MANNARSALA-CHAKULATHUKKAVU-AMBALAPUZHA PUNYADARSANAM- ( 13th February 2010 to 14th February 2010)
Ambalapuzha Sri Krishna Temple
Ambalapuzha is 14 km south of Alappuzha town.Ambalapuzha’s fame is attributed to this temple. The 16th century-built temple is very famous in South Kerala and its prasadam (deity’s food given to devotees as a token of blessing), Palpayasam (milk kheer), more commonly known as Ambalapuzha Palpayasam is mouth-watering and very famous throughout Kerala. The deity of the temple situated on the banks of Ambalapuzha River is Sri Krishna. Ambalapuzha itself means the river of temple (ambala means temple and puzha means river). The birth of this temple is twined with fascinating stories. The Champakasseri King, Moolam Thirunal Devanarayanan, and his mentor Vilwamangalath Swamiyar while cruising in a boat in Ambalapuzha river heard music tune of a flute from the bank. They shored the boat and moved forward towards the music emanting point when they noticed a beautiful boy playing the flute sitting on a branch of a peepul tree. The religious stalwart Vishwamangalam concluded that this child is none other than divine Krishna. Both, the king and the mentor, prostrated before the child after circumambulating the tree. When they rose from the ground the child was not there. Vishwamangalm lost no time to advice the king to build a temple for Sri Krishna at the spot. A temple thus soon came up there.
There is a conflicting story behind the installed idol. The king ordered idol was not installed as the priests noticed some inaccuracies in the sculpting. Instead, an idol was borrowed from a temple and installed. This is one version. The other version is that the inaccuracies of the king orderd idol was corrected and installed the same. Let it be either way. The idol is of a smiling naughty boy. The idol was brought by a boat and the Chambakulam Boat Race in June/July is in commemoration of this. The 3 ft high idol is always seen covered in sandalwood paste.
King Devanarayanan placed his crown at the feet of Lord Krishna in this temple and dedicated his kingdom to the Lord. The last king of Devanarayanan’s dynasty placed the keys of his granary and treasury before the Lord after his defeat by Travancore.
The walls around the sanctum sanctorum are beautiful with paintings of Dasavathra (ten incarnation of Vishnu).
The main festival of the temple is the 10-day Arattu Utsavam in Meenam (March/April). Processions by several caparisoned tuskers accompanied by vadya-melams (percussion instrument musics) and performances of Velakali, a martial art form, are the main attractions. The procession ends with enchanting fireworks. During the festival devotees are offered a feast and the diners are treated with utmost honour. It is believed, Lord Krishna presents incognito to dine along with the devotees
CHAKKYLATHUKAVU
Chakkulathukavu is 18 km from Ambalapuzha on the Thiruvalla Road. The temple is in Neerattupuram, near Chakkulathukavu. The deity is Devi. This temple has a peculiar ritual performed once in a year. On this day, the first Friday of Dhanu (December/January) the priests wash the feet of female devotees who have undergone 10-day fast. This system is stemmed from the belief the female devotee visiting on this particular day is the incarnation of Devi. After washing the feet flower is showered and camphor aarti is given. As a gimmick for popularity, recently the temple authorities have started inviting female VIPs on this day.
All Fridays are important here. Every Friday the female devotees bring their relatives addicted with alcohol, drug or gambling. Once they swear, touching Devi’s sword, to renounce the habit, they automatically clutch the habit, the experienced confirm.
The elder priests here do a peculiar astrology- pronouncement based on seven betel leaves and two arecanuts brought by the devotee. The devotees stun by the accurate predictions. The priests also prescribe remedy for the ill-effects daunting the devotees.
The Pongala offering is supposedly prepared jointly by the devotees and Devi.
The Pongala is prepared by females. It is prepared in earthen pots on temporary brick stoves and deadwood pieces are used as fuel. The Pongala food is prepared by unboiled rice – either as rice kheer or as rice preparation with coconut adding no sweet agents. There will be thousands and thousands of stoves stretching out to several kilometers around the temple. The stoves are positioned in lines on either side of the roads and pathways.
