Ambalappuzha
Encyclopedia
Ambalappuzha is a small town in Alappuzha
district of Kerala
state, south India
. The town is famous for its Sri Krishna temple
. The Ambalappuzha temple is one of the three important Sri Krishna temples in the state of Kerala.
Ambalapuzha is divided into 2 panchayats: Ambalapuzha North
and Ambalapuzha South
.
is believed to have been built in the year 790 M.E by the local ruler Chembakasserry Pooradam Thirunal-Devanarayanan Thampuran.
This temple is directly associated to the Guruvayoor Sri Krishna Temple. During the raids Tipu Sultan
in 1789, the idol of Sri Krishna from the Guruvayoor Temple(guruvayoor appan) was brought to the Ambalappuzha Temple for safe keeping.
The payasam served in the Ambalappuzha Temple is famous among Hindu
devotees. This sweet pudding made of rice and milk has an interesting mythological legend behind it.It is very famous
An idol of Sri Krishna, The Lord Parthasarathy idol was installed in the temple.
The Aarattu festival commences with the flag hoisting ceremony on the Atham star in Meenam (March–April). The important Aarattu festival takes place on the Thiruvonam day of the same month. The aarattu ezhunnullathu starts from Erattakulangara Mahadeva Temple(The famous temple amongst one of the siva temples, facing to west)
In this temple 'Pallipana' is performed by 'Velans' (sorcerers) once in twelve years. Human sacrifice was conducted in ancient times. However, cocks have now replaced humans on the sacrificial altar.
Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar
(1705–1770) also spent his youth at Ambalappuzha.
landlord and kalari
asaan Ambanattu Panikker. While the rajah of Ambalapuzha dynasty and Vilwamangalathu Swamiyar were going through the waterways, it so happened that they could hear a luscious sound of flute coming from a nearby huge and luxuriant peepul tree. To his astonishment Swamiyar saw Sree Krishna sitting on a branch of the peepul tree playing his flute and suddenly diappeared.
once appeared in the form of a sage in the court of the king who ruled the region and challenged him for a game of chess
(or chaturanga
). The king being a chess enthusiast himself gladly accepted the invitation. The prize had to be decided before the game and the king asked the sage to choose his prize in case he wins. The sage told the king that he had a very modest claim and being a man of few material needs, all he wished was a few grains of rice. The amount of rice itself shall be determined using the chess-board in the following manner. One grain of rice shall be placed in the first square, two grains in the second square, four in the third square, eight in the fourth square and so on. Every square will have double the number of grains of its predecessor.
Upon hearing the demand, the king was unhappy since the sage requested only a few grains of rice instead of other riches from the kingdom which the king would've been happy to donate. He requested the sage to add other items to his prize but the sage declined.
So the game of chess started and needless to say the king lost the game. It was time to pay the sage his agreed-upon prize. As he started adding grains of rice to the chess board, the king soon realised the true nature of the sage's demands. By the 20th square, the number had reached one-million grains of rice and by the 40th square, it became one-trillion. The royal granary soon ran out of grains of rice. The king realised that even if he provides all the rice in his kingdom and his adjacent kingdoms, he will never be able to fulfill the promised reward. The number of grains was increasing as a geometric progression and the total amount of rice required to fill a 64-squared chess board is (2^ (64) - 1 ), which is equal to 18446744073709551615 grains (about 18*10^18, or 18 billion billion grains). This amount of rice would weigh about 460*10^12 kg, 4.6*10^2 Pg (Peta grams), or 460 billion tonnes (1,000 grains of rice weigh about 25g). This amount of rice would also cover the surface of India two meters deep!
Upon seeing the dilemma, the sage appeared to the king in his true-form, that of lord Krishna
. He told the king that he doesn't have to pay the debt immediately but can pay him over time. The king shall serve paal-payasam (made of rice) in the temple freely to the pilgrims every day until the debt is paid off.
Velakali
is a group dance held in the open air as an exhibition of the martial
feats in front of the raja (king) of Ambalapuzha (erstwhile Chempakassery), who wanted to see how his soldiers had performed in the wars. This show meant to be witnessed by the deity of the temple which is taken out in procession to the courtyard of the temple on a caparisoned elephant. The play consist of a procession in the beginning in which, the dancers walk in line through the village road holding the sword made of rattan in the right-hand and a shield in the left. They move elegantly keeping their pace to the rhythm followed by a hilarious group of villagers encouraging the dancers by jumping and singing and waving small colourful flags. By dusk 'Kulathil vela' or the play on the bank of the tank
commences. The dancers take their position on the bank of the temple tank
and with weapons in their hands start the play moving their bodies. Their movements get reflected in the water probably reminding one of the war in the sea or rivers. On the other side of the tank the caparisoned elephant with the deity takes position. The dancers do not change their position but exhibit only the swaying of their bodies to the rhythm of Velappara, the main percussion instrument. Then the dancers disperse to assemble again in the southern quadrangle of the temple to start the regular exhibition of the feats. There the deity appears on the elephant. By about 8 p.m. 'Tirumunpil vela' or the play before the divine presence of the deity, start.
