The Sacred Life Story of Makkam Bhagavathi
The sacred story of Kadangott Makkam forms part of a tradition that has been carried across generations in the soil of North Malabar. Makkam’s story continues to live on in the flames of Theyyam, in the rhythms of the Thottam Pattu, in memories passed down through oral tradition, and in the written narratives that emerged later.
Just as time gives different shades to many stories, some details of Makkam’s sacred story also vary across different retellings. Yet they all ultimately lead to the same deep sorrow - to betrayal born within love and trust, to false accusations laid upon innocence, and to the dark shadow of injustice.
Makkam, a beloved sister and mother, was falsely accused. The betrayal and deceit of some within her own family led her life towards tragedy. Makkam, together with her children, became the victim of a cruel fate. But Makkam’s story did not end there.
Beyond the darkness of death, Makkam became a divine light.
Today, through the Theyyam forms known as Makkappothi and Makkavum Makkalum, Makkam and her children continue to live in the hearts of devotees as a divine presence. In the steps of the Theyyam and in the melodies of the Thottam, the memory of Makkam awakens once again.
Thus, the sacred story of Makkam - a story that endured love, betrayal and injustice — continues to live in the soil of North Malabar not merely as a story, but as an undying lamp of faith and a divine remembrance that continues to touch generations
01. The Divine Blessing and the Birth of Makkam
The Nambiars of the Kadangott ancestral family were renowned and valiant military commanders serving under the Kolathiri ruler of Kolathunadu.
A girl of the family named Unnicheriya was married, at the age of nine, to Kunjikoman of Mookkankutti House. During their married life, they were blessed with twelve sons. However, they had no daughter through whom the continuity and prosperity of the ancestral family could be secured.
Deeply saddened by the absence of a daughter, Unnicheriya undertook many vows and offerings. Eventually, she began a strict period of worship and penance dedicated to Kottayamma of Valapattanam Fort, also identified with Valorkalariyal Bhagavathi.
Her prayer was that, after twelve sons, she should be blessed with a daughter.
With the desire that a girl be born to preserve the lineage and bring prosperity to the family, Unnicheriya stayed at the temple in devotional observance for forty days. On the forty-first day, she received the blessing of the Goddess, along with sacred water and payasam, and returned home.
After eating the consecrated payasam, Unnicheriya went to sleep. In the early hours before dawn she had an auspicious dream containing several signs foretelling the birth of a divine child:
A naga serpent and a cobra coiled around her waist and hair, symbolising divinity and great fortune.
A golden parrot flew into her lap, indicating the coming of a daughter.
A golden girl played in her lap.
02. Labour and the Birth of Makkam
When the time for childbirth arrived, Unnicheriya entered the eettillam, the traditional room used for childbirth.
As her labour pains intensified, she asked that the petticheena, the woman responsible for attending childbirth, and the pinathimar, women who assisted with household ceremonies, be summoned immediately.
When the full term of ten months and ten days was completed, Unnicheriya gave birth to a beautiful daughter — Makkam.
The child was said to be as radiant as the sun rising over the hillside and as beautiful as the moon shining in the heavens.
The birth of a daughter brought immense happiness to the important Nambiar household of Kadangott. To celebrate, the family shared its joy with the people of the locality through charitable acts including feeding the community and distributing clothes.
03. The Twenty-Eighth Day Ceremony
Naming and the Tying of the Sacred Thread
On the twenty-eighth day after the child's birth, the customary rites were performed.
Her eyes were ceremonially lined, she was given milk or a sweet preparation, and a new cotton thread was tied around her waist together with a golden waist-chain.
Tradition held that by the time the child had spent approximately a month in the cradle, her body had become strong enough for these ceremonies.
This was also traditionally the time when the child was formally named.
The Nambiars of the Kadangott family summoned the goldsmith to the ancestral house.
They opened the family's treasury, took out gold, and poured it before the craftsman so that ornaments could be made for the child.
Among the ornaments ordered were:
Chakkarathali
Pulimothiram
Ilakkathali
A pendant
A gold ring suitable for the infant's hand
A golden lotus to be worn in the hair
And all the other ornaments required for the ceremony
Relatives and members of the local community were invited.
