Guruvayurappan - The garland of Manjula

Part 16

There is a banyan tree a few metres away from the temple on the East Nada. Manjula who was a virtuous and devout girl belonging to the Variyar caste, would make a garland every day and offer it to the Lord in the night. The Mel Shanti (Chief Priest) would adorn the deity with it.

One day she was delayed and the Sri Koil was closed. She could only reach the banyan tree from where the elephant race starts during Utsavam (festival). She felt very guilty about it. Manjula stood near the banyan tree crying and Poonthanam who was on his way back from the temple told her, "Guruvayurappan knows what's in your heart and since the Lord is everywhere, keep the garland on the banyan tree and he will take it".

The following morning, when the Mel Shanti began to remove the nirmalyam, one garland was stuck to the deity and would not come off.

When Poonthanam saw this, he called out to the Lord saying, "That's Manjula's Garland, let it also fall" and told the story to everyone. Then the garland slipped and fell from the deity. The devotees were awestruck and started chanting the Lord's name and went to the banyan tree to offer their obeisance. From that day, that banyan tree is known as Manjula Aala!

Here is a short video and Manjula's story on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/6hoppxzy4D4

Coconut with Horns

A villager had planted a number of coconut saplings and had promised himself that he would offer the 'first coconut' from each of his coconut trees to Guruvayurappan. When the trees started to yield coconuts, he collected the first coconut from all the trees in a sack and set forth to Guruvayur.

On the way he was stopped by a robber and asked to part with the items in the sack. The villager told the robber that the coconuts in the sack indeed are very special and belonged to Guruvayurappan and so he was unable to hand it over. The robber disdainfully asked the villager, "Is Guruvaurappan's coconut any different? Does it have horns?"

When the robber pulled the sack forcefully out of the villager’s hands, the coconuts fell. To their astonishment each and every coconut in the sack had horns! Even today, the coconut with horns are displayed near the temple entrance for the devotees to see.

Lord as an Assistant cook

One day in Guruvayur, a devotee wanted a feast to be held for the Lord with a hundred measures of rice. The intended offering to the Lord was to be prepared by the two Keezhshanthis. One of the Keezhshanthis was on leave due to illness.

Mallisseri Namboodiri, the other Keezhshanthi, was worried and he spent a sleepless night pondering over how to make the next day’s arrangements. He could do nothing more than pray to the Lord chanting His name overnight for a solution.

The next day he went to the temple, looked around and was relieved to see the
Keezhshanthi who had been on leave had returned and was preparing the feast. After completion of cooking, that Keezhshanthi went to Rudratheertham for a bath but did not return. He was not seen the next day either. Mallisseri sent his man to enquire about him. To his surprise he learnt that the Keezhshanthi was actually bed ridden ever since he had been on leave.

It was unbelievable, but Mallisseri understood the whole thing. It was the Lord himself who had come and helped him in a time of difficulty!