Now "Ambalapuzha Velakali" is performed every year inside the temple premise during the March–April 10 festival days(malayalam:Ulsavam) except on the first and last days.
Gandharvan were placed in the family house of Valiamadom and they are worshipped here with poojas and the annually performed Kalamezhuthum Paatum.
Panicker was given the tiltle Koyma (supreme authority) of the Srikrishna temple by the king. A male member of the Valiamadom family has to be present for all the important and auspicious functions held in Srikrishna temple.
Alappuzha
Alappuzha , also known as Alleppey, is a town in Alappuzha District of Kerala state of southern India. As per 2001 census Alleppey is the sixth largest city in Kerala with an urban population of 177,029. Alleppey is situated to the south of Kochi and north of Trivandrum...
district of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
state, south India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. The town is famous for its Sri Krishna temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
. The Ambalappuzha temple is one of the three important Sri Krishna temples in the state of Kerala.
Ambalapuzha is divided into 2 panchayats: Ambalapuzha North
Ambalapuzha North
Ambalapuzha North is a panchayat and part of Ambalapuzha. It is in Alappuzha district, India....
and Ambalapuzha South
Ambalapuzha South
Ambalapuzha South is a panchayat and part of Ambalapuzha. It is in Alappuzha district, India....
.
Famous temple
The Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna TempleAmbalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple
Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple is a Hindu temple in Ambalappuzha, Alapuzha district of Kerala, in south India.The Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple is believed to have been built in the year AD 790 by the local ruler Chembakasserry Pooradam Thirunal-Devanarayanan Thampuran.This temple is directly...
is believed to have been built in the year 790 M.E by the local ruler Chembakasserry Pooradam Thirunal-Devanarayanan Thampuran.
This temple is directly associated to the Guruvayoor Sri Krishna Temple. During the raids Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
in 1789, the idol of Sri Krishna from the Guruvayoor Temple(guruvayoor appan) was brought to the Ambalappuzha Temple for safe keeping.
The payasam served in the Ambalappuzha Temple is famous among Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
devotees. This sweet pudding made of rice and milk has an interesting mythological legend behind it.It is very famous
An idol of Sri Krishna, The Lord Parthasarathy idol was installed in the temple.
The Aarattu festival commences with the flag hoisting ceremony on the Atham star in Meenam (March–April). The important Aarattu festival takes place on the Thiruvonam day of the same month. The aarattu ezhunnullathu starts from Erattakulangara Mahadeva Temple(The famous temple amongst one of the siva temples, facing to west)
In this temple 'Pallipana' is performed by 'Velans' (sorcerers) once in twelve years. Human sacrifice was conducted in ancient times. However, cocks have now replaced humans on the sacrificial altar.
Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar
Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar
Kunchan Nambiar was a renowned Malayalam poet and inventor of the art form Ottamthullal.-Early life:Kunchan Nambiar spent his early childhood at Killikkurussimangalam in Kerala state, south India, his boyhood at Kudamaloor and his youth at Ambalappuzha. Scholars like Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar have...
(1705–1770) also spent his youth at Ambalappuzha.
Ambanattu Panikkar Varavu
This is a ceremonial procession of members of the Ambanattu Panikkar family memebrs, bringing pots of honey as ritual offering to the deity at Sree Krishna Swamy Temple, Ambalapuzha. Link http://www.globalpathmonitors.com/gb5festivals.htm. Link. The land where the temple was built belonged to a rich EzhavaEzhava
The Ezhavas are a community with origins in the region presently known as Kerala. They are also known as Ilhava, Irava, Izhava and Erava in the south of the region; as Chovas, Chokons and Chogons in Central Travancore; and as Tiyyas, Thiyas and Theeyas in Malabar...
landlord and kalari
Kalari
The word Kalari means battle ground in Tamil and translates as "threshing floor" or "battlefield" in Malayalam. Training for Kalarippayattu, a martial art of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, is traditionally done inside the Kalari....
asaan Ambanattu Panikker. While the rajah of Ambalapuzha dynasty and Vilwamangalathu Swamiyar were going through the waterways, it so happened that they could hear a luscious sound of flute coming from a nearby huge and luxuriant peepul tree. To his astonishment Swamiyar saw Sree Krishna sitting on a branch of the peepul tree playing his flute and suddenly diappeared.