Invitations were also formally sent to prominent households and authorities, including those associated with the Alladam Swaroopam, Puthiyedath deities, Poyanattu Neriyottu Swaroopam, important ancestral houses and new households.
The ruler at Valapattanam Fort and other leading members of society were also duly invited.
The child was then given the name:
Kadangott Omana Kunjimakkam
04. Makkam's Childhood and Growing Years
Months and years passed.
At the age of five, Makkam was taken to the kalari, where her formal initiation into learning took place by writing the sacred first letters, Harishree, in rice.
Her teacher was Kandanchola Kurukkal.
Invoking Ganapati and Saraswati, the teacher began her education.
Makkam learned quickly and mastered works such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana with remarkable ease.
Her mother proudly spoke of her daughter's intelligence and ability.
05. Early Education and Devotion to Her Guru
Guru Dakshina and the Guru's Blessing
It was the teachers of Kandanchola who taught Makkam her letters.
Recognising her intelligence and exceptional capacity for learning, the guru understood that, if she continued her studies, she had the potential to become a woman of great wisdom.
When her formal studies were completed, the family prepared to offer guru dakshina, the traditional gift of gratitude given to one's teacher.
They felt that the customary gifts of cloth and bangles were insufficient, and therefore presented him with gold and a pouch containing gold coins.
As the guru prepared to leave, little Makkam opened her own treasure chest, took out a golden writing stylus, and ran after him.
When she reached him, she walked reverentially around him, bowed before him, and personally offered the golden stylus as her own gift of gratitude.
She expressed her desire to accompany him to Kandanchola and continue learning.
But it was not possible for the guru to take the young girl with him.
He comforted her and blessed her with extraordinary words:
Whenever you remember me, all knowledge will arise naturally upon your tongue.
Having given her this rare blessing, the guru departed.
06. Makkam's Ear-Piercing Ceremony
An Auspicious Ceremony of Her Childhood
When Makkam was seven years old, a grand ear-piercing ceremony was held at the ancestral house.
The Thottam Pattu describes her as one blessed with “Kundala Yoga”, meaning that she was worthy of wearing beautiful golden earrings.
07. The Pooram Vratham and Young Makkam's Wish
Celebrating Pooram with Her Friends
As Makkam played and laughed with her friends, they told her that when the month of Kumbham ended and Meenam began, the Pooram fast would be observed.
Her friends said that they would all wear new clothes and undertake the Pooram observance, and asked Makkam whether she too would join them.
Makkam approached her mother and asked permission to observe the Pooram Vratham during the month of Meenam.
Her mother replied that she could do so if her brothers agreed.
Makkam therefore sent an ola, a traditional palm-leaf letter, asking her brothers for permission.
Their reply said:
Observe the Pooram as you wish, Makkam. We will take care of the Poorada, and your sisters-in-law will prepare the Pooram kanji.
Overjoyed by their response, Makkam began her observance.
Flower pavilions were prepared and flowers were gathered and beautifully arranged.
An image representing Kamadeva was made, and Pooram kanji and Poorada were offered to him.
When evening descended on the day of Pooram, the time came to ceremonially bid farewell to Kama.
08. The Archery Contest and Makkam's Marriage
Her Marriage to Kuttinambar
When Makkam reached marriageable age, an archery contest was arranged to identify a suitable husband.
The brothers declared:
Whoever shoots and cuts down the target will be given our own sister in marriage.
Many distinguished Nambiars of the region took part in the contest, but all were unsuccessful.
Finally, Kuttinambar of Mookkankutti House successfully shot down all seven targets one after another and stood respectfully before the assembly.
Seeing this, Makkam became angry.
She protested, essentially asking why, when so many worthy Nairs were present, it was this man who had succeeded in striking the targets.
Embarrassed by their sister's anger and insulting words, her brothers apologised to Kuttinambar.
They explained that she was still young and inexperienced and asked him not to take her words to heart.
They then distributed the prizes from the competition and promised that Makkam's marriage would be conducted at an auspicious time.
09. Makkam's Marriage
Time passed and Makkam reached the age of twelve.
According to the customs of the period, preparations were made for the important marriage ceremony.
An auspicious date and time were fixed.
Through the marriage, the relationship between Mookkankutti House and Makkam's ancestral home at Kadangott was formally strengthened.
