Sabarimala Sree Ayyappan

Lord Ayyappa is considered as one of the famous deity worshipped in kerala. In recent times, not only in kerala, devotees from all around world started building temples and worshipping Ayyappa. The fact is that, Ayyappa is believed to be the one god who protects his devotees from miseries and suffering in “Kali Yuga”. Ayyappa is also known as Dharmasasta, Manikandan, Bhutanathan, Pandala Raja, and Pamba Vaasan. Ayyappa is worshipped in many forms in different temples, worshipped as a child at Kulathupuzha, worshipped with his consorts Pushpaka and Poorna in Achankovil and meditating form in sabarimala. Ayyappa was born with composite energy of Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu, when Lord Vishnu was taken over mohini form. Lord Vishnu gifted a bejeweled bell necklace to the new born Ayyappa and thus, known as "Manikandan".

The main intention behind Ayyappa’s birth was to demolish Mahishi, one of the asura demon princesses who was threatening and plundering the world at that time. Pandalam King had found this boy in forest and taken to his palace. Ayyappa was lived in Pandalam Palace as the son of the Pandalam King. It is found that he had super-human or divine knowledge, wisdom, and courage. He learned Veda, Kalari (martial art) and other war tactics quickly. He had helped Pandalam king for protecting king and kingdom of Pandalam from enemy attacks. Ayyappa was forced to go to forest for seeking “Puli Paal” (tigress-milk) as his mother was suffering ill. Ayyappa went to forest and met Mahishi, fought with her and killed. He had released a beautiful woman who had been cursed to become Mahishi. The young woman proposed Ayyappa for marriage, but he declined, being a celibate (brahmachari). However he consoled her and promised that she would be housed next to him in his temple and would be visited by devotees, and if the number of new pilgrims (kanni swami) visiting him stopped, then he would marry her. Hence she is now worshiped as Maalikapurathamma.

After killing Mahishi, Ayyappa left Pandalam and went to Sabarimala, where he is worshipping in celibate meditation form. He promised his devotees that whoever comes to visit me with “Mudi kettu”, I will protect them from sufferings, miseries, illness. The very famous and important temple for Lord Ayyappa is Sabarimala itself. It is believed that over 50 million devotees are visiting this temple every year, which is of course making this temple second largest pilgrim center in this world. “Appam” and “Aravana” are the famous and special offering to Lord Ayyappa 

Aranmula Sree Partha sarathi Temple

Aranmula is a picturesque sleepy little village unlike the unending townships, which dot Kerala. It is situated near Changannur in South Kerala and is famous for its ancient temple dedicated to Parthasarathy or Lord Krishna represented as the charioteer or Arjuna. It is one of the most popular and sacred Vaishnavite pilgrim centre praised and sung by the Akwars.

The origin of the temple is closely associated with the famous epic Mahabharata in the ‘Kurukshetra' battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. On the ninth day of the battle, the attaching Pandavas could not proceed further against Bhishma, the grand old man. Krishna , who had vowed not to take up arms in the fight, was forced to take up a weapon on that day. He used his discuss (Chakra) and that is how the idol of Krihna as Parthasarathy at Aranmula is depicted with ‘Chakra' in His arm.

The temple at Aranmula is just a simple structure in the same style of Kerala architecture. There is nothing special about the temple as such, except the usual rituals as prescribed for the Vaishnava temples are followed. The idol tradition, the ‘Pancha Pandavas' (Five brothers) made an extensive pilgrimage to holy places after installing Parikshit as the king at the capital city o Hastinapura. When they came to Kerala, each of them enshrined an idol of their tutelary deity on the banks of river Pamba.

 Arjuna is said to have installed the original idol of Vishnu represented as Parthasarathy at Nilackal. But as time passed, the place was covered by a thick forest. As human habitation became very difficult, the devotees then decided to shift the idol on a place most suitable for worship. Accordingly, they transported the idol on a raft constructed out of ‘Six bamboo poles' to the present place. In Malayalam, ‘Six bamboos' mean ‘Aranmula', and hence the village got the name.

Generally, most of the temples in Kerala are very closely associated with processions of elephants during the festivities and important celebrations. But the speciality of Aranmula temple is its close association with a type o water carnival, called ‘Vallam Kali' or boat race, which is usually held during the annual Onam festival season.