The main festival is Pongala on Thrikarthika day in Vrichikam (November/December). The Ponkala literally means food offering to the deity. There is a great fascinating story behind the Ponkala. In the dense forest the temple was created by a Vedan (a tribal) and his family. They could not prepare their food in time as they were busy in temple work. Undeterred, they prayed before the Devi, and moved out to prepare the food. When they reached the spot of food preparation, they could not believe their eyes as they found the utensils full of prepared food. They realized, the food was prepared by the worldly powerful Devi. The amazed Vedan and the family prayed deeply to save them from all evils. At this moment an incognito voice pronouncing Makkale (children) the food is prepared by me, the Amma (mother), for you; I am extremely happy with your ardent devotion to me and am extremely happy; I shall always be there with my devotees.
As a finale there is a ritual of burning of Karthika stambam (pillar). The stambam is made of dried leaves of coconut tree, banana, elanhi (a tree usually found in temple compounds) and old attires and crackers.
The Pongala festival is attended by lacs and the arrangements are elaborate
Haripad Subramanya Temple
Haripad is 15 km away from Ambalapuzha. The temple built in 16th century was eaten by a fire many years later. The idol was spared by the fire. The temple was rebuilt by the Travancore king with additional shrines for some other deities in the courtyard.
This temple is very famous and attracts a good number of pilgrims. There is an interesting story surrounding the idol. A Brahmin in the village had a dream to the effect there is an idol of Subrmanya in the nearby Kandaloor lake. The Brahmin along with the village chieftain traveled criss-cross in a boat in the lake to locate the idol. Ultimately they spotted a flower scattered spot where, they guessed, is the idol. Divers searched the spot and located a four-armed idol. The idol was brought to the shore and installed it after constructing a temple. The event of bringing the idol from the lake is celebrated annually with a boat race in the Payippad River on the 4th day of Onam in Chingam (August/Septrember). The temple celebrates two festivals – Chithira festival in April and Avani festival in August/September. Both the festivals are larger crowd pullers
Sree Nagaraja Temple At Mannarsala
One of the most important centre of snake worship in Kerala, temple situated 35 Km away from Alappuzha located near Haripad on the Alappuzha-Kollam route. The temple is surrounded by about 16 acres of thick green forest. The King of Serpents is the diety. On the asterism, 'Ayillam' of each Malayalam month, the 'Sarpakalam Pattu' is conducted. This ritual involves drawing the figure of the Serpent God on the floor using vegetable colours.
A two day festival is celebrated by the temple with great religious fervour. On the second day by noon, the 'Ezhunnallathu' (royal outing) ceremony is conducted when the idol of 'Nagaraja' is carried by the priests and taken round the temple in a procession. A large crowd of devotees with 'urili' (vessel) and colourful parasols participate in it. The entire jungle setting of the temple reverberates with the full throated chanting in praise of the Serpent God.
Thirunakkara Shiva Temple:
Situated in the centre of Kottayam town. :It is built in Kerala style architecture. The ‘koothambalam’ – traditional temple theater – is one of the best in Kerala. The paintings on the wall are commendable
Bhagawathi Temple at ChottanikkaraChottanikkara is located at 15 km away from Ernakulam and 3 km from Thripunithura. This shrine is one amongst the most reckoned in Kerala. Goddess Rajarajeshwari more commonly known as Bhagawathi is the deity. Many have experienced the power of this deity to cure mental disorders.
There is wide spread belief that Goddess Mookambika of Kollur in coastal Karnataka visits Chottanikkara daily during early morning rituals as she is pleased with the rituals here. The goddess returns to Kollur in time to accept the rituals there. Based on this belief, most of the devotees assemble just before the start of early morning pooja (ritual). During Sabarimala season this temple is overcrowded by pilgrims to Sabarimala.
