“God’s Own Country,” Kerala’s well-known sobriquet, is a hallmark of India’s lush green panoramic landscape, admired far beyond its borders. Mythological accounts of its origin trace back to Parashurama, regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu. After the annihilation of the Kshatriya kings, Parashurama is believed to have thrown his battle axe from Kanyakumari northward across the ocean. The land where the axe fell later came to be known as Parashurama Kshetram.
Beyond this foundational legend, several other divine associations have, from time immemorial, become integral to Kerala’s culture and tradition. Vamana, the dwarf incarnation of Vishnu, is believed to have appeared in Kerala to banish Mahabali, the benevolent ruler whose growing power was said to threaten the abode of the Devas. According to legend, two incarnations of Vishnu are thus directly connected with Kerala’s narrow geographical expanse.
The state is also revered as the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya, the foremost proponent of Advaita Vedanta. His divine mission began in Kalady, his birthplace. Since assuming its present political geography on 1 November 1956, Kerala has witnessed multiple regime changes; spiritually, however, it has remained a land of ancient pilgrimage centers. Temples renowned internationally for their historical and spiritual significance, Christian churches dating back to the era of monarchs, and the profound presence of Islam across the northern belt together lend Kerala a rich socio-spiritual ambience even today.
Yet much of its Hindu spiritual heritage was subjected to devastation during repeated invasions, and what survived struggled to endure Kerala’s evolving political landscape. Even Shankaracharya’s birthplace failed to receive the spiritual attention and grandeur it deserved. Across the state, several ancient temples were taken over by the government, with many traditional rituals and festivals gradually neglected or diminished. The recent Sabarimala Gold Theft Case is one that underscores the State’s administrative negligence on Hindu temples.
Against this backdrop, a renewed spiritual churn in the state has emerged as a significant talking point. However, little has been discussed about the Kumbh Mela that began on 19 January at Tirunavaya, on the banks of the Bharatapuzha, in Malappuram district. The significance of this spiritual assembly, where lakhs of devotees are expected to take a holy dip, is only now beginning to unfold.
The spiritual momentum generated by preparations for the Kumbh Mela has been tremendous. Historically, the Tirunavaya Kumbh Mela was once a grand congregation comparable to the Kumbh Melas of North India. Legends recount that Parashurama performed a great yajna or sacrifice for the welfare of the world on the banks of the Bharatapuzha, and that the ritual was repeated every twelve years.
Over time, under the rule of various kings, the festival evolved into the Mahamagh Mahotsavam, popularly known as Mamankam. Held once every twelve years, Mamankam emerged as a major socio-spiritual and political gathering. Today, this revived Mamankam, or Kerala’s Kumbh Mela, is widely perceived as a spiritual response to the challenges that the Sanatana Hindu culture is facing in the state.
The Bharatapuzha, also known as Dakshina Ganga, originates from the Thrimurti Hills near Udumalpet. Historical accounts note that Haidar Ali’s aggressive conquest in 1766 brought the Kumbh Mela tradition to a halt. According to historians, the last Mamankam was held in 1755.
In Kerala’s present socio-political scenario, the revival of Kumbh Mela came with controversies too. The state government under CPM leadership issued a stop memo to the event’s organizers, citing environmental concerns. Critics argue that the government’s sudden move appeared less a misstep and more a calculated decision aimed at appeasing a religious minority that forms the demographic majority in Malappuram district, a region widely regarded as a stronghold of Islam and shaped historically by that dominance.
Nevertheless, preparations for the Kumbh Mela continued, and the government eventually revoked its initial stance. The Maha Magha Mahotsavam, Kerala’s Kumbh Mela, was ceremonially inaugurated by Rajendra Arlekar, who hoisted the festival flag on 19 January. In his inaugural address, the Governor emphasized the revival of Sanatana Dharma on the land of Adi Shankaracharya, Sree Narayana Guru, and other great saints.
A key figure behind this spiritual revival is Swami Anandavanam Bharathi, a former Communist cadre turned spiritual master of the Juna Akhara. Recently anointed as a Mahamandaleshwar, he is among the very few from Kerala to receive this honor. According to him, the Juna Akhara is planning to expand its spiritual activities across South India.
Formerly known as P. Salil, the Swami’s journey from revolutionary Left politics to spirituality unfolded almost accidentally. As a firebrand leader of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), he had no intention of becoming a seer when he visited the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj in 2001. His immediate purpose was to evade arrest by the Kerala police in non-bailable cases.
Yet, beneath this, lay a silent spiritual quest that the Kumbh Mela ignited. After graduating from the Press Academy with a first rank, he joined Mathrubhumi as a journalist. Even so, the call of spirituality continued to draw him repeatedly toward the Himalayas. Today, he believes that his spiritual role in his home state is guided by divine will. With hundreds of devotees expected to take a holy dip in the Bharatapuzha, the revived Kumbh Mela, he asserts, is poised to become a defining moment in Kerala’s evolving socio-spiritual ecosystem.
Many Hindu organizations, including the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, are part of the organization of this grand spiritual event. Though it is a small beginning, Hindus across the state believe that this spiritual assembly, bringing together devotees from Kerala and neighboring states, will transform the spiritual ambience of the South. With seers from akharas and ashrams across India expected to perform rituals in large numbers, Kerala is witnessing a new spiritual churn, one it has not experienced for centuries.
