Panchatheertha is a new Hindu temple currently
under construction. Its name means "five holy streams." According to
legend, these streams were created to serve the five famous brothers, the
"Pancha Pandavas," during their political exile. Sree Jayachandra
Raj, a renowned astrologer from Changanacherry, Kerala, recognized the
astrological significance of Poovanpara Mala, identifying it as a unique
"Shiva Gulika" Kshetra (temple). He often referred people to this
temple to help them resolve their everyday problems. As more people began
visiting the temple, Sree Jayachandra Raj attended regularly on
Fridays to pray and answer his devotees' astrological questions. He eventually
became the leader (guru) of the group, leading mantra
more
chanting during these
visits. His followers would offer flowers in the temple as pushparchana, after
which an astrological "prasna" would be conducted to answer the
questions of those gathered. Several decades ago, during one such Friday pooja
and prasna, a local dedicated a calf to the temple a common practice in Kerala.
Sree Jayachandra Raj noticed bad omens accompanying the calf's arrival and
warned the temple president that any harm to the calf could spell disaster for
both the temple president and the donor. As a precaution, a Mrityunjaya homam
(a ritual to conquer death) was suggested, and the temple activities continued.
The following Tuesday, the calf was found tangled in ropes and dead on the
steep slope on the temple's northern side, causing panic among the authorities.
They sought astrological guidance to find immediate remedies. During the prasna
(astrological root cause analysis), Sree Jayachandra Raj revealed the presence
of Devi Adi Parasakthi at a location 6 yojanas (about 1.5 kilometres) away in
the southeast direction from the temple. He visualized a confluence of five
three-tier waterfalls and predicted a large banyan tree on the northern side of
a river spanning one and a half furlongs.