Vadakkunnathan Temple
Encyclopedia
Vadakkunnathan Temple also known as Thenkailasam and Vrishabhachalam, is an ancient Shiva temple located at the heart of Thrissur
city. This temple is a classic example of the Kerala
style of architecture and has formidable gopurams on all four sides and also a Koothambalam
. Mural paintings that depict various episodes from the Mahabharata
can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Koothambalam display exquisite vignettes carved in wood. According to popular lore, the temple was built by Parasurama. The sprawling Thekkinkadu maidan
, encircling the Vadakumnathan temple, is the main venue of the Thrissur Pooram
. The temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by the Union Government under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.
.
Parashurama
exterminated the Kshatriya race twenty one times. In order to expiate the sin he performed a yaga at the end of which he gave away all the land to Brahmins as dakshina. He wanted to retire to some new land to do tapas and so he requested God Varuna to throw up a new piece of land from the sea. According to another version, some sages approached him at the end of the yaga and requested him to give them some secluded land. Parashurama
then made the rquest to Varuna for their sake. Varuna gave Parasurama a winnow (surpa) and asked him to hurl it into the sea, as he did a large territory of land was at once thrown up by the sea; this territory that rose out of the sea was Kerala
. It was then known by the name Surparaka, from the word, “Surpa” meaning winnow.
According to some other accounts Varuna
asked Parashurama
to hurl his axe into the sea. Parashurama
now wanted to consecrate this new land. So he went to Kailasa to his Guru Lord Shiva
and requested him to take abode in Kerala
and thereby bless the land. Shiva
accompanied by Parvathi, Ganapathi, Subramania and his parashadas went along with Parasurama, to satisfy the desire of his beloved disciple. Shiva
stopped at a spot, now Thrissur
, for his seat and later he and his party disappeared and Parashurama
saw a bright and radiant Shiva
– linga at the foot of a huge Banyan tree. This place where Shiva
first manifested his presence through the linga came to be called the Sri MULA STHANA.
remained at the Srimulasthana at the foot of a huge bunyan tree. The ruler of former Cochin state then decided to shift the linga to a more convenient place and enclose it in a good temple. Arrangements were soon made to reinstall the idol in the new place. But there was an initial diificulty. The linga could not be removed without cutting off a large part of the bunyan tree. While cutting the branches of the tree there was the danger of a piece of it falling on the idol and damaging it. When the ruler and the others did not know what to do, the Yogathiripad came forward with a solution. He lay over the idol so as to cover it completely and asked the men to cut the tree. The cutting began and to the wonder of all not a piece of the tree fell anywhere near the idol. The idol was removed with all due rituals and installed in the new place where it has remained till now. Then a beautiful temple was built according to the rules laid down in the sastras.
The temple stands in the centre of a very large square plot which is cut off from the world outside by tall and thick walls built all around. Between the inner temple and the outer walls, there is a spacious compound, the entrance to which is through gopuras. Of these, the gopuras on the south and north are not open to the public and have to enter either through the east or west gopura.In the outer temple there are shrines for Krishna ( Gosala Krishna or Krishna as Cowherd), Nandikeswara, Parasurama, Simhodara, Ayyappa and Sankaracharya. The inner temple is separated from the outer temple by a broad circular granite wall enclosing a broad corridor called the “Chuttambalam”. Entrance into the inner temple is through a passage through the corridor. In the inner temple the chief and central shrine that of siva where the linga transferred from the Srimulasthana is installed. Then there are shrines for Parvati, Ganpathi, Sankarnarayana and Sri Rama.
s each facing north, south, east and west directions. Apart from these four gopurams, there is a multi-shrined complex in the centre with three principal shrines dedicated to Shiva
as Vadakkunnathan, Shankaranarayana
and Rama
.
In the northern side, there is a circular structure with Lord Shiva facing west. The figure of Parvati
faces east and is just behind Shiva in the same shrine. These non facing installations denote the Ardhanari
swara concept.The two-storied rectangular shrine of Sri Rama
facing west is located in the south. Between these two srikovils
stands a third one, circular and double-storied in shape, which is dedicated to Sankaranarayana and facing west. There are mukhamandapams in front of all the three central shrines.