Colourful procession of boats like the ‘Churulan' leads the way. Behind them come the ‘Kovallams' or ‘Snake Boats'. The long graceful ‘Chundans' with hundreds of oarsmen and veteran helmsmen perched on the high stern glide their way. The high pitched rendering of the traditional ‘Vanchipattu' (Boat song) famous for its music and lyrical beauty, adds charm to the gay atmosphere.

The majestic Snake Boats are a unique feature of Kerala. Their origin is traced to the dim past. According to legend, Snake Boats were first built at Aranmula, a few centuries ago as escorts of ‘Oadans' belonging to the Parhasarthy temple. These ‘Oadans' or country craft were used to bring rice and other provisions for the use of temple form far away centre. In order to prevent these vessels from falling into the hands of decoits, the people of various localities around Aranmula joined together and arranged huge boats in the shape of ‘Gliding snakes' on water. Thus these boats got the name as ‘Snake Boats'.

In course of time, the procession o Snake Boats became an important feature of annual water carnival everywhere. Each boat, about 30 meters long carries four helmsmen, a hundred rowers and twenty five singers of boat songs.

The spirit of those days has withstood the trials and tribulations of centuries. In 1952, Pandit Nehru, the Late Prime Minister, witnessed the first boat race on Ponnamada Kayal at Alapuzha (Alleppey); he was so elated that he instituted a trophy in his name to be given away to the winner of the race. The Alleppey Boat Race, now better known as the Prime Minister Trophy Boat Race, attracts every year laks of people from all parts of the country.

The festival of Onam is celebrated to herald the arrival of Mahabali, the mythical king who ruled Kerala in the distant past. Mahabali comes down to visit his subjects annually to ensure that they are content, equal and happy. The boat race of Aranmula is held on the Pamban river.

The Aranmula boat races, is the major event, out of the three boat races conducted in Kerala. The first boat race held in the backwaters of Alapuzha, popularly known as the Nehru Cup Race, attracts the biggest crowd.

The Payippad boat race, the second race of consequence in the state, is equally competitive drawing lesser number of foreign tourists. In the third boat race, at Aranmula, the original spirit still survives. Here, the pervading ambience and ethos lives upto the literal translation o boat race in Kerala, popularly called ‘Vallam Kali' or boat games.

The ride from Changannur to Aranmula in the olden days was undertaken by boats when there were no dams or bridges. The boat races are the testing ground of the community to prove the physical and mental worth. The participants in the Snake Boats row to the beat of the pace setter at the centre, from start to finish and without breaking the rhythm of the fellow rowers. A missed or mistimed stroke will generate confusion among the rowers and confusion follows.

In Aranmula, People, still rural, congregate in large numbers in front of the Bhavathi temple to offer prayers before the commencement of boat race. Snake Boats assemble in the river near the temple early in the morning from about thirty locations. They sail ahead for some two hours in pairs.

Men dressed in white ‘Dhoties' and traditional Kerala towels wrapped around their heads, their bodies bare, row the small boats. The temple boats, however, do not take part in the race. Instead, they go out in ceremonial display on the waters of the Pamba, in honour of the presiding deity of the temple. In the background, the blue hills provide an alluring setting.

These hills with their dense forests grown over centuries provided the desired timber for making small boats for racing. Many boats participated in the race in the past. Due to paucity of wood with the depleted forests and the increasing labour costs, only two boats participate at present.

The artistry involved in making these boats in an interesting thing to watch. The arrangement of planks, making them waterproof, etc., are the old practices still contained. The scientific explanation behind the phenomenon is still baffling. The rhythmic tapping of the boat carpenters and their dexterity and ingenuity are fascinating.

Aranmula is only 10 kms. from Changannur. The boat ride from Alapuzha takes three hours. Regular buses now run by the Government connect Changannur and Aranmula with Thiruvananthauram, Alapuzha and Kottayam. The nearest Airport is Kochi , which is also connected by rail with the rest of the country. Excellent accommodation is available at Tiruvananthapuram, Alapuzha and Kochi . A small rest house is maintained by the temple at Aranmula for overnight stay.

Thrissur Vadakkum Nadha Temple

Kaladi near Thrissur is the birthplace of Adi Sankaracharya. It is believed that Sankara's parents Sivaguru and Aryamba offered worship at the Vadakkunnathar shrine at Thrissur prior to their begetting Sankara.


