Kadalayi
Encyclopedia
Kadalayi is a Hindu temple
in the village of Chirakkal
, Kerala
, India
.
Era more than 5,000 years ago. One day it so happened that she failed to notice her husband standing nearby as she was immersed in performing Pooja to the idol. The Lord, furious, kicked the idol off the pedestal. It flew into the nearby sea, when its right hand was broken. Time and tide took the idol to the Kannur sea belt off Dwarka
. A fisherman happened to net it. It being a precious catch, he presented it to King Valabhan, the Kolathiri King ruling over the area in that period.
The king had constructed a temple, Kadalayi, in a village about 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Kannur and was on the lookout for an idol to be consecrated there. The astrologers understood the sanctity of the idol and confirmed that the idol, though its hand was broken and thus deformed, was worthy of consecration. The idol was thus consecrated at Kadalayi. When the temple was ruined due to the devastating onslaught of time a new temple was built at Chirakkal 180 years ago and the old idol re-consecrated. The temple, though situated at Chirakkal, is still referred to by its old name, Kadalayi.
is a beautiful village situated 6 kilometres north of Kannur Town
in Kannur District
of Kerala. It is famous for its lores and looms, its temples and legends. A tank, the largest existing in India, adorns this village. More than 14 acres (56,656 m²) in extent, this tank known as the Chirakkal Chira is famous through out and attracts the attention of tourists from various places. This village is also the seat of the Royal family of Chirakkal, the descendants of the famous Mushika
Dynasty. It is in this village that the famous Kadalayi Sree Krishna Temple, known as the 'Guruvayur of North Malabar' and reputed for its antiquity and holiness, is situated. The temple attracts thousands of devotees from far and near.
By rail
By air
rights are vested with the Kattumadam Moothedath Illam and Kattumadam Ilayedath Illam. Brahmasree Kattumadam Moothedath Anil Namboothirippad performs the rites for the Moothedath Illam and Brahmasree Kattumadam Ilayedath Sankaranarayanan Namboothiripad and Brahmasree Kattumadam Ilayedath Easanan Namboothiripad performs the tantric rites of the Ilayedath Illam. Each Illam is in charge of the performance of the tantric rites and rituals every alternate year.
The committee is proceeding with necessary requirements as found in the astrological readings. A silver lamp is to be lit in the sanctum sanctorum
was offered at first by the committee and later two devotees also offered silver lamps to the temple. Every month on Rohini day a special poojas are performed and rice feeding (Annadana) is also organized. Now there is annadana on each Thursday.
The renovation of the thidappally (the kitchen inside the temple where holy offerings are prepared) is in progress.
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
in the village of Chirakkal
Chirakkal, Kannur
Chirakkal is a census town in Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India. It is 7 km from Kannur town.India census, Chirakkal has a population of 43,290. Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%. Chirakkal has an average literacy rate of 84%, higher than the national average...
, 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....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Origins
There is an interesting legend associated with the origin of the temple. It is believed that the idol of Lord Vishnu consecrated here is the very idol worshiped by Sathyabhama, the consort of Lord Krishna at Dwaraka in the MahabharataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
Era more than 5,000 years ago. One day it so happened that she failed to notice her husband standing nearby as she was immersed in performing Pooja to the idol. The Lord, furious, kicked the idol off the pedestal. It flew into the nearby sea, when its right hand was broken. Time and tide took the idol to the Kannur sea belt off Dwarka
Dwarka
Dwarka also spelled Dvarka, Dwaraka, and Dvaraka, is a city and a municipality of Jamnagar district in the Gujarat state in India. Dwarka , also known as Dwarawati in Sanskrit literature is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country...
. A fisherman happened to net it. It being a precious catch, he presented it to King Valabhan, the Kolathiri King ruling over the area in that period.
The king had constructed a temple, Kadalayi, in a village about 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Kannur and was on the lookout for an idol to be consecrated there. The astrologers understood the sanctity of the idol and confirmed that the idol, though its hand was broken and thus deformed, was worthy of consecration. The idol was thus consecrated at Kadalayi. When the temple was ruined due to the devastating onslaught of time a new temple was built at Chirakkal 180 years ago and the old idol re-consecrated. The temple, though situated at Chirakkal, is still referred to by its old name, Kadalayi.
Location
ChirakkalChirakkal, Kannur
Chirakkal is a census town in Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India. It is 7 km from Kannur town.India census, Chirakkal has a population of 43,290. Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%. Chirakkal has an average literacy rate of 84%, higher than the national average...
is a beautiful village situated 6 kilometres north of Kannur Town
Kannur Town
Kannur Town is the actual city of Kannur, Kerala, India and the administrative headquarters of Kannur District. The major business establishments, government offices, shopping centres, hotels, and showrooms are located in Kannur town....
in Kannur District
Kannur district
Kannur District is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. The town of Kannur is the district headquarters, and gives the district its name. The old name Cannanore is the anglicised form of the Malayalam name Kannur. Kannur District is bounded by Kasaragod District to the north and...
of Kerala. It is famous for its lores and looms, its temples and legends. A tank, the largest existing in India, adorns this village. More than 14 acres (56,656 m²) in extent, this tank known as the Chirakkal Chira is famous through out and attracts the attention of tourists from various places. This village is also the seat of the Royal family of Chirakkal, the descendants of the famous Mushika
Mushika Kingdom
Mushika Kingdom was an ancient kingdom of the Tamil Sangam age in present day northern Kerala, India ruled by the Royal dynasty of the same name. They ruled the strip of land between Mangaluru in the north and Vadagara in the south...