The temple is famous for the rarity of the temple murals; of which the Vasukishayana and Nrithanatha
murals are of great importance and are worshipped daily. The temple also has specified spots in the temple quadrangle at which the devotees can offer worship to Lord Shiva of Kasi, Lord Shiva of Rameswaram, Lord Chidambaranatha of Chidambaram, Lord Bharatha of Koodalmanikyam, Sree Kali of Kodungallur, Urakam Ammathiruvadi of Ammathiruvadi Temple, Veda Vyasa, Hanuman Swamy, and Nagaraja. Vadakkunnathan Temple also houses a museum of ancient wall paintings, wood carvings and art pieces of ancient times.
over the years. A devotee looking into the sanctum
can now see only a 16 feet (4.9 m) mount of ghee embellished with thirteen cascading crescents of gold and three serpent hoods at top. According to traditional belief, this represents the snow-clad Mount Kailash
, the abode of Parvathy and Parameswara. This is the only temple where Shivalinga is not visible.
It is said that the ghee offered here for centuries does not have any foul odor and it does not melt even during summer
. Inside the Vadakkunnathan Temple is a multi-shrine complex called nalambalam or chuttamabalam in the center with three main shrines dedicated to Shiva or Vadakkunnathan, Shankaranarayana or Hari-Hara (a combined deity form of Shiva and Vishnu), and Sri Rama. There is a circular structure in the northern side with the deity facing west. Parvati is seen facing east, just behind the idol of Shiva, in the same shrine.
Located in the south is the two-storied shrine of Lord Rama facing west. The idol of Sankara-Narayana faces west and is placed between these two Sri Kovils (sanctum sanctorum). It is circular and double storied in shape. Mukhamandapams are found in front of all the three central shrines. There is a shrine dedicated to Lord Vettekkaran (Shiva in a hunter form) within the nalambalam. The shrines of Lord Krishna, Vrishabha, Parasurama (sixth avatar of Maha Vishnu), Simhodara, Dharmasastha (Swamy Ayyappan) and Guru Adi Sankaracharya are located outside the nalambalam. Located on the verandah of the Nalambalam is a large white bullock Nandikeswara or Nandi bull.
The murals in the temple are known for its rarity and two of them - Vasukisayana and Nrithanatha - are even worshipped regularly. In the temple quadrangle, there are specified spots at which the devotees can offer their salutations to Lord Shiva of Kasi
and Lord Chidambaranatha of Chidambaram
, Lord of Shiva of Rameswaram, Sree Kali
of Kodungallur
, Urakam Ammathiruvadi, Lord Bharatha (Koodalmanickam) at Irinjalakuda
, Sree Vyasa
, Sree Hanuman
and the serpent gods.
The temple theatre, known as koothambalam
, has no parallel to cite anywhere else in the world. The four magnificent gateways called gopurams and the lofty masonry wall around the temple quadrangle are also imposing pieces of craftsmanship and skill. Ganapathi shrine is positioned facing the temple kitchen and offering of Appam
(sweetened rice cake fried in ghee) to Mahaganapathy is one of the most important offerings at the temple. Propitiating Ganapathy here is believed to be a path to prosperity and wealth.
The devotees refer to elephants as Lord Ganesh's incarnation. It has been the regular annual practice at the Vadakkunnathan Temple for the last 20 years to conduct a large-scale Ashta Dravya Maha Ganapathy Havana and Aanayoottu
on the first day of the Karkidakom month of the malayalam calendar
. Gajapooja also is conducted once every four years.http://www.kottayamtemples.com/vadakkunnatha.php
is believed to have been born to the Shivaguru-Aryamba couple of Kalady
in answer to their prayers before Vadakkunnathan, as amsavatara
of the Lord. Legend has it that Shiva appeared to both husband and wife in their dreams and offered them a choice. They could have either a mediocre son who would live a long life or an extraordinary son who would die early. Both Shivaguru and Aryamba chose the second option. In honour of Shiva, they named the son Adi Shankara
. According to legend, Adi Shankara attained videha mukti
("freedom from embodiment") in Vadakkunnathan temple
. One tradition, expounded by Keraliya Shankaravijaya, places his place of death as Vadakkunnathan temple
in Thrissur
, Kerala.