Kuttinambar began making preparations for the wedding.
When the astrologically favourable date arrived, the marriage ceremonies were conducted.
The Pudamuri rituals were performed for Kadangott Makkam, ceremonial gifts including bundles of betel leaves were prepared, and she was taken to Mookkankutti House.
Kuttinambar's mother welcomed Makkam into the house with the auspicious ritual of throwing rice.
Relatives and family members partook of the wedding feast and returned home.
10. Makkam's Family Life and the Birth of Her Children
The Birth of Chathu and Cheeru
Kuttinambar and Makkam lived happily together.
Though they were two separate bodies, they lived with one mind.
After some months, Makkam became pregnant.
At the completion of the full term — ten months, ten days and nine nazhikas according to the traditional reckoning — Makkam gave birth to a son and a daughter.
For the children's naming ceremony, the goldsmith was asked to make a large collection of traditional ornaments:
Two rings
Two Ilakkathalis
Traditional necklaces
Chakkarathali
Tiger-claw ornaments believed to protect children from the evil eye
Two pairs of traditional bangles for each child
Relatives and friends gathered at the auspicious time.
The children's twelve maternal uncles gave gold, the twelve aunts gave gold bangles, and other relatives also blessed the children with gifts of gold.
Covering the left ear while speaking into the right, the son was named:
Chathu
and the daughter:
Cheeru
After the naming feast, everyone departed.
The children gradually grew older.
11. The Call to War
After some time, war was declared between the Kolathunadu ruler and the Neriyottu Swaroopam.
Kuttippattar arrived at the Kadangott ancestral house carrying the royal order summoning the warriors to battle.
After reading the royal command, the eldest maternal uncle began preparing to leave for war.
12. The Call to War and Makkam's Concern
Her Brothers Prepare to Leave for Battle
Makkam's twelve beloved brothers informed her that they were leaving to fight in support of the ruler.
Makkam became deeply worried.
She asked who would protect her and her two beloved children once all her brothers had gone.
The only people remaining in the household would be her sisters-in-law, who disliked her.
According to the narrative, these women frequently fabricated stories in an attempt to damage the loving relationship between Makkam and her brothers.
They were capable, the text says, of sowing discord and hatred even among children born of the same mother.
13. Makkam's Desire to Go to the Battlefield
Makkam told her brothers that she would rather accompany them to the battlefield than remain in the house with her sisters-in-law.
She feared that, once the brothers were gone, the women would invent false accusations against her.
She therefore pleaded:
May I not come with you to see the battle?
Her brothers refused, explaining that it was not customary for women to go to war.
They comforted her by promising that after returning victorious, they would take her to see the famous Kottayam Vilakku festival.
14. The Brothers Leave for War
The twelve brothers armed themselves and prepared to leave.
At that moment, the senior woman of the household advised them:
Makkam and her children should not simply be left alone.
Their family deity, Veera Chamundi, would of course protect them, but arrangements should also be made for the evening lamp.
She therefore instructed them to call Vaniyan Emman, who supplied oil, and entrust him with the responsibility of bringing oil whenever the household ran out.
15. The Sisters-in-Law's Conspiracy and Deception
When the sisters-in-law saw the mother entrusting this responsibility to Emman, they secretly rejoiced.
They said among themselves that this would provide the perfect opportunity to deceive Makkam.
With all the men away at war, Emman would have reason to visit the house.
They believed there could be no better opportunity to fabricate an accusation against Makkam.
16. The Brothers Reach the King's Fort
Before departing, the Kadangott Nambiars lit the sacred lamp and prayed in the family worship room.
On their way, they visited the shrine of Veera Chamundi and offered their respects.
They then walked through the paddy fields until they reached Valapattanam Fort, where the ruler resided.
They bowed before the king and stood ready for battle.
17. The King's Command and the Battle
The Nambiars' Heroic Fight
The ruler explained the situation to the Nambiars and commanded:
Nambiars, enter the battle.
Obeying the ruler, they advanced with the army and fought the enemy face-to-face.
The Nambiars of Kadangott were fighting on behalf of the king.
They were defeated in the first, second and third engagements.
But in the fourth battle they drove the enemy forces away.