The name Thrissur is derived from Tiru Siva Perur. Thrissur was also once known as Vrishachala or the hill of Nandi. Indeed the Vadakkunnathan temple stands on a small hillock and is the most prominent landmark in the town of Thrissur. 


Legend has it that the deities Shiva, Sankaranarayana and Rama were installed and worshipped by Parasurama. It is believed that Parasurama, wishing to install an image of Shiva, meditated upon him, only to find an image of Mahavishnu upon opening his eyes. He installed this image as Rama, and then continued his meditation, at the culmination of which he saw a Shivalingam, ie. Shiva on one side and Rama on the other. Upon further continuing his meditation he saw Sankaranarayana or the combined form of Shiva and Vishnu.


There are thus three shrines in this temple - dedicated to Shiva, Rama and Sankaranarayana. Behind Shiva's shrine is a shrine to Parvati.


Vadakkunnathar is worshipped in the form of a mound of ghee or clarified butter. The Shivalingam is enclosed within this ever growing mound of ghee. Ghee is offered during abhishekam, and this 10 feet high mound of ghee stays solid despite the multitude of lamps in the sanctum. The ghee offered over centuries stays here without acquiring any foul odor of any sort.


Other shrines here include those to Vettakkorumakan - a Keralite guardian deity and Ganapati, Dharma Sastha, and Gopalakrishna. There is also a roofless shrine with a Shankh and a Chakra commemorating Aadi Sankaracharya.


The Vadakunnathan temple is a vast one covering a nine acre area, surrounded by fortified wall pierced with towered entrances on all four sides. The circular sanctum is crowned with a conical vimanam. As one enters the temple through the western entrance, a massive Koottambalam or the theater hall is seen to the left. This structure is considered to be a masterpiece of its kind, crowned with three kalasams. 


Festivals: Thrissur is the site of the annual Pooram festival attracting thousands, however the festival is not associated with the presiding deity here, although it is conducted in the vicinity of the temple.  Shivaratri is the major festival celebrated in the temple.

Thrissur is a major railhead on the railroad between Coimbatore and Cochin/Tiruvanandapuram. Near Thrissur is the well visited pilgrimage center Guruvayur. Also nearby are Kodungallur and Tiruvanchikkulam.


The Vadakkumnathan temple is one of the oldest temples in the state. It is a classical example of the Kerala style of architecture and contains many decorative murals and pieces of art. It stands on a beautiful hillock at the center of Trichur overlooking the town. The vast ground around the temple is called Tekkinkadu or forest of teak woods. The massive stonewall enclosing an area of nearly 9 acres forms a strong fortification. The our lofty gopuras around the main shrine indicate the four cardinal directions-North, South, East and West. A complex having three principal shrines dedicated to Siva or Vadakkumnathan, Sankaranarayana and Rama are in the center of this vast enclosure. 
A striking feature of the temple is the Kuttambalam, which can be seen on the left side as one enters the temple through the western gopuram. This is the theatre hall for staging kuttu, an ancient dramatic form of art famous in Kerala. The temple opens at 3.00 in the morning and closes about 10.30 AM after the morning rites. It opens at 4.00 PM for the evening worship and closes at 8.30 PM at night after the Trippuka, the last rite for the day. 
This is the venue of the world famous Pooram festival celebrated annually in April-May. The fireworks at the Pooram Festival are a spectacular sight. Non-Hindus are not allowed entry into the temple. 
It is noteworthy that the Union Government under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act has declared the Vadakkumnathan temple a national monument.


