Kadamattathu Kathanar and Yakshi

Author’s Note: This article is my personal retelling of the story “Kadamattathu Kathanar” from the legendary collection of Kerala folklore, Aithihyamala, originally compiled by Kottarathil Sankunni.

From the bedrock of Kerala's folklore, none thunders with as much magnetism as that of Kadamattathu Kathanar. The 9th-century Christian priest is unforgettably prominent - not just as a preacher - but as a master Mantravadi or Tantric sorcerer.

Kadamattathu Kathanar is so iconic that the words “kathanar”, “Yakshi”, or “Neeli” reminds most  Malayalis of him. “Kathanar” is no longer the word used for Christian priest in Kerala, it refers to him.

And a clarification note, this story is about the Parumala or Panayannarkavu Yakshi, and not the more infamous Yakshi, Kalliyankattu Neeli of Lokah and several other movies.

In those days, this Yakshi roamed freely the forest paths between Thiruvananthapuram and Padmanabhapuram overshadowing the place. She was a terrorized anyone who dared to tread through this cardinal road.  She would manifest as an Atisundari (exceptional beauty) waylaying male travelers.

She opened talks with a simple request for a pinch of chunnambu (lime) for her murrukkaan (betel chew). In the cultural codes of that time, this was an invitation to intimacy. Once a man was lured into the forest, she would reveal her terrifying true form, devouring him whole, leaving behind only tufts of hair and pulled out fingernails to remind people of her immensity. 

(I believe these remnants also gave the dead person’s family to conduct their last rites - but this was the lowliest last rites they could get!)

Local sorcerers and priests tried in vain to subdue her. When they heard of a priest who subdued many supernatural entities - Kadamattathu Kathanar - they sought his mercy. He agreed to help.

When he went her way, the Yakshi appeared in her enchanting form and made her usual request. Kathanar knew the drill, and the loophole.

He offered the lime, but on the tip of a sharp iron nail. The moment she extended her hand he grabbed it, invoking his powerful Tantric mantras. He hammered the nail deep into the head of the stunned Yakshi. She was instantly neutralized, her power broken, and bound to his will as an obedient slave.

Kathanar disguised her as a simple girl, and asked her to follow as his servant. He had to go to his aunt's home in Kayamkulam. During their halt, the old woman, saw the iron nail stuck in the girl's head. In a surge of anxiety and pity the unsuspecting aunt pulled the nail out. In a flash, the Yakshi regained her true form and vanished, her power unleashed once more.

Keralites will not pull out nails or mysterious objects from trees or rocks, owing to parallel tales!

Kathanar chased the Yakshi who fled North. He caught her again at Maannaanam, just as she was crossing the stream towards the ancient Panayannarkavu. Now fully knowing all her weaknesses, he invoked another powerful mantra. He magically bound her feet to the spot, halting her escape. This time, he then forced her into a Tantric vow: she must cease her predation on humans forever. In return, she would be given a permanent space to long reside in contentment. Thus, she was installed at Panayannarkavu, and a site of terror was transformed into a mysterious, sacred space.

The Layered Sanctity of Panayannarkavu

This brings us to the complexity of Panayannarkavu itself, an important Bhadrakali temple in Kerala. In fact, there several temples in Kerala named Panayannarkavu, that may be related.

This might be the reason why the Aithihyamala chapter dedicated specifically to the history of Panayannarkavu, there is a curious omission. There is no mention of Kadamattathu Kathanar or any Yakshi he bound there.

That chapter is a sthalapurana (history) of Panayannar Kavu BhadraKali temple. Devi answered a local ruler’s devout prayers and agreed to grace the place with her presence. Her arrival was signaled by a ball of fire descending upon a palm tree (pana), giving the kavu its name (Panayannar Kavu - the grove of the palm tree).

The 'Great Tradition' of pan-Indian Hinduism reveres this site for the Puranic deity, Bhadrakali. And, the 'Little Tradition' of local folklore treasures it as the place where the formidable Kathanar bound and sanctified a primal, chaotic force.

Especially because several Devi temples house Yakshi, the two narratives don't contradict; they coexist. They weave a rich tapestry of meaning that embodies both high religious doctrine and deep-rooted folk memory, showing how a holy site becomes a living entity, accumulating power, essence and legends over countless centuries.