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Naranath Branthan (The madman of ''Naranam'') is a character in
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
folklore. He was considered a divine person, a Mukhta who pretended to be mad. His chief activity consisted of rolling a big stone up a hill and then letting it fall back down. There is a large statue of Naranath in
Pattambi Pattambi is a town, tehsil, and municipality in the Palakkad District of Kerala, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Pattambi Taluk. History Pattambi was originally a part of the Nedunganad Swaroopam dynasty, which was ru ...
, Palakkad district of
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
where he is believed to have lived. Naranathu was born as the son of
Vararuchi Vararuci (also transliterated as Vararuchi) () is a name associated with several literary and scientific texts in Sanskrit and also with various legends in several parts of India. This Vararuci is often identified with Kātyāyana. Kātyāyana is ...
, the famous
scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...
who adorned the court of
Vikrama Vikramaditya (Sanskrit: विक्रमादित्य IAST: ') was a legendary king as mentioned in ancient Indian literature, featuring in traditional stories including those in '' Vetala Panchavimshati'' and '' Singhasan Battisi''. Ma ...
. Naranathu was one among the twelve offsprings of
Vararuchi Vararuci (also transliterated as Vararuchi) () is a name associated with several literary and scientific texts in Sanskrit and also with various legends in several parts of India. This Vararuci is often identified with Kātyāyana. Kātyāyana is ...
and was brought up in the ''Naranathu Mangalathu Mana'', situated at Chethallur in Palakkad district. Vararuchi's children were also known as Parayi Petta Panthirukulam (twelve children born from the Pariah woman). Naranthu came to
Thiruvegappura Thiruvegappura (also spelled Thiruvegapura) is a village in Pattambi Taluk Palakkad district in the state of Kerala, India. It is administered by the Thiruvegapura gram panchayat. The main roads passing through Thiruvegappura Panchayat are Pon ...
to master 'Vedas'. Thiruvegappura and the nearby Rayiranelloor Mountain, known as 'Branthachalam', became his usual abode. Due to his strange behaviour and odd activities, people perceived him as 'mad'. At Rayiranellor Mountain, he had the vision of the Devi (Goddess), and later, for the people's benevolence, he enshrined ''Devi'' in the Mountain and started his worship there. No clear descriptions of Naranath's last days have yet been received. The most famous facet of Naranath's life is his apparently eccentric habit of rolling big stones up the hill and letting them roll down back and laughing thunderously on seeing this sight. However, this act has often been considered allegorical and has been applied for social critiquing in myriad contexts. The Naranathu Branthan Mala is located at Rayiranelloor in Palakkad district on the Valanchery - Pattambi road after Thiruvegappuram Shivan's temple. It takes 1.5 hours to climb the hill. Many climb the hill during the 1st of Thulam (mid-October). On top, there is a statue of Naranathu Branthan. The nearest train station is
Kuttipuram Kuttippuram is a town and a Kuttippuram Block Panchayat, block headquarters, which is situated in the Tirur Taluk, Malappuram district in the India, Indian state of Kerala. The town is located 32 kilometres south of Malappuram And 8 kilometers f ...
in
Malappuram district Malappuram (), is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of . The most populous district of Kerala, Malappuram is home to around 13% of the tot ...
on the
Shornur Shoranur is a town and municipality located on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River, in the Palakkad district of Kerala. The town is spread over an area of 32.28 km². Geography Shoranur is located at . It has an average elevation of 49&nbs ...
-
Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...
route. He is revered as a saint by some communities in the state and is often portrayed as naughty.


Stories of Naranath Bhranthan


Story of Sri Rama Temple at Thriprayar

One day Naranathu came to worship at the temple of
Triprayar Thriprayar is a town in Thrissur District of Kerala, India. It is famous for the Thriprayar Temple. It is a part of Thrissur Metropolitan Area. It has one of the 4 temples which is visited in Nalambalam Yatra(Rama-Bharta-Lakshmana-Shaturghna). ...
. He was surprised to see the movement of the
altar stone An altar stone is a piece of natural stone containing relics in a cavity and intended to serve as the essential part of an altar for the celebration of Mass in the Catholic Church. Consecration by a bishop of the same rite was required. In the Byz ...
, yet fathomed the reason through his yogic powers. He called the temple Tantri and had a nail driven on the stone, chanting mantras. The movement stopped forthwith. The portion where the nail was thrust can be seen even today. To prevent any decline in the idol's power on account of the change in its location, Naranathu also arranged to install two goddesses on either side of the deity: Sri Devi on the right and
Bhumi Devi Bhumi (Sanskrit: भूमि, romanized: Bhūmi), also known as Bhudevi, Dharani, and Vasundhara, is a significant goddess in Hinduism, personifying the Earth. Her earliest form is reflected in the Vedic goddess Prithvi, though their roles and de ...
on the left.