Dynasty. It is in this village that the famous Kadalayi Sree Krishna Temple, known as the 'Guruvayur of North Malabar' and reputed for its antiquity and holiness, is situated. The temple attracts thousands of devotees from far and near.
How to reach the temple
By road- The temple is situated 500m away from Puthiyatheru, the busy market place of Chirakkal, which stands on NH 17 about 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Kannur and 18 km (11.2 mi) south of Taliparamba. Mofussil buses plying between Kannur and Taliparamba pass through this place. There are also frequent town services. You can reach the temple by foot. Taxis and autorikshaws are also available.
By rail
- The nearest major railway station where all trains stop is KannurKannurKannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
on KozhikodeKozhikodeKozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
-Kannur sector of the Southern RailwaySouthern Railway (India)The Southern Railway is the earliest of the 16 zones of the Indian Railways created in independent India. It was created on April 14, 1951 by merging three state railways namely Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway, and the Mysore State Railway. The South Indian Railway...
. You can take a bus/taxi/autorikshaw from there to reach the temple.
By air
- The nearest airport is Kozhikode Airport.
Tantries
The tantricTantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
rights are vested with the Kattumadam Moothedath Illam and Kattumadam Ilayedath Illam. Brahmasree Kattumadam Moothedath Anil Namboothirippad performs the rites for the Moothedath Illam and Brahmasree Kattumadam Ilayedath Sankaranarayanan Namboothiripad and Brahmasree Kattumadam Ilayedath Easanan Namboothiripad performs the tantric rites of the Ilayedath Illam. Each Illam is in charge of the performance of the tantric rites and rituals every alternate year.
Melsanthis
The melsanties are appointed hereditarily from two families, the Kallampally Illam and the Kara Bhattathiri Illam each assuming charg in every alternate month. Brahmasree Kallampalli Illath Kesavan Namboodiri is the present Melsanti from Kallampalli Illam and Brahmasree Madhavan Bhattathiri (son of Brahmasree Kesavan Bhattathiri, who was the melsanthi of Sabarimala Temple during 1974-75), from the Bhattathiri Illam.Festival
The annual festival of the temple is from 15th Makaram to 22nd Makaram. (This falls during the last week of January and the first week of February.) The hosting of the holy flag (Kotiyettam) is on Makaram 15 and holy immersion of the idol (Aratt) which marks the end of the festival is on Makaram 22nd.Other holy celebrations
Ashtami Rohini, Guruvayoor Ekadashi, and the Mandala Pooja also celebrated in a holy manner with Bhajans, religious discourses, niramal, Chuttovilakkuetc.Vazhipadu
Devotees can offer Vazhipadu to the deity for fulfillment of their wishes and for material and spiritual welfare. A list of such offerings is given separately.Naveekarana Kalasam
With the passage of time, due to normal wear and tear and impurities that might have adept in, the temple have lost its original holiness and the idol its original sanctity. It is believed that this can be not only regained but increased by the performance of performance of periodic Naveekarana Kalasam. It is more than thirty years since such a naveekarana Kalasam was performed in the temple. A feeling that it is time to perform a Naveekarana Kalasam in the temple and a desire to get it done as early as possible arose in the minds of the devotees. They know that this will bring material prosperity and reputed welfare of the people and the place.Kadalayi Sreekrishna Kshethra Naveekarana Kalasa Committee
For fulfilling the desire of performing Naveekarana Kalasam in the temple, a committee known as the Kadalayi Sree Krishna Kshethra Naveekarana Kalasa Committee was constituted under the direction of HR&CE Commissioner in December 2005. A Swarnaprashnam under the leadership of the astrologer Parappanangadi Unnikrishna Panicker was conducted under the auspices of the committee in April 2006. The sanctity of the aged idol was brought to light in the Swarnaprasnam. It was found that the idol, though it had wear and tear, should not be changed but should be protected by a Panchaloha Golaka (protective covering with Panchaloha). After completing the repairs/renovations and after adorning the idol with the protective covering (Panchaloha Golaka) a Naveekarana Kalasam should be performed.The committee is proceeding with necessary requirements as found in the astrological readings. A silver lamp is to be lit in the sanctum sanctorum
Sanctum sanctorum
The Latin phrase sanctum sanctorum is a Latin translation of the biblical term: "Holy of Holies" which generally refers in Latin texts to the Holiest place of the Tabernacle of Ancient Israel and later the Temples in Jerusalem, but also has some derivative use in application to imitations of the...
was offered at first by the committee and later two devotees also offered silver lamps to the temple. Every month on Rohini day a special poojas are performed and rice feeding (Annadana) is also organized. Now there is annadana on each Thursday.
The renovation of the thidappally (the kitchen inside the temple where holy offerings are prepared) is in progress.