The triumphant warriors returned amid victory cries.
The ruler was delighted to see the victorious Nambiars standing respectfully before him.
Having fought and won the battles, they were honoured with Veerashrinkhala, ceremonial honours and rewards.
The ruler then declared:
Until yesterday you were Nambiars. From today onwards, you are Achans — the Kadangott Achans.
With the ceremonial throwing of rice, the king formally bestowed the new title upon them.
18. Emman's Arrival and the False Accusation Against Makkam
One evening, the household ran out of oil for lighting the sacred lamp.
As the principal woman of the house, Makkam sent for Emman to bring oil.
The sisters-in-law then set their plan into motion.
When Parambunkara Emman, the Vaniyan oil supplier, approached the house, they pretended that they were going out to gather firewood and collect leaves used for washing the hair.
They waited until they saw him approaching.
Then all of them deliberately left the house.
Their intention was to leave Makkam alone with Emman so that they could later fabricate the claim that she had engaged in an improper relationship with him.
19. Makkam's Helplessness and Innocence
When Emman arrived and called out, Makkam spoke to him from inside:
"Emman, none of my sisters-in-law are here. They have all gone to gather firewood and leaves. Do one thing: stand with one foot inside and one foot outside, place the oil vessel within reach of your hand, and then leave."
Emman did exactly as she asked.
But as he began to leave, the sisters-in-law rushed out from the place where they had been hiding and started making accusations against Makkam.
They mocked her:
"We saw a man rushing out from the inner part of the house! Your hair and head-dress are all loosened, Makkam. What a fine spectacle this is!"
They accused her of taking advantage of her brothers' absence.
They taunted her by asking whether her own husband, Kuttinambar, was not enough for her and whether she now desired another man.
They even suggested that she had intentionally sent her brothers away to war so that she could behave improperly.
Makkam pleaded with them not to fabricate lies about her.
She begged them not to make such cruel accusations.
But the sisters-in-law insisted:
"We saw it with our own eyes. We caught you in the act. We ourselves are the witnesses."
They demanded that Makkam swear an oath to prove her innocence.
Taking her two children, Chathu and Cheeru, and her beloved brothers as witnesses, Makkam declared:
I have done nothing wrong. I have committed no offence.
20. The Brothers Return from War
As the victorious brothers reached the borders of their homeland, they encountered ominous signs.
A living murikku tree fell across their path.
A red-headed lizard crossed before them.
They realised that the omens were unfavourable.
When the eldest brother asked what these signs meant, the youngest said that they foretold bloodshed within their own lineage.
Deeply troubled, they continued towards home.
Along the way they encountered their wives sitting and weeping.
When the husbands asked what had happened, the women began telling them the false story:
"While you were away at war, Makkam went astray."
The sisters-in-law poisoned the minds of the brothers.
They convinced them that because of Makkam the honour and standing of the ancestral house had been destroyed and that prosperity could never return while she remained alive.
The elder brothers became furious.
But the youngest brother, because of his deep affection for his sister Makkam, was emotionally shattered and wept.
21. Makkam Tries to Welcome Her Brothers
As was customary, Makkam lovingly came forward to welcome her beloved brothers home.
She brought water in a kindi and prepared to perform the auspicious rice-throwing welcome.
But the furious brothers rejected her:
"We want none of your rice-throwing or ceremonies."
Makkam pleaded:
"My beloved brothers, please do not be so angry with me. If your wives have told you some lie along the way, do not believe it."
She reminded them:
"Did I not tell you before you left that they would plot against me when you were gone? They cannot bear to see me or my beloved children. They are spreading false accusations about me."
But the fire that the sisters-in-law had kindled in her brothers' minds continued to burn. Makkam, though completely innocent, was tormented by the injustice.
Weeping, she declared that she had committed no wrongdoing. She swore before the deities of the family's kalari tradition and before Veera Chamundi that she was innocent.
22. The Tragic Moment When Trust Was Broken
The eldest brother nevertheless believed the false testimony of the sisters-in-law and rejected Makkam's words.
He said:
"There is no point speaking sweetly anymore, Makkam. It was seen with our own eyes and there are witnesses. Prepare yourself to go and see the Kottayam Vilakku."