Story of Naranath Bhranthan and Bhadrakali

Another of the popular stories associated with Naranath goes as follows. The deity or the female goddess Bhadrakaali ( as in the story of Kalidasa) goes out of the temple; She performs a dance called chutalanritha, accompanied by some of her assistants. Once Goddess
Bhadrakali Bhadrakali (IAST: Bhadrakālī; ) is an important goddess, mainly worshiped by Hindus, and is a form of Kali. She is considered to be the auspicious and fortunate form of Adi Shakti or Durga, the supreme mother who protects the good, known ...
went to a graveyard and saw Naranath sleeping there. They had to perform that dance so the goddess sent her accomplices to scare him off that spot. Her accomplices tried to scare him with their most terrifying faces, but after seeing them he began laughing. So the goddess herself appeared before him and offered to grant boons to him in return for him leaving the ground. But Naranath declined to accept the offer. But the goddess persuaded him to ask something for her satisfaction. He then asked the Goddess to increase his lifespan by one day. The goddess told him that she didn't have the power to do so. Then he asked her to decrease his lifespan by one day. The goddess was unable to grant that too. Laughing at this, Naranath asked the Goddess to shift the swelling
Manth Manth (), latinized as , is an epithet of the Etruscan chthonic fire god Śuri as god of the underworld; this name was primarily used in the Po Valley, as described by Servius, but a dedication to the god ''manθ'' from the Archaic period was f ...
from his left leg to his right leg, which the Goddess readily did. In yet another story a man wanted Naranath to be his
Guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...
and followed him. As a good disciple, he wished to do everything his Guru did. Naranath told him to go away but the disciple stuck on. After walking for long their mouths were parched and there was no water source nearby. Naranath spotted a blacksmith and asked him to give him molten metal to drink, and he drank it. The disciple was sure that he himself couldn't do it. And Naranath told him to go away.


Story of Naranath Bhranthan and Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple

The
swayambhu Svayambhu () is a Sanskrit word that means "self-born", "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that that is created by its own accord". Various deities and entities featured in Hindu literature and tradition are regarded to be svayambhu, such as ...
idol of Lord Sri Krishna installed in Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Swami Temple,
Ambalappuzha Ambalappuzha is a small town in the Alappuzha district of Kerala state, India. It is located south of Alappuzha which is the district headquarters. Ambalappuzha is divided into the two panchayats of Ambalapuzha North and Ambalapuzha South. ...
, in
Alappuzha District Alappuzha district (), is one of the 14 Districts of Kerala, districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It was formed as Alleppey district on 17 August 1957, the name of the district being changed to ''Alapp ...
of
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
is said to be installed by Naranathu Bhranthan. The story goes like this: The swayambhu idol of Sri Krishna was installed by some other Brahman initially and the temple poojas used to go on as usual for only a few days. Each day for nirmalyam the melshanthi, the chief priest of the temple used to open the nada (the door of sanctum sanctorum) with fear in mind if the idol would be intact or if he would see it fallen. Once found fallen reinstallation would be conducted after a ritual. Frustrated with the repeated incidence, the temple authorities decided to know the reason behind it and conducted a devaprashnam before reinstallation, and in the devaprashnam, it was observed that only Naranathu Bhranthan could install the idol permanently. The authorities sought him and got him through with half mind because he was always in dirty upkeep and attire and chewing pan. As it came up in devaprashnam they had no option. Naranathu, too, tried to fix the idol on the platform, but each time, it fell off. When it happened over and over again and meanwhile his mouth was full of pan spit he spat into the slot on the platform and uttered, ‘irikkeda pulayadimone avide’ meaning: ‘sit there you, son of a pulayi’ and the idol got fixed. The slot full of
betel leaf Betel (''Piper betle'') is a species of flowering plant in the pepper family Piperaceae, native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious vine, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plants are cultivated for their leav ...
(taamboolam) spit spilt over the slot, and hence the place got the name ‘Taamboolappuzha’, which later got distorted to ‘Ambalappuzha’. It is believed that there was no change in the installation after that and this also confirms that Naranathu was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.


Pranthan Kunnu village

Pranthan Kunnu or ''Branthan Kunnu'' is a small village between Karimbam and Taliparambu in Kannur district of Kerala, India. This village is located on the back side of Sir Syed College, Taliparamba. The etymology of the village name is based upon the vast emptiness of the area in ancient times when foxes used to roam and cry giving the place an odd reputation.


Contemporary Literature

Naranath Branthan is the protagonist of an acclaimed eponymous poem by V. Madhusoodhanan Nair.


See also

* Parayi petta panthirukulam *
Sisyphus In Greek mythology, Sisyphus or Sisyphos (; Ancient Greek: Σίσυφος ''Sísyphos'') was the founder and king of Ancient Corinth, Ephyra (now known as Corinth). He reveals Zeus's abduction of Aegina (mythology), Aegina to the river god As ...
, a similar character


References


External links


A tribute to Naranath and Branthachalam Temple at Kaippuram



Bhagavathi Temple situated near Naranathu Branthachalam Temple
{{HinduMythology Culture of Kerala People in Hindu mythology Kerala society Kerala folklore