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.