The words of her eldest brother filled Makkam with grief and anger.
She began preparing herself and her two children for the supposed journey to see the festival.
23. Makkam Prepares to Leave
Before leaving, Makkam bathed and prepared her children.
She packed away the clothes and ornaments that she intended to take.
Then she gathered all the remaining silk garments and clothes belonging to herself and her children, placed them in the courtyard, and burned them.
She selected the gold ornaments that she and the children would wear.
The remaining gold was placed in a stone mortar and crushed into powder.
She then threw all of this powdered gold into the pond belonging to her youngest brother.
24. Makkam's Departure from Her Home
Prayer in the Sacred Chamber and Her Declaration of Innocence
Before leaving, Makkam entered the family's sacred western chamber and lit the traditional lamp.
Taking Veera Chamundi and her ancestral gurus as witnesses, she prayed:
"I have not committed even an offence as small as a mustard seed. Let the truth of this become known to everyone. The doors that I close today, I myself shall return to open."
This is understood as a prophecy that she would later return to the ancestral house in divine form. She also declared that they would one day be obliged to accept offerings made to her.
Then, overcome with grief, Makkam asked the brothers who were taking her away to be killed:
"Even if I had committed some offence, what wrong have these innocent children of mine done?"
The words express a mother's desperate plea that her children be spared.
25. The False Journey to See the Vilakkumadam
The brothers took Makkam and her children away under the pretence that they were going to see the Vilakkumadam festival.
As Makkam and her children stepped out of the ancestral home, the sisters-in-law hid themselves and laughed mockingly.
Makkam cursed them:
"Do not imagine that you will live happily. Everything in this ancestral house except the shrine of our family deity will burn to ashes. You who accused me of immoral conduct and drove me from this house will be struck by madness. You will beat your own heads and die."
With tears in her eyes, Makkam left the ancestral house. Along the route, she made offerings at the temples she encountered. She folded her hands and prayed before Kalariyal Bhagavathi.
26. The Loving Hospitality at Chala Puthiya Veedu
During the journey, Makkam and her children became exhausted with thirst.
They eventually reached the entrance of an ancestral household known as Chala Puthiya Veedu and went inside to ask for water.
The elderly matriarch of the house saw Makkam and lovingly asked:
"My dear child, where have you come from? Your whole body is drenched in sweat. Makkam told her that she had come from her ancestral home at Kadangott and that she was travelling with her elder brothers to see and worship at the Vilakkumadam."
She explained that her beloved children were extremely thirsty and asked for some water. When the woman learned that Makkam belonged to the Kadangott family, she was delighted and invited them inside. Instead of ordinary drinking water, she carefully boiled and cooled milk, removed the cream, placed it in a traditional vessel, and gave it to Makkam's children.
The hospitality refreshed them and relieved their exhaustion.
After the children drank the milk and their thirst was satisfied, the grateful Makkam removed her own jewellery and placed it in the vessel as a gift for the woman.
The woman was surprised and suspicious when Makkam gave so much gold simply because she had given the children milk.
She lovingly advised Makkam:
"Why have you taken the children with you on this journey? Leave them here at Chala Puthiya Veedu. You can take them with you when you return after seeing the Vilakkumadam."
But Makkam, who had already been driven from her ancestral home because of the conspiracy of her sisters-in-law, replied sadly:
"Please do not say that, Amma. On this journey, my children must remain with me."
The text presents this moment as if Makkam already sensed the fate awaiting them.
27. The Journey Continues
Makkam and her children continued travelling with her brothers.
At every temple along the route, she folded her hands, worshipped and made offerings.
They crossed the fields of Kottayam and the ferry at Mambaram.
After walking for a long time, the children became so exhausted that they were almost collapsing.
Makkam pleaded with her brothers:
"Brothers, the children are terribly tired. Could you please carry them for a while, taking turns?"
But blinded by the lies their wives had told them, the brothers cruelly replied:
We will not even touch your children.
Hearing such words from men of her own blood broke Makkam's heart.
She experienced pain as though a rope had been tightened around her neck.
She continued on and offered worship at Kolannur Ambalam, a renowned temple of Kolathunadu.
