Temples of Kerala-part4

Temples of Kerala-part4

From Guruvayoor, we proceeded to Thrissur.  Our first visit was to Thiruvambadi  which is one of the largest Krishna temples in the State. Thiruvambadi  is one of the major groups participating in the Thrissur Pooram, the main friendly rival being Paramekkavu Bagavathi temple. Devi Vishnumaya is the other major deity in the temple. During Thrissur Pooram,the temple exhibits the best art forms including caparisoned elephants, fireworks and giant umbrellas and conducts a colourful ceremonious procession called Madathilvaravu to the Vadakkunathan temple.

We then went to the Vadakkunathan temple which is one of the largest and ancient Siva temples in the State. It is also called Thenkailasam and Vrishabachalam and stands majestically on an elevated hillock in the heart of the city. According to traditions, the temple was built by Parasurama, one of the Avatars of Mahavishnu. The temple is the venue of  the famous Thrissur Pooram  which is celebrated in the month of Medam (Mid April-Mid May). The temple and its mural paintings have been declared as a National monument by the Archaeological Survey of India. The temple is surrounded by a massive stone wall and is spread over 9 acres of land. There a number of Sannadhis in the inner as well as outer praharams  and there is a detailed board indicating the various Sannadhis and the route map at the entrance to the temple. The temple closes by 10 AM.

We then visited the Paramekkavu Bagavathi temple  which is one of the largest Devi temples in the State. The temple is famous for making giant umbrellas during Thrissur Pooram. The temple is also known for its traditional orchestra known as the Palachothil Melom.The temple is one of the nine participants in the Thrissur Pooram.

In the evening, we started with a trip to Rama temple at Triprayar, in the Guruvayoor-Kodungallur-Ernakulam highway. It is said to be the only Rama temple on the banks of a river.

According to legends, four images of Rama,Lakshmana,Bharatha  and Satrugna  were washed ashore during the period of the Zamorins and were installed by a local chieftain  in the following places:

Triprayar-Rama

Thirumoozhikkalam-Lakshmana

Koodalmanikkam-Bharatha

Payammel-Satrugna

Even though all these are images of Vishnu,they are called by the name of the four brothers. The main deity in this temple is of Chathurbuja Vishnu-the four arms holding conch,disc,bow and garland with Sreedevi and Bhoodevi on either side. It is said that the image has some aspects of Shiva also. Rama with a garland is suggestive of the aspects of Brahma and hence the image is a manifestation of the Trimurthis.

From there, we proceeded to Irinjalakuda, where the above mentioned Koodalmanikyam temple of Baratha is located.The temple is a marvel in architectural beauty with a number of mural paintings and carvings. There is only a single deity at the temple which is that of Baratha, also known as Sangameswara.  Not even an image of Vigneswara is present in the temple .It is said that the Lord here has the divinities of all Gods and Goddesses(Sangamam). It is said that the image is of Baratha in a happy mood on the return of Rama after Vanavasa. Hanuman is said to be symbolically present in the kitchen.

Another legend is that the rivers Kurumali and Chalakudy at one point of time in history merged in Irinjalakuda and hence the deity is called Sangameswara.

Another interesting legend is that one saint from Taliparamba was collecting the Chaithanya(divinity) of all the temples in the State in his conch for transferring to the idol of the temple in his village. He accidentally fell down in Irinjalakuda , the conch broke and all the divinities got transferred to the deity in the temple which is why the deity is called Sangameswara. Hence, all  Sevas  in the temple are made in the name of Siva, Vishnu and Devi. The roundshaped sanctum sanctorum of the temple is covered with copper plates.

From there we proceeded to the Satrugna temple at Payammal which is 6kms from Irinjalakuda. On the way back to Thrissur, we had a darshan of Lord Hanuman at a place called Nadavarambu.

