Mathrumala

Mathrumala is a hill located 16 kilometers east of the town of Kottayam in Kooroppada, Kottayam District, Kerala, India. The hilltop has a temple shrine dedicated to Rajarajeshwari (Devi).

History

As per the known history, Mathrumala, a part of Kooroppada, is the place where Thekkumkur Kings with their headquarters at Vennimala accommodated their royal army. In AD 1749 King Marthanda Varma captured Thekkumkur and annexed it to Venad. Previous land lords namely Ambazhathunkal Karthas were removed from their posts and a large portion of the land then came under the tenancy of Kolathettu family who were migrated to Kooroppada from Kolathunadu. The area including Mathrumala had the dwellings of farm laborers from Paraya community who used to work in the vast stretch of land owned by the Kolathettu family. These farm labourers had their Kuladevata (deity) namely ‘Saptamathrukkal’ installed on hilltop and regular offerings were done.

By early fifties, the legal custody of Mathrumala came through inheritance to the progeny of Kolathettu family namely Chempakasseril Thankamma, Tharavattathil Pappiyamma, Champakara Savithriyamma and Asariparambil Gopala Pillai. And in mid sixties, Assariparambil Gopala Pillai sold 30 cents of land next to hill top to Padoor Sreedharan Pillai. This portion of land was again sold to Shri Scaria Kalayil, who with the help of the Holy Cross Church administration, Kooropada, erected an iron holy cross on hilltop though the land was not officially owned by them. This incursion created so much tension in the area and took a communal tone dividing Christians and Hindus of the area who were otherwise lived amicably. In 1967 Shri Mulanthanathu G. Raman Nair and his sisters who inherited the property had filed a case in Kottayam Munsiff Court. The case continued for nearly 15 years and at last the verdict came favoring the plaintiffs and the Church authorities had agreed to handover the land to the Committee constituted to rebuild the primitive temple which was once known as ‘Saptamathrukkal’ and was worshipped by the sons of the soil. The holy cross was also subsequently removed. Soon after this development, Chempakasseril Thankamma and her sisters wholeheartedly donated 2 acre 25 cents of surrounding land owned by them to the temple for further expansion. This temple is now being managed by the Kerala Kshetra Samrakshana Samiti.

Reference

http://www.keralatourism.org/routes-locations/mathrumala/id/9895

http://www.onefivenine.com/india/Places/checkin/mathrumala-devi-temple