Kuzhikkavu Bhagawathi, Shiva, Ayyappa and Ganapathy are the sub-deities here.
Mahadevar TempleTemples of Kerala
The Ettumaanur Mahadevar temple is one of the most celebrated Shiva temples in Kerala, and is on the Ernakulam Tiruvanandapuram railroad south of Kottayam.
Legend has it that Khara (of the Khara Dhooshana demon duo) of Ramayana worshipped Shiva at Chidambaram and obtained from him three Shivalingams and journeyed holding one shivalingam on each hand and one in his mouth. He sojourned at Vaikom, and set the shivalingam on the ground and to his dismay realized that it had gotten rooted to the ground. Kharan therefore installed the other two shivalingams at Ettumanur and Kaduthuruthy. It is believed that visiting these triad of temples in a single day is of great significance.
Legend also has it that Khara installed an image of Krishna in the north western corner of this temple.
There are several other legends associated with this shrine. Legend has it that Shiva created a deer and set it to play in an island; when Parasurama reclaimed land from the sea, this island is said to have become part of what is Kerala now. The isle of the deer is referred to as Harinadweepa. The malayalam word for deer is Maan, and hence this place came to be known as Maanoor.
Legend has it that this is a very ancient shrine and that it was in wilderness thanks to a curse of Lomaharsha rishi, a disciple of Vyasa, and that worshipped was restored here by Vilwamangala swamy who is associated with several other temples in Kerala. Inscriptions testify to renovations that were carried out in the 16th century CE here.
The temple: The west facing temple here has a circular sanctum covered with a conical copper plated roof crowned with a kalsam. The mukhamandapam in front of the temple bears two images of Nandi, one of stone and another of metal. Although there is no shrine to Parvati, the rear of the sanctum is revered as Parvati's shrine.
A rectangular circumambulatory passage surrounds the sanctum. The sanctum bears wood carvings of superior workmanship portraying legends from the Ramayana and the Bhagavata puranam.
Also of great workmanship are the murals on the western entrance to the temple; mention must be made of the painting of the dance of Shiva.
There are also shrines to Saasta, Ganapati and Dakshinamurthy in the temple.
A golden staff, visible from a distance is in front of th e shrine.
At the entrance to the temple is a large metal lamp; visitors make offerings of oil and the soot that collects from the burning of the oil is believed to have medicinal value.
Festivals: The 10 day long festival in the malayala month of Kumbham concluding on the Ardra asterism is the temple's annual festival.
On the eigth day of the festival, the processional image of the deity is taken to a specially decorated site in the north east corner of the temple, when thousands throng to visit the shrine.
On this day, a unique treasure of the temple (offered by the Maharaja of Travancore) - the seven and a half elephants (ezhara pon aana) representing the eight dik paalakas or the guardians of the cardinal directions are displayed. Seven of these golden elephants are two feet in height while the eighth is a foot high.
The Abode of Grace
The Malliyoor Sree MahaGanapathy Temple in Kottayam district, Kerala is the sacred abode of the all - encompassing divine presence of Lord Ganesha and also a coveted destination of lakhs of pilgrims from all over India. The endearing elephant - headed Lord Ganesha, the son of Siva and Parvathy, enjoys prime place among all the gods in the Hindu pantheon. He is Parabrahma incarnate, the God of Wisdom and Learning, the Remover of all Obstacles and is worshipped first, any other god. The Malliyoor Sree MahaGanapathy Temple is in comparable in the conception of the presiding deity as Vaishnava Ganapathy, with a young Sree Krishna seated on the lap of Lord Ganesha. This unique and powerful infusion of the Vaishnava spirit in the Ganesha idol is the supreme achievement of the devoted penance of the much-revered main priest of the temple, Brahmasree Bhagavathahamsam Malliyoor Sankaran Nampoothiri. Today thousand of devotees flock to the feet of Vasihnava Ganapthy at Malliyoor seeking eternal salvation form the bonds of Karama and solace from the evils of Kaliyuga. HistoryThe Malliyoor Maha Ganapathy Temple is believed to have come into existence much before the Perumals exercised their sway over the southern peninsula. The pre-Perumal historical records have many references to the importance of this place of worship.