We started the next day with a visit to Thiruvivichikode,69^th of the 108 Divyadesams of Mahavishnu. It is

located in the Shornur-Kozhikode Railway route,2kms from Pattambi Railway Station. The main deity is Uyyavanda Perumal. As per legend, the main deity was installed by Arjuna. The outer praharam also has Vishnu idols installed by Yudhishtirar, Nakula and Sahadeva and Beema. 10 Pasurams have been sung by Kulasekara Aazhvar on this deity.

Our next visit was to Thiruvilwamala, a hilly village in the northern terrain of Thrissur, on the banks of Bharathapuzha  river.   The two main deities are Ramabhadraswamy and Lakshman. Ramabhadraswami is also called Vilvadrinatha.  According to legends, the idol of Sri Rama was installed and first Puja performed by Parasurama.  It is said that the idol is the one worshipped by Lord Siva in Kailasa. There  is also a belief that below the sanctum, there is a cave and a golden Vilva tree. Even though the temple is normally open for morning darshan  upto 11 AM,at present it closes by 10AM because of the renovations under way.

In the evening, we started with a visit to Thiruvanjikkalam, an ancient Siva temple near Kodungallur. This is the only Paadal petra Sivasthalam in Kerala ,sung by Sundaramoorthi Nayanar. The sanctum sanctorum is in the form of a chariot. There is no separate Sannadhi for Ambal. This is the only temple in which Lord Dakshinamurthy faces east. Mural paintings adorn the temple walls.

From there, we proceeded to the famous Bagavathi temple at Kodungallur. This is a famous Bagavathi shrine in Kerala. It is said to have been built by Cheran Senguttuvan in honour of Kannagi, who is a manifestation of Kaali, Kotravai or Durga.It is believed that this was originally a Shiva temple and hence Shiva is worshipped by devotees before worshipping Devi.The image of Bagavathi is carved out of a Jacjfruit tree. The face is covered with a mask.

Incidentally, on our way to Thirunavaya from Thrissur, we came across an indication Board regarding a Mahavishnu temple in Thirukkannapram about 4kms before Thirunavaya. When we went there, we found it was actually a temple of Lakshmi Narasimha. Unfortunately, the temple was closed, but the caretaker there informed us that this is a 5000 year old temple and there are plans to renovate the same.

The trip was on the whole  very edifying. All the temples we visited were ancient temples and had an aura of divinity hanging in the air. Incidentally, we were staying in Thrissur during the last 3 days of our visit .There is an excellent vegetarian Hotel called Hotel Bharat there which serves delicious food. For the information of coffee lovers, the Hotel serves excellent filter coffee. Delicious idlis are served, but in the morning only.

Temples of Kerala-Part3

Temples in Kerala-3

We left Kozhikode next morning and headed straight to the Bagavathi temple at Kadampuzha. This is a famous pilgrimage centre in Malappuram  district. The deity is Goddess  Durga –a supremely radiant image. There are two main rituals in the temple. One is poomoodal-Covering the deity fully with freshly plucked flowers. Another ritual is called Muttarukkal-the breaking of coconuts before the Goddess by the priest on behalf of the devotees. It is said that the coconut breaks into two equal halves. The belief is that whatever obstacles are faced by the devotee are warded off  by this ritual.

According to legends, Adi Sankaracharya, when passing through the place could not proceed further at one point. He understood it to be the meeting point of Goddess Parasakthi in Her Parvathi incarnation and Lord Shiva and did the first Pooja to the Devi. At  present because of  renovation work, the temple closes by 10AM in the morning and 7PM in the evening.  Annadhanam is daily in the temple done.

From there we proceeded to the Hanumankavu temple at Alathiyur, near Tirur in Malappuram district. According to local myths, the idol of Lord Hanuman was consecrated by Vasishta, one of the Saptharishis 3000 years ago. Even though the main deity is of Lord Rama, the temple is famously known as Hanumankavu temple. The deity of Hanuman is in a standing posture with face turned to one side and both hands pressed together in a worshipping posture. It looks as if He is listening to something that Lord Rama is saying.