The beautiful city of Thrissur (originally called as Trichur), is one of the oldest in Kerala State and is mainly famous for its ancient shiva temple dedicated to Vadakkunathan, which is situated on an elevated hillock right in the centre of the city. The temple attracts thousands of devotees adn visitors from all over teh land. Like many South Indian Temples, it has a solemn atmosphere, associated with age and centureis of devotion, which we do not find in many of the temples of North India .
Once the capital of old Cochin State , Thrissur changed hands from the Zamorin of Cochin to Tippu Sultan of Mysore in the 18th century. In the ancient days the place was known as “Tiru Shiva Perur' or the town with the name of Lord Shiva.
Many years ago, the vast open region around the temple was a beautiful plantation forest of teak treees called ‘Tekkinkadu'. Today, the forest is totally cleared but the tranquil atmosphere of the temple prevails all round. With it is associated the famous Parasurama, the incarnation of Maha Vishnu, who is said to be the founder of this Shiva temple. The name of Parasurama is always with Kerala, as is the naem fo sage Agastya with the Pandyans in Tamilnadu. According to local tradition, it is believed that the great Kerala teacher Adi Shankaracharya was also connected with this temple. Aryamba, the mother of Shankara Worshipped Shiva at this temple to beget a son. It is said that she used to walk to Thrissur from Kalady.
The first feeling one gets on entering through the gates of the temple is the incredible space and light. The elegant architectural style that is unique to Kerala becomes evident. As a major departure from all other South Indian temples with their towering ‘gopurams', the temples of Kerala are not imposing in appearance.
One of the largest temples, it contains several shrines surrounded by a large enclosure wall with four gateways, crowned by pyramidal ‘gopurams' with multiple roofs. While the basement of the gateways is made of moulded granite stone, as in Tamilnadu, the ‘Gopurams' are in the typical style, having elaborately ornamented gables. The shrine is circular in forms and the tower has only one tier. The pillars are arranged in an interesting manner. The comparatively low, tiled roofs and teh liberal use fo wood harmonise with teh natural environment.
Immediately to the left of the entrance is the theatre hall called ‘Kuttambalam'. It si a remarkably beautiful structure with elegant sloping roof of copper plates. Within this is staged the ancient dramatic art form of ‘Chakyar Kuttu'.


The three principal shrines in the tempel are dedicated to Shiva, the main deity called Vadakkunathan, Vishnu adn Harihara. The architectural plan of these shrines is peculiar, with the ‘Vritta' plan and conical brass plated superstructure over it. The conical roof is distinct architectural idium neccessitated bythe heavy reinfall in the west coast. Shrines with square basements as in Tamilnadu are also here. A separate shrine has been built in the enclosure for the Devi. 
The ‘Sanctum' of the main shrine has a huge ‘Linga' of Shiva. This however, cannot be seen as it is covered by the traditional ‘Abhishekams' with ghee by devotees over the centuries. Over the Linga, generations of devotees have poured ghee by way of offering, which is never removed, has solidified into a pyramid. With continuous ‘Abhishekam' with ghee over the years, it hs the appearance of a mound of ghee almost three metres around th core of the Linga. It is strange that the ghee does nto melt even inthe hot tropical climate of summer or with the heat of the hundreds of bright oil lamps burning nearby. The ghee mound does not get spoilt even though it is a collection of several hundred years. Small scrappings of this solidified ghee are given to devotees as ‘Prasada', which is believed to have medicinal and curative properties of herbal medicines.
The Harihara shrine, popularly called here as Shankaranarayana temple, is next to the main Shiva temple. This is also circulr in plan and the tower has two tiers. On the other side is the shrine for Vishnu, is also similar to that of Harihara shrine. In addition, there are subsidiary shrines for Ganapathi, Dharma Shasta and also for Parasurama, of the very few of its kind in Kerala.
Thrissur has several other shrines including Paramekkavu Kshetram at the bottom of the hillock on which the Shiva temple stands. Behind is the Bhagavathi temple. Thiruvembadi temple is a little further away in the heart of the town dedicated to Krishna .
The tall and spacious Kootambulam is an impressive structure, containing exquisite vignettes of wood carving and interesting bracket figures. While the artists of Tamilnadu showed their skill in stone by carving magnificent and ornamental sculptrues, their counterparts in Kerala had wood as their medium adn produced intricate workmanship. The Koothambulamis the hall where the kootu or expositon fo a religious story by Chakkiyar is performed through dramatic gestures. From about the 9th century, the Kootu developed into an important art associated with the temples of Kerala.
The outer walls of the shrines are studded with fine mural paintings, the origin of which might date back to 16th century, though retouchings have been done much later. Scenes from the Mahabharata epic and the Tandava poses of Shiva are depicted in typical Kathakali style. The paintings are noted for charm and vigour.
The only festival celebrated with great pomp and religious fervour is Maha Shivarathri. According to the custom in certian temples in South Indian in general and Kerala in particular, pilgrims and devotees have to take off all tailored clothing and wear only dhoti should be of white color only.
The temple of Vadakkunathan is noted for its grand annual Pooram festival in Medam (April-May) which attracts a large number of visitors and tourists from far and wide. A procession fo richly caparisoned elephants and magnificent display of fireworks mark the occasion. The organisers vie among themselves in securing thebest elephants in the localtiy, and the most ornamental parasols to decorate the elephants. Commencing early in the morning, the celebrations go on throughout the night and end the next morning.
As per the normal rituals, the Shiva temple is not directly connected with the Pooram festival. Infact, it is a festival of two Goddesses, Paramekkavi Devi and another Goddess residing in Tiruvambadi. It is said that a rular of Kochi , Saktan Tampiran who reigned from 1790 to 1805 A.D., founded this ritual and organised it into the present form of festival. At a later date, the Raja of Kochi sponsored the ritual. During the recent times, it is organised by the public out of donations collected from business houses and devotees.
However, the present basis of ‘Pooram' as the assemblage of many divine processions ahs been adopted elsewhere also; for instance in Tiruvaiyaru in Tamilnadu. What makes the Thrissur ‘Pooram' festival distinctive seems to be its elephants and some perhaps will add, the competitive fireworks. While it is largely made by the elephants, the festival is nothing without Vadakkunathan temple. At present, eight deities assemble for the ceremony; six from the Devi temples including Paramekkavu and Tiruvambadi Devis and two from Sasta temples.
About fifty elephants participate in the grand procession. These are magnificently caparisoned with the ‘Nettupattam' which covers the forehead. This is a thick cloth int which are sewn about six thousand gold plated glittering metal pieces. Each elephant carries three men; one holds the coloured silken parasol; the other two stand on the back. The ‘Panchavadyam' players precede the procession. As all the deities assemble near the Vadakkunathan temple, there will be a musical feast for two hours. A little later, the umbrellas on the elephant are changed to different colour, known as ‘Kudiakazeh'. As the parasols are unfurled, there is an entrancing spectacle of rich array of mixed bright colours. Generally, there will be ten sets with each party. After the functions, the elephants return to their respective temples.

