Vettakkorumakan. temple Balussery - Kotta, Kerala patronized by the tribal community

Balussery-Kotta Vettakkorumakan temple. Blessings on the net

Balussery-Kotta Vettakkorumakan temple is a popular one in North Kerala and is about 25 km from Calicut. This was once the fort of the Rajas of Kurumbranad. The local community gives due importance to this temple of Lord Shiva's son as he was born during Lord Siva's  Kirata (that of a tribal) avatar.  This  Hindu deity worshipped in parts of North Kerala and North-Western Tamil Nadu and is commonly  referred to as Kiratha-Sunu (son of Kirata) in Sanskrit.

 Vettaikkorumakan is traditionally, a deity of hunting (vetta(i) in Malayalam and Tamil  means  hunting, Etymologically the name caused some confusion  as to the correct definition of that word.  In the olden days in  Kerala it was a practice, particularly,  in the northern region to invoke the God (vazhipadu in  Malayalam) at the shrines of Vettakkarumakan before hunting. The tradition had been followed for centuries by Royals and others before embarking on a major  hunting expedition and the purpose was to guide the hunters in the dark wooded areas when hunting dangerous animals.

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Vettakkorumakan is believed to be the son of  lord  Shiva and Parvati.  In his Kirata Avatar, Shiva appeared before Arjuna as a hunter to grant  him his personal powerful weapon - Pasupata Asthara in the presence of his consort Parvati (as huntress) so that he would face the enemies with confidence.  Soon after handing over the weapon to Arjuna, the divine couple  stayed in the forest for sometime as the serene  surrounding offered them comforts and quiet life. During this period, a son with extraordinary power was born to them and it was  Vettakkorumakan or son born when Shiva assumed the role of a hunter (Kirata). His son  became a good archer as he grew and killed many asuras - demons using his skill in archery. Mischievous  as he was, he also gave serious headache  to the Devas and Rishis. His playful activities and mischief went far beyond the level of tolerance, so Devas  sought

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the help of Brahma who declined to help them as the boy was the son of Shiva. When, they approached  Shiva about Vettakkorumakan, his father told them that it was a natural thing for a boy to be naughty. 

Lord Vishnu was ready to help them out and approached the naughty boy in the guise of a hunter.  Vishnu showed  the boy a golden churika,(dagger-cum-sword) and told him he could keep it for himself only if he would stop troubling Rishis and Deva's and instead protecting them. The boy  took the Churika, left his  parents' abode Kailasa and went to the land of Parasurama, Kerala  and settled down near  Balussery. Hence the Balussery temple  is dedicated to Vettakkorumakan  who  is the family deity of Kurumbranad Rajas.

The famous festival that lasts for  six-days is  called  the Nilambur Pattu Utsavam  and is annually held in the Malayalam Month of Dhanu (January), it is a religious function held by the Nilambur Kovilakam in Vettaikorumakan temple at Nilambur in Malappuram.  The major festival activities include the singing of hymns in praise of the Lord. Referred to as Pattu atiyanthiram, the devotional songs are sung by certain tribal community, mainly Kurup community or Kuruppanmar.  The 'Pattu' refers to the songs in praise of the Lord.

Many  families among the erstwhile nobility of Malabar consider Vettakkorumakan as their family deity  and have close links in one way or other to either Balussery Fort or Kurumbranad.

https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/vettakkorumakan-temple-nilambur/394