The story goes that a deeply devout and saintly Brahmin brought the idol over here from an unidentified and unspecified pilgrim centre some where in the North, centuries back. The family-deities Anthimahakalan and Yakshi worshipped by the once-powerful administrators of the temple also find a place inside the temple complex. The temple is jointly administrated by two families, the Aryappally mana and Vadakkedam Mana. In course of time the two families were merged to Malliyoor and the Temple when went through a period of misfortune and penury, the Malliyoor family bearing a brunt of it. But they worshipped Lord Ganapathy with unwavering devotion even when the temple was without a root over the sanctum sanctorum and the family having a hand to mouth extensive.
For quite some time in the past there was no structure except the sanctum sanctorum. A thatched shed served as the temple kitchen. But when that was eaten away by the elements the priest concerned cooked rice in his home kitchen and brought it to the temple as offering. This arrangement too later crumbled along with the priest's own adobe. For about seven years after that, the temple was opened only once in a month to light the lamp and offer cooked rice to the deity.
Once again a small house came up for the priest on a piece of plot donated by Brahmasri Kaithamattom Nampoothiri. Finally, the priestly family managed to have a hand-to-mouth existence, but the temple continued to be in its dilapidated state.
In 1136 Brahmasri Sanakaran Nampoothiry's father passed away. In the following months of his penance and abstinence, the renovation of the temple was taken up under the supervision of 'Uamplakkad' Nampoothiry, as per the architectural specifications of Palakkad Krishna Varier. The sanctum sanctorum thus got a roof. A fairly wide structure came up around the sanctum sanctorum. A kitchen, pantry and a short wall enclosing all these was soon completed. Then the work languished. These frequent interruptions might be indicative of a divine message. Astrologers were called in. It was found that Durga was demanding a place for herself in the temple. So a separate abode was erected for Durga Devi. Propitiatory and other traditional rituals were performed in the following days.
The pious Sankaran Nambpoothiri then prostrated himself at the feet of supreme deity of grace and bounty, Sree Guruvayoorappan. He started to recite the holy text, 'Sree Maha Bhagavatham' in front of Ganesha and offering to his Lord. His intense prayer and the total supplication resulted in the infusion of the spirit of Mahavishnu into the idol of Ganesha. It was the finding of astrology.
The deity here is conceptualised as Beeja Ganapathi, the trunk twisted rightward and carries on its tip a lemon, the hands hold an axe, a rope, a horn and a laddu, cradling little Sree Krishna in his lap. The Vaishnava spirit permeates the entire atmosphere.
Mahadevar TempleTemples of Kerala
The Vaikom Mahadevar temple is one of the most celebrated Shiva temples in South India. Vaikom is located at a distance of 33km south of Ernakulam and 40 km north of Kottayam on the railroad between Ernakulam and Tiruvanandapuram.
Offering of prathal, or food is a form of worship here. In ancient times, feasts used to be cooked and offered to all devotees; Vaikom Mahadever is also referred to as Annadaana Prabhu.
The Deity: Shiva - Vaikom Mahadevar manifests himself as Dakshinamurthy in the panthirathi pooja in the morning. He is worshipped as Kiraata Murthy during the Uchcha pooja at noon and as Satchitananda in the evening.
Legend has it that Khara (of the Khara Dhooshana demon duo) of Ramayana worshipped Shiva at Chidambaram and obtained from him three Shivalingams and journeyed holding one shivalingam on each hand and one in his mouth. He sojourned at Vaikom, and set the shivalingam on the ground and to his dismay realized that it had gotten rooted to the ground. Kharan therefore installed the other two shivalingams at Ettumanur and Kaduthuruthy. He entrusted the shivalingam at Vaikom to the care of Vyagrapadar. Vaikom therefore acquired the name Vyagrapuri which ultimately became Vaikom for short.
