Sree Venugopala
Encyclopedia
Sree Venugopla Krishna Swami Dewastan is a Hindu
temple
located in Chendamangalam, Kerala
, India
.
Sree Venugopala Krishna Swami Dewasthan was established in 1900 at Chennamangalam (earlier known as Jayantha mangalam), 42 km from Ernakulam, 22 km from Alwaye and 5 km from North Parur.
Its main deity
is Venugopalakrishna Swamy
, and its main idol is Shila Vigrah of Venugopalakrishna Swamy. It also contains an Utsav idol of the Lord and the idols of Garuda
and Hanuman
at his feet. The temple celebrates a six day-long annual festival in the month of Vaisakh
.
They approached the Paliayam Valiyachan
of the Paliyam Swaroopam and requested help. He donated the land for construction of temple. With the liberal donations from local mahajans, the temple was constructed, and the Pratishta made on April 30, 1900. Twelve community members under the leadership of Chennoth parambil Ramachandra Prabhu started a Chitty in 1920. The generated profit was used to acquire land for the temple to meet the daily expenses. Later, in 1956, the children of Chennoth parambil Sri Dasa Prabhu formed an Endowment Trust in his name and donated 10 acre
s of land and Rs. 65,000 to temple on behalf of the trust. In due course, necessary constructions such as Agrasala, Anapandal, etc. were made. The temple was renovated in 1995 and the Srikovil was covered with Copper plate.
Srimat Sudheendra Tirtha Swamiji had his Chaturmasya Vrita at this temple in 1973. At present there are about 100 GSB families in Chennamangalam.
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...
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...
located in Chendamangalam, 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...
.
Sree Venugopala Krishna Swami Dewasthan was established in 1900 at Chennamangalam (earlier known as Jayantha mangalam), 42 km from Ernakulam, 22 km from Alwaye and 5 km from North Parur.
Its main deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
is Venugopalakrishna Swamy
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...
, and its main idol is Shila Vigrah of Venugopalakrishna Swamy. It also contains an Utsav idol of the Lord and the idols of Garuda
Garuda
The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and...
and Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
at his feet. The temple celebrates a six day-long annual festival in the month of Vaisakh
Vaisakh
Vaisakh is the second month in the Nanakshahi calendar. This month coincides with April and May in the Gregorian calendar and to Vaisakha in the Hindu calendar; it comprises the time of crop-harvesting in the Punjab region....
.
Temple history
Those Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB's) settled in Cochin spread to neighbouring suburbs and villages. Some families came and settled in Chennamangalam. Since they did not have any place of worship in the village, they had to visit the nearest temple at North Parur by foot for spiritual needs. To remedy the situation, they joined together under Chennoth parambil Sri Dasa Prabhu and started efforts to establish a temple.They approached the Paliayam Valiyachan
Paliath Achan
Paliath Achan or Paliyath Achan : is the name given to the oldest male member of the Paliam family , a Nair family from the Indian state of Kerala that figured prominently in the history of the region.-Overview:...
of the Paliyam Swaroopam and requested help. He donated the land for construction of temple. With the liberal donations from local mahajans, the temple was constructed, and the Pratishta made on April 30, 1900. Twelve community members under the leadership of Chennoth parambil Ramachandra Prabhu started a Chitty in 1920. The generated profit was used to acquire land for the temple to meet the daily expenses. Later, in 1956, the children of Chennoth parambil Sri Dasa Prabhu formed an Endowment Trust in his name and donated 10 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of land and Rs. 65,000 to temple on behalf of the trust. In due course, necessary constructions such as Agrasala, Anapandal, etc. were made. The temple was renovated in 1995 and the Srikovil was covered with Copper plate.
Srimat Sudheendra Tirtha Swamiji had his Chaturmasya Vrita at this temple in 1973. At present there are about 100 GSB families in Chennamangalam.