is the main festival which is celebrated in the temple. Besides, there has been a regular annual practice at the temple to conduct Ashta Dravya Maha Ganapathy Havana and Aanayoottu
(Ceremonial Feeding of Elephants) on the 1st day of Karkadakam month of Malayalam calendar (July - August). Gajapooja is conducted once in four years. One of the most colourful temple festivals of Kerala
, Thrissur Pooram
is conducted in the temple premises but Vadakkunnathan temple is not a participant in this festival.
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
city. This temple is a classic example of the 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....
style of architecture and has formidable gopurams on all four sides and also a Koothambalam
Koothambalam
Koothambalam' or Kuttampalam is a theater hall for staging Koothu , Nangiar koothu and Koodiyattam, the ancient dramatic art forms of Kerala, India. Koothambalams are constructed according to the guide lines given in the chapter 2 of Nātyasāstra of Bharata Muni. The hall is considered to be as...
. Mural paintings that depict various episodes from the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
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....
can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Koothambalam display exquisite vignettes carved in wood. According to popular lore, the temple was built by Parasurama. The sprawling Thekkinkadu maidan
Thekkinkadu Maidan
Thekkinkadu Maidan is situated in the middle of Thrissur city of Kerala state in India. This hillock which seats the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is oval shaped open ground in the centre of the Thrissur city which is under the custody of the Cochin Devaswom Board...
, encircling the Vadakumnathan temple, is the main venue of the Thrissur Pooram
Thrissur Pooram
Pooram is one of the nakshatras or star in the Hindu panchangam. There are 27 Nakshatras in the Hindu panchangam and a million or more temples in Kerala, and this combination creates numerous possibilities for auspicious occasions, with each temple having varying importance for the different stars...
. The temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by the Union Government under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.
Origin Of the Temple
The story of the origin of the Vadakkumnatha temple is briefly narrated in the Brahmanda Purana and there are references to it in some other ancient works also. Though there are small differences between these accounts as regards details, all agree on the central fact, namely, that the temple was founded by Lord ParashuramaParashurama
Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
.
Parashurama
Parashurama
Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
exterminated the Kshatriya race twenty one times. In order to expiate the sin he performed a yaga at the end of which he gave away all the land to Brahmins as dakshina. He wanted to retire to some new land to do tapas and so he requested God Varuna to throw up a new piece of land from the sea. According to another version, some sages approached him at the end of the yaga and requested him to give them some secluded land. Parashurama
Parashurama
Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
then made the rquest to Varuna for their sake. Varuna gave Parasurama a winnow (surpa) and asked him to hurl it into the sea, as he did a large territory of land was at once thrown up by the sea; this territory that rose out of the sea was 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....
. It was then known by the name Surparaka, from the word, “Surpa” meaning winnow.
According to some other accounts Varuna
Varuna
In Vedic religion, Varuna is a god of the sky, of water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld...
asked Parashurama
Parashurama
Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
to hurl his axe into the sea. Parashurama
Parashurama
Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
now wanted to consecrate this new land. So he went to Kailasa to his Guru Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and requested him to take abode in 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....
and thereby bless the land. Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
accompanied by Parvathi, Ganapathi, Subramania and his parashadas went along with Parasurama, to satisfy the desire of his beloved disciple. Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
stopped at a spot, now Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
, for his seat and later he and his party disappeared and Parashurama
Parashurama
Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
saw a bright and radiant Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
– linga at the foot of a huge Banyan tree. This place where Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
first manifested his presence through the linga came to be called the Sri MULA STHANA.
