A divine Devaprasnam prophecy came true in Kottayam, Kerala. A granite vigraham of the Devi that is hundreds of years old was recovered from a deep well inside the Vellilappilly Bhagavathy temple near Ramapuram in the Kottayam district. The ancient temple under the Travancore Devaswom Board was lying in ruins for decades.
An Ashtamangala Devaprasnam was conducted here on 13 November under the leadership of the temple advisory committee, which lasted for three days. The vigraham was recovered from the well during a further inspection. It was proved that the vigraham (murti) is centuries old and is considered an antique. The discovery stunned the locals, and hundreds now throng the neglected and decayed temple.
Devaprasnam is an astrological ritual to find out if something harmful has happened to the presence of the Bhagwans/Bhagvathys in the temples. It is conducted every time a death occurs in a temple or when there are endless miseries near the temple premises. It is also done when there are interruptions in the puja rituals for no apparent reason and when a theft occurs inside the temple.
Devaprasnam is also performed before a temple renovation. In short, Devaprashanam is conducted to find out whether something has happened in the temple that is not pleasing to the deity or to know whether the proposed reforms in the temple are acceptable to the Creator.
Prominent astrology scholar Vijayaraghava Panikkar of Kozhikode led the Ashtamangala Devaprasnam. According to Rashi (Vedic Zodiac), the temple is more than 3000 years old. The temple progressed well during the king’s reign. Its ruin began sometime in the past after the local kingdom collapsed.
Vandals desecrated the temple, snatched the vigraham, smashed it into three parts, and flung the pieces into the well. Abrahamics and their hatred towards Hindu vigrahas have been well and truly documented.
In November, Vijayaraghava predicted that the vigraham would be recovered within three months. It was clear from the Rashi that someone took the murti from the temple and threw it in some water body around the temple. Later, the temple advisory committee president Ramapuram P S Shajikumar and secretary Biju Parotiyel led others devotees to inspect the temple premises.
A dilapidated deep temple well was found during the search. They invited Subramanian from Ezhacherry to help them. Subramanian and his team drained the well and found the vigraham covered in mud. The beautiful granite vigraham was fixed on a pedestal, but criminals had broken it into three sections.
Devotees who came to know that the vigraham was recovered following the Devaprasnam prediction started to throng the temple. Vellilappilly Pisharikovil Sreekarthyayani Devi Temple Melshanti Uzhavoor Madamana Illam Suresh Namboothiri reached the place, lit the temple lamp, and chanted Namamantra. The temple renovation began in earnest.
The office bearers of the Temple Advisory Committee informed that they would start the process of temple construction in consultation with Tantri Madhavan Namboothiri from Irinjalakuda, Thrissur. Devaswom Board authorities have also been intimated. Ramapuram is a small town in Kottayam located 12 km from Pala on the main road to Koothattukulam.