Legend of the Ambalappuzha Paal Paayasam
According to the legend, Lord KrishnaKrishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
once appeared in the form of a sage in the court of the king who ruled the region and challenged him for a game of chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
(or chaturanga
Chaturanga
Chaturanga is an ancient Indian game that is presumed to be the common ancestor of the games of chess, shogi, and makruk, and related to xiangqi and janggi.Chaturanga developed in Gupta India around the 6th century...
). The king being a chess enthusiast himself gladly accepted the invitation. The prize had to be decided before the game and the king asked the sage to choose his prize in case he wins. The sage told the king that he had a very modest claim and being a man of few material needs, all he wished was a few grains of rice. The amount of rice itself shall be determined using the chess-board in the following manner. One grain of rice shall be placed in the first square, two grains in the second square, four in the third square, eight in the fourth square and so on. Every square will have double the number of grains of its predecessor.
Upon hearing the demand, the king was unhappy since the sage requested only a few grains of rice instead of other riches from the kingdom which the king would've been happy to donate. He requested the sage to add other items to his prize but the sage declined.
So the game of chess started and needless to say the king lost the game. It was time to pay the sage his agreed-upon prize. As he started adding grains of rice to the chess board, the king soon realised the true nature of the sage's demands. By the 20th square, the number had reached one-million grains of rice and by the 40th square, it became one-trillion. The royal granary soon ran out of grains of rice. The king realised that even if he provides all the rice in his kingdom and his adjacent kingdoms, he will never be able to fulfill the promised reward. The number of grains was increasing as a geometric progression and the total amount of rice required to fill a 64-squared chess board is (2^ (64) - 1 ), which is equal to 18446744073709551615 grains (about 18*10^18, or 18 billion billion grains). This amount of rice would weigh about 460*10^12 kg, 4.6*10^2 Pg (Peta grams), or 460 billion tonnes (1,000 grains of rice weigh about 25g). This amount of rice would also cover the surface of India two meters deep!
Upon seeing the dilemma, the sage appeared to the king in his true-form, that of lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. He told the king that he doesn't have to pay the debt immediately but can pay him over time. The king shall serve paal-payasam (made of rice) in the temple freely to the pilgrims every day until the debt is paid off.
Ambalapuzha Velakali
Velakali
Velakali is a ritual art of Kerala a small state in south India, mainly performed at temples in the festival time.The performers, clad in the traditional clothes and colourful headgear of the medieval Nair soldiers, engage in vigorous movements and dexterous sword play, to the accompaniment of an...
is a group dance held in the open air as an exhibition of the martial
Martial
Marcus Valerius Martialis , was a Latin poet from Hispania best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan...
feats in front of the raja (king) of Ambalapuzha (erstwhile Chempakassery), who wanted to see how his soldiers had performed in the wars. This show meant to be witnessed by the deity of the temple which is taken out in procession to the courtyard of the temple on a caparisoned elephant. The play consist of a procession in the beginning in which, the dancers walk in line through the village road holding the sword made of rattan in the right-hand and a shield in the left. They move elegantly keeping their pace to the rhythm followed by a hilarious group of villagers encouraging the dancers by jumping and singing and waving small colourful flags. By dusk 'Kulathil vela' or the play on the bank of the tank
Irrigation tank
For etymology, see Storage tank#Etymology.In India, an irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. . It can also have a natural or man-made spring included as part of a structure...
commences. The dancers take their position on the bank of the temple tank
Irrigation tank
For etymology, see Storage tank#Etymology.In India, an irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. . It can also have a natural or man-made spring included as part of a structure...
and with weapons in their hands start the play moving their bodies. Their movements get reflected in the water probably reminding one of the war in the sea or rivers. On the other side of the tank the caparisoned elephant with the deity takes position. The dancers do not change their position but exhibit only the swaying of their bodies to the rhythm of Velappara, the main percussion instrument. Then the dancers disperse to assemble again in the southern quadrangle of the temple to start the regular exhibition of the feats. There the deity appears on the elephant. By about 8 p.m. 'Tirumunpil vela' or the play before the divine presence of the deity, start.
Now "Ambalapuzha Velakali" is performed every year inside the temple premise during the March–April 10 festival days(malayalam:Ulsavam) except on the first and last days.
Gandharvan were placed in the family house of Valiamadom and they are worshipped here with poojas and the annually performed Kalamezhuthum Paatum.
Panicker was given the tiltle Koyma (supreme authority) of the Srikrishna temple by the king. A male member of the Valiamadom family has to be present for all the important and auspicious functions held in Srikrishna temple.
External links
- Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna Temple
- Ambalapuzha Temple from the book: Temples and Legends of Kerala
- Chengannur Mahadeva/Devi Temple
- Chettikulangara Devi Temple, Mavelikkara