Construction of the temple
For sometime the linga of ShivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
remained at the Srimulasthana at the foot of a huge bunyan tree. The ruler of former Cochin state then decided to shift the linga to a more convenient place and enclose it in a good temple. Arrangements were soon made to reinstall the idol in the new place. But there was an initial diificulty. The linga could not be removed without cutting off a large part of the bunyan tree. While cutting the branches of the tree there was the danger of a piece of it falling on the idol and damaging it. When the ruler and the others did not know what to do, the Yogathiripad came forward with a solution. He lay over the idol so as to cover it completely and asked the men to cut the tree. The cutting began and to the wonder of all not a piece of the tree fell anywhere near the idol. The idol was removed with all due rituals and installed in the new place where it has remained till now. Then a beautiful temple was built according to the rules laid down in the sastras.
The temple stands in the centre of a very large square plot which is cut off from the world outside by tall and thick walls built all around. Between the inner temple and the outer walls, there is a spacious compound, the entrance to which is through gopuras. Of these, the gopuras on the south and north are not open to the public and have to enter either through the east or west gopura.In the outer temple there are shrines for Krishna ( Gosala Krishna or Krishna as Cowherd), Nandikeswara, Parasurama, Simhodara, Ayyappa and Sankaracharya. The inner temple is separated from the outer temple by a broad circular granite wall enclosing a broad corridor called the “Chuttambalam”. Entrance into the inner temple is through a passage through the corridor. In the inner temple the chief and central shrine that of siva where the linga transferred from the Srimulasthana is installed. Then there are shrines for Parvati, Ganpathi, Sankarnarayana and Sri Rama.
Temple structure
Vadakkunnathan temple is surrounded by a massive stone wall enclosing an area of nearly 9 acres (36,421.7 m²). Inside this fortification, there are four gopuramGopuram
A Gopuram or Gopura, is a monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of any temple, especially in Southern India. This forms a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial...
s each facing north, south, east and west directions. Apart from these four gopurams, there is a multi-shrined complex in the centre with three principal shrines dedicated to Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
as Vadakkunnathan, Shankaranarayana
Harihara
Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu and Shiva from the Hindu tradition. Also known as Shankaranarayana , Harihara is thus worshipped by both Vaishnavites and Shaivities as a form of the Supreme God, as well as being a figure of worship for other Hindu traditions in general...
and Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
.
In the northern side, there is a circular structure with Lord Shiva facing west. The figure of Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
faces east and is just behind Shiva in the same shrine. These non facing installations denote the Ardhanari
Ardhanari
Ardhanarishvara , is a composite androgynous form of the Hindu god Shiva and his consort Parvati . Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half male and half female, split down the middle...
swara concept.The two-storied rectangular shrine of Sri Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
facing west is located in the south. Between these two srikovils
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...
stands a third one, circular and double-storied in shape, which is dedicated to Sankaranarayana and facing west. There are mukhamandapams in front of all the three central shrines.
The temple is famous for the rarity of the temple murals; of which the Vasukishayana and Nrithanatha
Nataraja
Nataraja or Nataraj , The Lord of Dance; Tamil: கூத்தன் ;Telugu:నటరాజ is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the cosmic dancer Koothan who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for god Brahma to start the process of creation...
murals are of great importance and are worshipped daily. The temple also has specified spots in the temple quadrangle at which the devotees can offer worship to Lord Shiva of Kasi, Lord Shiva of Rameswaram, Lord Chidambaranatha of Chidambaram, Lord Bharatha of Koodalmanikyam, Sree Kali of Kodungallur, Urakam Ammathiruvadi of Ammathiruvadi Temple, Veda Vyasa, Hanuman Swamy, and Nagaraja. Vadakkunnathan Temple also houses a museum of ancient wall paintings, wood carvings and art pieces of ancient times.