From there, we proceeded to Thirunavaya, one of the 108 Divyadesams of Lord Mahavishnu, on the banks of  Bharathapuzha river.13 Pasurams have been sung in praise of the Lord by Nammalvar and Thirumangaiazhvar. The temple is situated in Malappuram district, 7kms from Kuttipuram Railway Station. According to Puranas, Goddess Lakshmi and Gajendran worshipped Lord Mahavishnu with lotuses from a nearby lake. Because of this , the number of lotus flowers in the pond dwindled and at the request of Gajendran, the Lord took Lakshmi by his side and accepted the flowers from Gajendran.

Another legend is that 8 idols of Lord Vishnu were  installed by a group of Rishis here. The first 8 disappeared as soon as they were installed. The ninth one sank to its knees before it was stopped. Hence Lord Naavai Mukundan can be seen only from above the knees. The remaining part is said to be below the ground.  The temple closes by 11 in the morning .

From there, we proceeded to the famous Krishna temple of Guruvayoor in Thrissur district. We stayed there overnight and had several darshans to our heart’s content both in the evening and next morning. We also witnessed the traditional Seeveli in which the Utsavamoorthy is taken around the Praharam in caparisoned elephants with Shotachobacharam to the accompaniment of Nadaswaram and Kerala’s traditional Chendavadhyam. After the final round, the Lord is put to sleep by playing Raga Neelambari. It was a real treat to watch. The main deity is of Lord Guruvayoorappan with four lustrous arms carrying conch Panchajanya,Sudarsana chakra,Kaumodaki and lotus.The deity is  of Mahavishnu as revealed to Vasudeva and Devaki at the time of Krishna Avatar. The Pooja routines in the temple are as laid down by Adi Sankara and are followed with meticulous perfection.

Legend has it that on Lord Krishna’s Swargarohana (ascension to Vaikunta) the idol was given to Uddhava who in turn was to entrust it to Brihaspathi(Devaguru) for installation in a suitable place. Devaguru along with Vayu with the help of Parasurama found a suitable place which at that time was the abode of Lord Shiva and Parvathi. Lord Shiva agreed that this was the suitable place to install the idol and agreed to move to a place called Mammiyoor which is one kilometer away. The place is called Guruvayoor since Guru and Vayu installed the idol. Since Lord Shiva agreed to move away, to give place to Lord Krishna, the pilgrimage to Guruvayoor is considered incomplete without a visit to the Mammiyoor Mahadevar temple. We visited this temple also.

It is said that Vishwakarma, the divine architect built  Guruvayoor temple. It is designed in such a way that on Vishu day, the first rays of the Sun fall straight on to the Lord’s feet. On 30^th November 1970,a massive fire broke out in the temple and raged for nearly 5 hours, but miraculously, the main Vigraha, sanctum sanctorum and the sub shrines of Ganapathi, Ayyappa and Bagavathi remained  unaffected. Later, the temple was once again built to the glory of the Lord. The foundation for the renovation was laid by Jagatguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi  and  worship restarted on the Vishu day of 1973.

Temples of Kerala-part2

Temples in Kerala-2

Normally, when we think of temples in Kerala, only major temples like Guruvayoor, Ananthapadmanabaswamy,Chotanikkara etc come to our minds. We therefore decided to visit some of the lesser known temples in the Northern districts like Kozhikode, Kannur, Thrissur etc along, of course with the major temples there.

 On Day1,we started with the Siva temple , located in the Tali area in Kozhikode. This is a historical Siva temple, built by Samuthiri, (Zamorins), rulers of the erstwhile Hindu State of Kozhikode. Exponents of different cultural arts used to display their talents in the presence of Samuthiris.(Zamorins) Even though it is a Siva temple, there is a Sannadhi for Narayana also.

Our next visit was to the Mahaganapathi Balasubramanyaswami temple situated just opposite to the Tali Shiva temple, said to have been built by Zamorins .We also visited the Ramaswami temple in the near vicinity. Another famous temple in Kozhikode is the Azhakodi Devi temple located in the Thiruthiyad area.

