on Temples of Kerala which was published earlier covered the general aspects on Temples of 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 monographs, is an addendum to the monograph on Temples of Kerala and it attempts to cover an account of the temples of Malappuram 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. This 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. The 1973, the Travancore Devaswam Board also came up with a similar request but the backlog of census of work of 1971 census stood in the way in launching the study. The 1979 the advisor to the government of Kerala on temples and traditional arts again requested the director of census operations to commence 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 genera (Sree A.R. Nanda I.A.S.) directed to commence the survey in June 1991. . . .