Different Narratives

Narratives differ. While most in North Kerala subscribe to the 'Daarukasura Vadham' - the Slaying of Daruka - several others - especially, the groups arriving from Tamil Nadu - see the Goddess of Kodungallur as Kannaki, the heroine of Silappathikaram. Yet others ascribe the origin of the festival to the driving away of Buddhists from the temple as part of a planned Brahminical take-over. Still others see the festival and the rituals as part of the Shaakteya tradition, where the Goddess is worshipped as Shakti. Theories abound, even as the origins lie obscure in the sands of time.