We then proceeded to Kannur by train and halted there for the night. Next day, we visited the temples in Kannur, Taliparamba and Talasseri. It is said that visiting Trichambaram Krishna temple in the outskirts of Taliparamba, Vaidyanatha temple in Taliparamba and Shiva temple in Kannur on the same day is very sacred. These trinity of temples  are collectively known as TTK temples.

We started the day with Trichambaram temple which derives its name from Thiru Shambara in reverence to Maharishi  Shambara. The temple is famous for the sculptures in the walls of the sanctum sanctorum and the exquisite collection of mural paintings.The temple is also known for the colourful annual temple festival held between March 6^th and 20^th.The highlight of the festival is the Thitambu Nrithyam, a dance featuring Krishna and Balarama.

Our next visit was to the Vaidyanatha temple at Kanjiragat in Taliparamba. The Lord is known as the divine physician or Vaidya(like Vaideeswarankoil in Tamilnadu). The abhishekatheertham here is said to contain medicinal properties.

We then proceeded to the Rajaraeshwara temple in Taliparamba. It is one of the existing 108 Shiva temples in Kerala. It is said to have the tallest Shikara among the temples of its times. The temple is several thousand years old and  the legend s that it was renovated by Sage Parashurama. Ladies are not allowed inside the temple precincts during daytime. They are allowed only after 8 PM  after Athazha  Pooja when the Lord’s consort Parvathi joins Him and the Lord is said to be at the pleasantest mood. However on Sivarathri day, ladies are allowed all through the day.  The  temples of Lord Vasudeva and Bhoothanatha, the chief lieutenant of Lord Shiva are also in the vicinity.

We then visited the famous Krishnan temple at Chirakkal near Kannur. The deity here is in a standing posture with a smiling face holding bananas in both hands.

In the evening, we went to Thalaseri where we visited the Jagannath temple which is actually a Siva  deity temple even though the name raises visions of a Vishnu temple.

We completed our visit to Talassery with a visit to Sri Ramaswami temple at Thiruvengadu in the eastern part of the town. In the same compound, there are two Siva temples Kizhako, ttu Sivan and Vadakkottu Sivan.

We then returned to Kozhikode for the night stay.

Temples of Kerala

There are some common aspects regarding temples in Kerala which makes visits to temples there a unique, blissful and exhilarating experience.

1) There are no touts or middlemen in any of the temples offering to take you straight to the sanctum sanctorum for a consideration depending on the size of the crowd. Everyone has to take his/her turn in the queue. There is of course a separate entry point (official) for VIPs, but even they are only allowed to join the queue at a particular point. The practice of taking them straight inside is not allowed in any of the temples.

2)All darshans are free and there is no system of special darshan for a fee.(even in major temples like Guruvayoor)

3)Deeparadhanas are performed only at the times fixed by the temple unlike in Tamilnadu where the priest shows Deeparadhana at frequent intervals depending on his perception of the amount that will be placed on his plate by the visitor.

4)Temples are maintained spick and span. The temple Premises as well as the Pooja equipments are cleaned meticulously. Old ladies are specially appointed only for the purpose of cleaning.

5)All temples have a strict dress code. Men have to necessarily wear Veshti(Mundu). Shirts and Pants are not allowed. Similarly, ladies are allowed to wear only sarees or half sarees.

6)Priests keep prasadams like Chandan, flower etc in a plantain leaf and drop it into the hands of the devotees without touching them.

7) People do not talk in loud voices inside the temples and strict decorum is maintained.

8) Flowers are not sold outside the temples. Flowers which grow inside the temples are arranged by temple staff. We can pay them as per our wish and they directly hand over the flowers to the priest.

Another aspect we noticed was that temples open early in the morning like 4 or 5 Am and except major temples like Guruvayoor close between 10 and 11AM.Similarly, temples open by 5PM and close around 8PM .No special dispensation or extended timings for anybody.

All these enhance the devotional aspects of the temples and ‘Sannidhyam’ is felt and experienced by the devotee. Perhaps it is because of this intense devotion that Gods are so pleased and the State generally experience  copious rains and Kerala is called ‘God’s own country’.