Temple architecture
Vadakkunnathan Temple is a 1,000 years old temple, built by Lord Parashurama, one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. The statue of Shiva, which is not visible, is covered under a mount of ghee, formed by the daily abhishekam (ablution) with gheeGhee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
over the years. A devotee looking into the sanctum
Garbhagriha
Garbhagriha or Garbha griha is the small unlit shrine of a Hindu temple.Garbhagriha or ' is a Sanskrit word meaning the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost sanctum of a Hindu temple where resides the murti of the primary deity of the temple...
can now see only a 16 feet (4.9 m) mount of ghee embellished with thirteen cascading crescents of gold and three serpent hoods at top. According to traditional belief, this represents the snow-clad Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet...
, the abode of Parvathy and Parameswara. This is the only temple where Shivalinga is not visible.
It is said that the ghee offered here for centuries does not have any foul odor and it does not melt even during summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
. Inside the Vadakkunnathan Temple is a multi-shrine complex called nalambalam or chuttamabalam in the center with three main shrines dedicated to Shiva or Vadakkunnathan, Shankaranarayana or Hari-Hara (a combined deity form of Shiva and Vishnu), and Sri Rama. There is a circular structure in the northern side with the deity facing west. Parvati is seen facing east, just behind the idol of Shiva, in the same shrine.
Located in the south is the two-storied shrine of Lord Rama facing west. The idol of Sankara-Narayana faces west and is placed between these two Sri Kovils (sanctum sanctorum). It is circular and double storied in shape. Mukhamandapams are found in front of all the three central shrines. There is a shrine dedicated to Lord Vettekkaran (Shiva in a hunter form) within the nalambalam. The shrines of Lord Krishna, Vrishabha, Parasurama (sixth avatar of Maha Vishnu), Simhodara, Dharmasastha (Swamy Ayyappan) and Guru Adi Sankaracharya are located outside the nalambalam. Located on the verandah of the Nalambalam is a large white bullock Nandikeswara or Nandi bull.
The murals in the temple are known for its rarity and two of them - Vasukisayana and Nrithanatha - are even worshipped regularly. In the temple quadrangle, there are specified spots at which the devotees can offer their salutations to Lord Shiva of Kasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
and Lord Chidambaranatha of Chidambaram
Chidambaram
Chidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...
, Lord of Shiva of Rameswaram, Sree Kali
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
of Kodungallur
Kodungallur
Kodungallur is a municipality in Thrissur District, in the state of Kerala, India on the Malabar Coast. Kodungallur is located about 29 km northwest of Kochi city and 38 km Southwest of Thrissur, on National Highway 17 . Muziris the ancient seaport at the mouth of the Periyar River was...
, Urakam Ammathiruvadi, Lord Bharatha (Koodalmanickam) at Irinjalakuda
Irinjalakuda
Irinjalakuda is a municipal town situated in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India. It is famous for the sprawling Koodalmanikyam Temple that has Bharata as the main deity and the St Thomas Cathedral in the heart of the City...
, Sree Vyasa
Vyasa
Vyasa is a central and revered figure in most Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa , or Krishna Dvaipayana...
, Sree 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...
and the serpent gods.
The temple theatre, known as koothambalam
Koothambalam
Koothambalam' or Kuttampalam is a theater hall for staging Koothu , Nangiar koothu and Koodiyattam, the ancient dramatic art forms of Kerala, India. Koothambalams are constructed according to the guide lines given in the chapter 2 of Nātyasāstra of Bharata Muni. The hall is considered to be as...
, has no parallel to cite anywhere else in the world. The four magnificent gateways called gopurams and the lofty masonry wall around the temple quadrangle are also imposing pieces of craftsmanship and skill. Ganapathi shrine is positioned facing the temple kitchen and offering of Appam
Appam
Appam, Aappam hoppers, are a type of food in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan cuisine. It is called chitau Pitha in Oriya, Paddu or Gulle Eriyappa in Kodava. It is known as ආප්ප in Sinhala. It is eaten most frequently for breakfast or dinner.Appum or aapum – pronunciation varies between regions...