28. The Murder of Makkam and Her Children
The Great Tragedy at Ayyankara Well
They continued walking for a long distance. Once again, Makkam's children began crying from thirst. Seeing their suffering, Makkam became deeply distressed.
The brothers then pointed towards the place where they had planned to deceive her:
"If they are so thirsty, Kunjimakkam, look — that is Ayyankarappalli, the Ayyankara well. You can quench the children's thirst there."
Following their words, Makkam and her children went to the Ayyankara well. They sat under the banyan tree nearby. To draw water, they fashioned a vessel from an areca-palm sheath. They tied together creepers to make a rope. Makkam lowered the improvised vessel into the well to draw water for her thirsty children.
While Makkam was looking down into the well, the eldest brother called to her:
"My dear Kunjimakkam, what a wonder! Look — can you see a star shining in the sky in the middle of the day?"
Surprised at the idea of seeing a star in daylight, Makkam raised her head and looked towards the sky. Taking advantage of that unguarded moment, the eldest brother quickly drew the poochurika, the sharp curved sword hidden at his waist.
He seized Makkam by the chest and cut her throat, severing her head.
Seeing their mother struck down, the terrified children tried to run. But the killers did not spare them. They caught the innocent children and stabbed them to death.
The Thottam Pattu says that even the wind passing by trembled in horror and cried aloud at the sight of this terrible crime.
Even nature itself wept at the treachery.
29. The Brothers' Repentance and Death
After killing Makkam and her children, the brothers finally regained their senses.
They realised the enormity of the sin they had committed. They understood that they had killed their own blood after believing the lies told by their wives.
The brothers began blaming one another. They drew their swords against each other and killed one another.
Covered in blood, biting their tongues in agony, they fell to the ground one after another.
30. The Divine Transformation of Makkam and Her Children
From the Ayyankara well where Makkam and her children had been killed, a miraculous divine light arose.
Makkam, the embodiment of truth, together with her beloved children Chathu and Cheeru, became divine beings.
The Mavilan, a traveller who witnessed the crime — and who in some tellings attempted to save Makkam and was killed — was also transformed into a divine ritual presence.
They became daivakkarukal, divine manifestations worshipped through Theyyam.
31. Makkam's Curse Comes True
Makkam's curse upon the ancestral family began to take effect.
At midday, the powerful Kadangott ancestral house suddenly caught fire.
The house and surrounding buildings were reduced to ashes.
But exactly as Makkam had foretold while leaving, the shrine of the family's principal deity, Veera Chamundi, remained completely untouched.
Neither fire nor smoke harmed it.
The shrine stood radiant amid the destruction.
32. The Fate of the Sisters-in-Law
The sisters-in-law who had fabricated the lies against Makkam and caused her expulsion from the house were seized by severe madness.
One after another, they struck their own heads and died terrible deaths.
The wife of the youngest brother alone was spared.
33. Makkam Takes Her Divine Seat at Chala Puthiya Veedu
Makkam Bhagavathi is said to have taken up divine residence at Chala Puthiya Veedu, the ancestral house where she and her thirsty children had earlier been lovingly given milk and hospitality.
There she came to be revered as a mother to the people of the region and as a sacred Goddess worshipped daily.
34. Kuttiraman and Chittani
Oral traditions and ritual songs specifically state that Kuttiraman, the youngest of Makkam's brothers, and Chittani, the youngest among her sisters-in-law, did not participate in the conspiracy to deceive and kill Makkam.
The Meaning of Makkam's Story
The story reminds us of the tragedies that can occur when false accusations are given greater importance than truth and when those closest to us choose suspicion instead of trust. But Makkam's story does not end simply as the memory of a tragedy. Makkam, her children, and the Mavilan who is remembered with them all became part of a continuing tradition of worship. Devotees believe that through her divine power, Makkam became a symbol of truth and justice. Through Theyyam, the divine presence of Makkam continues to be experienced again by each new generation. Thus, the story of Makkam is not merely the remembrance of the injustice suffered by a woman.
It is also a story of:
faith in divine power,
hope for justice,
and a living tradition of worship.
Makkam Bhagavathi, the embodiment of Shakti, continues to reside at the sacred Aaroodha Sthanam in Kunhimangalam as the Mother who bestows auspiciousness and blessings upon her devotees.
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