Payyamvelli Chandu Monument
Payyamvelli Chandu was a restorer of the Kottayam Palace and held the position of a guru (revered master) to Thacholi Othenan. He is also known by names such as Payyampalli Chandu, Payyamvelli Chandu Kurup, Payyampalli Cholan, and Payyavelli Chandu.
The memorial (Smriti Mandapam) of Payyamvelli Chandu is located near the Kottayil Bhagavathy Temple in the Kozhikode district—the site where he achieved martyrdom. According to local folklore, a fort belonging to the Kottayam Royal Dynasty once stood here. While Chandu was standing near a well inside the fort, enemies ambushed him and shot him. He fell into the well from the gunshot wound. When an enemy approached the well to check if Chandu was dead, Chandu threw his sword from inside the well, severing the enemy's head. The sword then landed in the nearby temple pond. To this day, festival rituals at the Kottayil Temple begin only after honoring and remembering Chandu by spreading a white cloth (vellaya) and a black blanket (karimbadam). Offerings (nivedyam) are presented at his memorial on every Sankrama day (the transition day of the Malayalam month).
Payyampalli Chandu is performed as a Karanavar (ancestral spirit) Theyyam at the Manikakavu Temple in Kannur and the Chozhan Rayaroth Tharavadu Temple in Kathiroor. The famous Payyampalli Kalari Sangham, associated with Kannur Manikakavu, still exists today. This rare Theyyam is also performed at the Palathayi Kundu Bhagavathy Temple in Panoor.
