Book
Name – Demon Hunter of Chotanikkara
Author – S.V Sujatha
Publisher – Aleph Books
Publishing Year – 2017
Edition – Hardcover
Price
– 358
– 358
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Rating : 3.0
My Review
I was born and brought up under the blessings of Chotanikkara Amma. Before getting into the review I would like to give the readers a glimpse of Devi and her temple. The Chottanikkara (correction of Jyotiannakkara) Devi Temple (Malayalam: ചോറ്റാനിക്കര ഭഗവതി ക്ഷേത്രം) is a famous temple of mother goddess Shakthi devi or Rajarajeshwari known as Sree Bhagavathi. Maha lakshmi is supposed to be residing in Chottanikkara along with Lord Vishnu. The temple is located at Chottanikkara, Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Sree Mahamaya Bhagawati (Aadiparashakthi), the goddess of power, is one of the most popular deities in Kerala and the supreme mother goddess in Hinduism. People suffering from mental illnesses & commonly visit the temple, as Chottanikkara devi is thought to cure her devotees. One should not miss the ‘Guruthi Pooja’ in the ‘Keezhkkaavu’ temple at Chottanikkara. Goddess ‘keezhkkaavu devi’ is believed to be ‘Bhadrakali'(Mahakali), in her fierce form or ugra form. Bhadrakali, is a form of mother Kali, supposed to be born from the third eye of lord Shiva, to kill the demon king ‘Daruka’. Guruthi pooja is a ritual done at late evening to invoke goddess Mahakali. Earlier ‘Guruthi Pooja’ was done only on Fridays. But nowadays, it is performed every day. Mental diseases are believed to be totally cured by Keezhkkaavu Kali. *
Why I gave this introduction is that one must be aware of the temple and goddess before reading the book in order to feel the power of Devi. The fictional adaptation of Devi depicts her as a mortal girl with enormous power to fight the demons. Devi successfully eliminates brahma rakshasas, mohini pisaacha, jalpisaacha etc. Demons can be destroyed by iron. If not, Devi’s blood does the task until she confronts a demon that beguiles men in a beautiful woman’s disguise and feeds on their flesh , blood and even bones. To Devi’s dismay, neither iron, nor her blood could destroy the creature.
Further the readers can see how Devi unveils the secret behind the Demon and destroys it.
This fantastically narrated and crafted thriller is rich with literary finesse as well as cliff hangers. It is impossible to keep your hands off the book once we indulge ourselves into Devi’s adventure. The effort put forth in narration has been fruitful. There are a lot of powerful characters in the book but that of Devi and Kannappa deserves special mention.
An introduction about the temple would have kept the readers in an endearingly receptive end. The cover is in fact misleading. The book has all the qualities to become one of the bestsellers this year. A little rework might do wonders to this excellent creation.
I was born and brought up under the blessings of Chotanikkara Amma. Before getting into the review I would like to give the readers a glimpse of Devi and her temple. The Chottanikkara (correction of Jyotiannakkara) Devi Temple (Malayalam: ചോറ്റാനിക്കര ഭഗവതി ക്ഷേത്രം) is a famous temple of mother goddess Shakthi devi or Rajarajeshwari known as Sree Bhagavathi. Maha lakshmi is supposed to be residing in Chottanikkara along with Lord Vishnu. The temple is located at Chottanikkara, Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Sree Mahamaya Bhagawati (Aadiparashakthi), the goddess of power, is one of the most popular deities in Kerala and the supreme mother goddess in Hinduism. People suffering from mental illnesses & commonly visit the temple, as Chottanikkara devi is thought to cure her devotees. One should not miss the ‘Guruthi Pooja’ in the ‘Keezhkkaavu’ temple at Chottanikkara. Goddess ‘keezhkkaavu devi’ is believed to be ‘Bhadrakali'(Mahakali), in her fierce form or ugra form. Bhadrakali, is a form of mother Kali, supposed to be born from the third eye of lord Shiva, to kill the demon king ‘Daruka’. Guruthi pooja is a ritual done at late evening to invoke goddess Mahakali. Earlier ‘Guruthi Pooja’ was done only on Fridays. But nowadays, it is performed every day. Mental diseases are believed to be totally cured by Keezhkkaavu Kali. *
Why I gave this introduction is that one must be aware of the temple and goddess before reading the book in order to feel the power of Devi. The fictional adaptation of Devi depicts her as a mortal girl with enormous power to fight the demons. Devi successfully eliminates brahma rakshasas, mohini pisaacha, jalpisaacha etc. Demons can be destroyed by iron. If not, Devi’s blood does the task until she confronts a demon that beguiles men in a beautiful woman’s disguise and feeds on their flesh , blood and even bones. To Devi’s dismay, neither iron, nor her blood could destroy the creature.
Further the readers can see how Devi unveils the secret behind the Demon and destroys it.
This fantastically narrated and crafted thriller is rich with literary finesse as well as cliff hangers. It is impossible to keep your hands off the book once we indulge ourselves into Devi’s adventure. The effort put forth in narration has been fruitful. There are a lot of powerful characters in the book but that of Devi and Kannappa deserves special mention.
An introduction about the temple would have kept the readers in an endearingly receptive end. The cover is in fact misleading. The book has all the qualities to become one of the bestsellers this year. A little rework might do wonders to this excellent creation.
This review is in return of a free book from the publisher
* From Wikipedia
About the author
S. V. Sujatha was born in Madras, the land of filter coffee and elaborate meals and wonderful temples. She is a graduate of the Warwick Writing Programme where she eventually found her calling as a writer and storyteller. She currently lives in the United States of America and is a full-time writer. This is her debut novel, born out of her love for the Mother Goddess and passion for Indian mythology.