At Triprayar, north of here (near Thrissur), Rama is held in worship as the slayer of the demon Khara.
Legend has it that Shiva appeared in front of Vyagrapadar under a peepul tree, south of the eastern gateway on the morning of Ashtami in the dark fortnight in the month of Scorpio. This incident is commemorated in the annual Vaikattu Ashtami festival.
Legend also has it that Parasurama, the incarnation of Vishnu built this temple and set up the worship protocol here.
It is believed that the Tiruvilaiyaadal associated with the tamil saint poet Manikkavaacakar, where jackals were miraculously transformed into horses - occurred here.
The temple: The elliptical sanctum here is covered with a copper plated roof crowned with a golden kalasam. The height of the wall of the sanctum is just about a third of that of the roof. The building dates back to the 11th century, and the wooden panels and the murals date back to the 15th and 18th centuries respectively. The mukhamandapam in front of the sanctum houses the nandi. The wall of the inner prakaram is lined with columns of lamps (vilakkumaatam) on a wooden framework. The flagstaff rises to a height of 317 feet. The Uttuppura or the dining hall is on the northern side of the sanctum. There is a shrine to Pananchikkal Bhagawati in the outer prakaram.
Festivals: As mentioned before, the annual festival is celebrated in the month of scorpio, and the twelfth day of the festival is Vaikkattu Ashtami. Each day witnesses special rituals, elephant processions, music and dance performances etc. The Ashtami festival involves a special darshan in the wee hours of the morning under the peepul tree, a feast at noon and a procession at night from the nearby Udayanapuram Subramanya temple. This procession involves the meeting of Shiva and Subramanya in celebration of Subramanya's victory over the demons. Deities from nearby temples also converge at this procession amidst elephants, lighted torches and musicians. The two kilometer long procession takes about 3 hours to complete and it reaches the northern gate of the Vaikom temple at about 130 AM. Subramanya and Vaikom Mahadevar then circumambulate the temple and then a touching farewell is enacted as Subramanya returns to Udayanapuram.
The aaraattu festival on the 13th day takes place at a tank, near the temple, and the deity from Udayanapuram participates in it too.
No poojas are carried out on the Ashtami festival inside the temple as it is believed that Mahadeva fasts, feeds guests and prays for his son's victory in the battle against demons.
Kaduthuruthy Mahadeva Temple The temple is situated mid-way between Vaikom and Ettumanoor. Kaduthuruthy is a small town, the northern and western parts of which are spread over by Vembanattu backwaters. During the tenth century this place was under the administration of Pandya Kings. However, it was divided into Vadakkumkoor and Thekkumkoor. Kaduthuruthy became the headquarters of Vadakkumkoor dynasty. The rulers were the supporters of Zamorins. When Marthanda Varma conquered Vadakkumkoor, he showed respect to the rulers by giving them pensions. Gradually this dynasty was declined and removed from the pages of Kerala history.
As it has been mentioned earlier in this book when describing the history of the Vaikom temple, Kharasura had got three idols of which the one he took in his mouth, had been placed at Kaduthuruthy, marking the origin of a temple on the top of a small hill. Now this temple comes under the Travancore Devaswom Board.
The Sivalinga of the temple faces to the east. It is the smallest of the three Sivalingas, only 3” tall. The mandapam in front of the shrine has got an array of wood carvings. The story of ‘Karthaveerarjuneeyam' has been carved and displayed here with architectural elegance. About 300 years ago most part of the temple was consumed by fire, but the mandapam, with its splendid carvings, was remained unhurt. While the fire was spreading out, the chief priest clasped the idol at his breast and cried aloud, but the flames of fire had put an end to his life. An idol of this chief priest had been erected at the northern part of the shrine in order to commemorate the event. At the southern side there stands an idol of Sree Ganapathy. Besides, Dharma Sastha, Goddess Durga had also been placed at the temple.
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