: Temples of Kerala :

Krishna Temple at Guruvayoor 

 

Venue: Guruvayoor, Trichur District The Sree Krishna Temple has a central place in the spiritual space among Keralites, especially Hindus. The temple is most revered and eulogized in poetry, literature and songs. The temple is located at the sleepy temple town of Guruvayoor in Trichur district. The central deity of the temple is Lord Vishnu in the Krishna avatara. Devotees from all over the state, from neighboring states and abroad throng the temple with great devotion.  There are hundreds of legends, stories and testimonials about Guruvayoorappan. The temple itself, is a structural marvel and engineering excellence, unparalleled in its unique Kerala style of architecture. The idol of Lord Vishnu is of a rare stone called Patala Anjanam, which is considered to have powers. He is depicted as standing holding a Shank (conch), Chakra (wheel), Gada (mace), Pankajam (lotus) in four holy arms and with a radiant smile.   The golden flag staff, Koothambalam Krishnattasala (where Krishnattom used to be staged), Mandapam resplendent with beautiful carvings all arrest the attention of a visitor. The painting around the same turns sanctorum depicting the stories of infant Krishna, works of everlasting beauty of the ancient art. The number of pilgrims keeps growing every year. This has led to a boom in the temple town with many posh new hotels and restaurants coming up. The sculpture of Garuda and the statue of the legendary majestic elephant Guruvayoor Kesavan are also seen in township. Entry to the temple is restricted to Hindus. Visitors are enjoined to strictly follow the dress code conforming and becoming of visit of Hindu temples in Kerala.

Ettumannoor Shiva temple   Venue: Ettumanoor Shiva temple (Kottayam) The Shiva temple in Ettumanoor, 12 kms from Kottayam, is an ancient and famous temple. According to legends, the Pandavas and the sage Vyasa are reputed to have worshipped at the temple. The temple went for reconstruction in 717 ME (1542 AD). An edifice and some structures were built at the temple. The temple has exquisitely painted intricate mural paintings in distinctive Kerala style. The murals depict Balagopala (young Krishna) and other gods from depicting scenes from the epics. The temple’s golden flag staff (Kodimaram) has a figure of a bull at its peak. Little bells and lattices of banyan tree leaves embellish the flag staff. The roof of the temple is made of copper sheets. There are 14 ornamental sectors each for various gods of the Hindu pantheon like Bhagavati, Sastha, Ganapathy and Yakshi deities. The great sage and philosopher, Sankaracharya is believed to have written his thesis 'Soundaraya Lahari' at this temple.  The "arattu’ (festival) at the temple is celebrated on the Thiruvathira day during February-March every year. Thousands of devotees flock to the temple on the 8th and 10th day of the festival. According to tradition, seven and ahalf elephants (seven majestic pachyderms and image of a half elephant in 13 kgs of gold) are taken on a procession around the temple. "Thulabharam" or the ritual weighing of one’s weight worth of items like jaggery, paddy, plantains etc, which is donated to the temple, is a major offering. Mannarsala Temple Venue: Mannarsala The worship of snake gods is a unique and very ancient tradition in Kerala. One of the most sublime and historic temples dedicated to snake worship is the temple at Mannarsala. Located to the northwest of Harippad, this temple is dedicated to Nagaraja (God of serpants) and is the largest of its kind in Kerala. The unique feature of the temple is a serpant grove. The temple has over 30,000 idols of snakegods. It shows how much prevalent snake worship was in ancient Kerala. The tradition is representative of the unique bond between man and nature. On the day of Ayilliam asterism in the months of Kanni and Thulam (September and October), all the serpent idols in the grove and the temple are taken in procession to the illam (family connected with the temple) where the offerings of Nurum Palum (rice flour and milk), kuruthi (a red liquid made of turmeric and lime) and cooked rice are made.   The oldest woman of the family carries the idol of the Nagaraja. The oldest woman has to lead a life of absolute piety, abstinence and celibacy even if married.  Thousands of devotees visit Mannarasala to worship and propitiate the serpent gods during the festival days. Married couples come from far and wide to seek blessings for fertility. Those blessed with children come for thanksgiving and make offerings of money and effigies made of gold, silver and copper, grains of all kinds, pepper, tender coconuts, plantains, melons, sandalwood etc. On Ayilliam days the Pulluvans (traditional folk singers) sing hymns in praise of the deity. The Kumaranalloor temple Venue: Kumaranallor temple, Perumbikad village (Kottayam) The Kumaranalloor temple is located at Perumbikad Village in Kottayam. The Thrikkarthika festival celebrated in the month of Vrischikam (November December) is the most important even in the locality. The temple displays a distinct similarity to the temple patterns found in Tamil Nadu. The Namboothiri community is the trustees of the temple for generations. On Karthika day, offering of ‘nivedyam’ is offered at Udayanapuram and Thrissur Vadakkunnatha temples. According to legend, the Gods of these two temples were greatly charmed by the beauty of the Devi who was returning after her Karthika bath. They came out of the temples, attracted by the heavenly beauty of the passing Devi. Meanwhile, the temple priest was running about frantically in search of the Gods. He finally found them beyond the walls at the southern end of the temples. Henceforth, during Karthika, puja was performed over the walls of these temples.