(sweetened rice cake fried in ghee) to Mahaganapathy is one of the most important offerings at the temple. Propitiating Ganapathy here is believed to be a path to prosperity and wealth.
The devotees refer to elephants as Lord Ganesh's incarnation. It has been the regular annual practice at the Vadakkunnathan Temple for the last 20 years to conduct a large-scale Ashta Dravya Maha Ganapathy Havana and Aanayoottu
Aanayoottu
The Aanayoottu is a festival held in the precincts of the Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur city, in Kerala. The festival falls on the first day of the month of Karkkidakam , which coincides with the month of July...
on the first day of the Karkidakom month of the malayalam calendar
Malayalam calendar
Malayalam calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Kerala, India. The origin of the calendar has been dated as 825 CE....
. Gajapooja also is conducted once every four years.http://www.kottayamtemples.com/vadakkunnatha.php
Adi Shankara
Adi ShankaraAdi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
is believed to have been born to the Shivaguru-Aryamba couple of Kalady
Kalady
Kalady is a village located east of the Periyar river, in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. Notably, it is the birthplace of Sri Adi Shankara, and thus is a popular destination for pilgrims...
in answer to their prayers before Vadakkunnathan, as amsavatara
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of the Lord. Legend has it that Shiva appeared to both husband and wife in their dreams and offered them a choice. They could have either a mediocre son who would live a long life or an extraordinary son who would die early. Both Shivaguru and Aryamba chose the second option. In honour of Shiva, they named the son Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
. According to legend, Adi Shankara attained videha mukti
Videha mukti
Videha mukti refers to the moksha attained by a person after death. This a Hindu view of death....
("freedom from embodiment") in Vadakkunnathan temple
Vadakkunnathan Temple
Vadakkunnathan Temple , also known as Thenkailasam and Vrishabhachalam, is an ancient Shiva temple located at the heart of Thrissur city. This temple is a classic example of the Kerala style of architecture and has formidable gopurams on all four sides and also a Koothambalam. Mural paintings that...
. One tradition, expounded by Keraliya Shankaravijaya, places his place of death as Vadakkunnathan temple
Vadakkunnathan Temple
Vadakkunnathan Temple , also known as Thenkailasam and Vrishabhachalam, is an ancient Shiva temple located at the heart of Thrissur city. This temple is a classic example of the Kerala style of architecture and has formidable gopurams on all four sides and also a Koothambalam. Mural paintings that...
in Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
, Kerala.
Names
Shiva here is more popularly known as Vadakkunnathan (Sanskrit Vrishabhachala -Tamil Vidaikunrunathan Vidai - Vrishabha, kunru - chala ). Apart from Lord Shiva, Sree Parvathy, Sree Ganapathi, Lord Sankaranarayana and Sree Rama are enshrined within the nalambalam of the temple. Lord Vettekkaran (Siva in a hunter form) was worshipped inside the nalambalam until 2005, but with a devaprasnam, it was taken back and gave a place at the south-west side of the temple facing east.Temple festivals
Maha ShivaratriMaha Shivaratri
Maha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri or Shivaratri or Sivarathri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month of Maagha or Phalguna...
is the main festival which is celebrated in the temple. Besides, there has been a regular annual practice at the temple to conduct Ashta Dravya Maha Ganapathy Havana and Aanayoottu
Aanayoottu
The Aanayoottu is a festival held in the precincts of the Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur city, in Kerala. The festival falls on the first day of the month of Karkkidakam , which coincides with the month of July...
(Ceremonial Feeding of Elephants) on the 1st day of Karkadakam month of Malayalam calendar (July - August). Gajapooja is conducted once in four years. One of the most colourful temple festivals 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....
, Thrissur Pooram
Thrissur Pooram
Pooram is one of the nakshatras or star in the Hindu panchangam. There are 27 Nakshatras in the Hindu panchangam and a million or more temples in Kerala, and this combination creates numerous possibilities for auspicious occasions, with each temple having varying importance for the different stars...
is conducted in the temple premises but Vadakkunnathan temple is not a participant in this festival.