Thodikkulam Temple Kannur

The Thodikkulam Shiva temple is located about 2 km from Kannavam near Thalasserry in the Kannur district of North Kerala. The Shiva temple at Kannur is also known for its mural paintings. These mural paintings have been attracting a large number of art lovers from all over the world. At the temple, there are nearly 150 mural paintings, on an area of 700 sq ft. drawn on the four walls of the sanctum sanctorum. The Thodikkulam Shiva Temple, believed to have been constructed 2000 years ago, has its sanctum sanctorum constructed in two-storeys and is rectangular in shape.

Based on Shaivic and Vaishnavic (myths related to Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu respectively) themes, the mural paintings portray the rural life from the 16th to 18th centuries. These are depicted along with scenes like Rugmini Swayamvaram (Vaishnavic) and Ravana vadham from the epics. These murals reveal the skill and perfection of the artistes of that period. In these times mural painting followed certain standards in the choice of color, proportions, methods etc. It is interesting to note that only natural pigments were used in the making of murals. The commonly used colors in the murals of Kerala are saffron-red, green, red, saffron-yellow, blue, white, black, yellow and golden yellow.

Thirunakkara Sree Mahadeva Temple

The Tirunakkara Mahadeva temple is located in Kottayam on the Ernakulam Tiruvanandapuram railway line. South of Kottayam is the Shivastalam Ettumaanur and north of it is Vaikom.
Legend has it that a local ruler was an ardent devotee of the Vadakunnatha temple at Thrissur and that he would make frequent trips to Thrissur from Kottayam. Such trips became harder as the king advanced in age. 
During one of his trips, he had a dream in which Shiva of the Vadakkunnathan temple told him that he would manifest himself in the Tirunakkara hill in Kottayam.
True to the dream, a plough struck rock on the Tirunakkara hill and blood started oozing out; further careful excavation yielded a buried Shivalingam and a Nandi.
The theme of this legend is seen at several Shiva temples all over the land, where the Shivalingam is regarded as a self-manifested one and not one created with a chisel.
This temple celebrates its annual festival during the first ten days of the malayala month of Meenam.