Kodungallur temple
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Kodungallur Temple, also known as the Sri Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple, is a renowned Hindu temple located in Kodungallur, a town in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Bhadrakali, who is considered to be the mother goddess and is worshipped in various forms across India. History of Kodungallur Temple The history of Kodungallur Temple dates back to ancient times and is shrouded in myth and legend. According to popular belief, the temple was built by Parasurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, over 3000 years ago. It is said that he created the temple to atone for the sin of killing his mother, who had been possessed by a demon. Over the centuries, the temple has undergone several renovations and reconstructions, and today it stands as one of the most revered temples in Kerala. Architecture of Kodungallur Temple The Kodungallur Temple is a classic example of the traditional Kerala style of architecture. The temple complex is spread over several acres and is surrounded by lush greenery. The main entrance of the temple is known as the Gopuram, which is a towering structure that is adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures. Inside the temple, there are several halls and sanctums, each dedicated to different deities. The main sanctum, where the idol of Bhadrakali is located, is adorned with gold and precious stones and is a sight to behold. Significance of Kodungallur Temple Kodungallur Temple is considered to be one of the most significant temples in Kerala and is visited by thousands of devotees every year. The temple is especially popular among women, who believe that worshipping at the temple can bring them good fortune, fertility, and prosperity. Apart from its spiritual significance, Kodungallur Temple is also a popular tourist destination, thanks to its rich history and architectural beauty. The temple is located near the confluence of the River Periyar and the Arabian Sea, making it a picturesque location that is perfect for photography and sightseeing. Conclusion Kodungallur Temple is a true testament to the rich cultural heritage of Kerala. With its awe-inspiring architecture, intriguing history, and spiritual significance, it is a must-visit destination for anyone travelling to Kerala. Whether you’re a devotee seeking blessings or a tourist looking for a glimpse into the past, the Kodungallur Temple is sure to leave a lasting impression on you.
Kodungallur Temple
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Kodungallur Temple, also known as the Bhagavathy Temple, is a prominent Hindu temple located in Kodungallur town in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Bhadrakali, a form of the mother goddess Devi. The history of Kodungallur Temple dates back to ancient times, and it is believed to be one of the 108 Shakti Peethas, or holy shrines of the mother goddess Devi, as mentioned in Hindu mythology. According to legend, the temple was built by the Cheran king, Cheran Chenguttuvan, in the 7th century. It is also said that the temple was visited by Adi Shankaracharya, the renowned Hindu philosopher and saint, in the 8th century. The temple has undergone several renovations and modifications over the years, with the current structure dating back to the 16th century. The temple’s architecture reflects the traditional Kerala style of temple construction, with a gopuram (tower) at the entrance and a square-shaped sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha) with a copper-plated roof. The presiding deity of the temple is Bhadrakali, who is worshipped in three forms – Maha Saraswati, Maha Lakshmi, and Maha Kali. The temple also has shrines dedicated to other deities such as Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh, and Lord Ayyappa. The temple complex also includes a sacred pond, called Kulipini Theertham, where devotees take a dip to purify themselves before entering the temple. The Kodungallur Bharani festival, which is celebrated annually in the month of Kumbham (February/March), is one of the major events at the temple. The festival is known for its unique rituals, which include the symbolic sacrifice of cocks and the frenzied dancing of devotees to the beats of traditional percussion instruments. The temple is also associated with several historical and cultural traditions. The legendary Cheraman Perumal, believed to be the first Indian ruler to convert to Islam, is said to have gifted a golden lamp to the temple. The temple is also said to have been a center of learning, with scholars from different parts of India and abroad visiting the temple to study and exchange knowledge. In recent times, the temple has gained wider recognition and popularity, attracting devotees and tourists from all over the world. The temple’s serene ambiance, beautiful architecture, and rich cultural heritage make it a must-visit destination for those interested in exploring the spiritual and cultural aspects of Kerala.
Padmanabha Swamy Temple
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Padmanabhaswamy Temple, located in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala, is a temple that has garnered international attention in recent years. The temple, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is renowned for its opulence and wealth, which has been estimated to be worth billions of dollars. The temple’s origins date back to the 8th century when the city of Thiruvananthapuram was known as Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple. The temple was then renovated and expanded by various rulers throughout history, including the kings of the Travancore dynasty. The current structure of the temple is a fusion of Dravidian and Kerala architectural styles. The most striking feature of the temple is the deity of Lord Vishnu, which is depicted in a reclining position on the serpent Anantha. The idol is made of a rare combination of materials such as kadusharkara yogam, a herbal mix that was used to preserve the idol. The temple also has a 100-foot-high Gopuram or entrance tower, which is adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures. In 2011, the temple gained global attention when a team of experts discovered six vaults inside the temple that were believed to contain unimaginable riches. The vaults had remained unopened for over a century, and their contents were shrouded in mystery. When they were finally opened, they revealed a vast collection of gold ornaments, precious stones, and artifacts, including a solid gold idol of Lord Vishnu that weighed over 30 kg. The discovery of the treasure sparked a massive controversy, with various parties staking claim to the wealth. The Indian government eventually took control of the temple’s assets and formed a committee to manage them. Apart from its wealth, Padmanabhaswamy Temple is also renowned for its religious significance. The temple hosts several festivals throughout the year, the most famous of which is the Navaratri festival, which is celebrated for ten days in September-October. The festival attracts thousands of devotees who come to witness the elaborate processions, music, and dance performances. In conclusion, Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a magnificent temple that is not only rich in wealth but also steeped in history and culture. Its intricate architecture, religious significance, and incredible treasure make it a must-visit destination for anyone traveling to Thiruvananthapuram.
Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple
Mangala Devi Kannagi temple is a historic temple located in the Idukki District of Kerala bordering Tamil Nadu, about 7 km from Pazhiyankudi in Theni district and 15 km from Thekkady in Idukki district. Cheran Chenguttuvan, the king of ancient Tamilakam, had erected the temple for Kannagi around 2000 years back at Vannathipara and called it ‘Kannagi Kottam’ or ‘Mangaladevi Kannagi temple’ and performed regular pujas. It sits at an altitude of about 1,337 m (4,386 ft) above the mean sea level. It is surrounded by lush greenery and is closed throughout the year except during the Chitra Pournami festival. At other times tourists can still view it by getting a special letter from the forest ranger. The view from the temple premises is spectacular and one can see part of the eastern ghats and some villages from the adjacent state of Tamil Nadu.
Chottanikkara Temple
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The Chottanikkara (correction of Jyotiannakkara) Devi Temple is a famous temple of mother goddess Bhagavati. She is a form of Mahalakshmi.she is believed to be residing in Chottanikkara along with her husband Maha Vishnu. The temple is located at Chottanikkara, a southern suburb of the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India and is one of the most popular temples in the state. In terms of temple architecture, Chottanikkara temple stands out to be an ultimate testimonial for the ancient vishwakarma sthapathis (wooden sculpture) along with Sabarimala temple. Sree Mahamaya Bhagavati (Adi Parashakti), the goddess of saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati is one of the most popular deities in Kerala and the supreme mother goddess in Hinduism. Chottanikkara Devi (Melekavu Bhagavathi) is worshiped at the temple, in three different forms: as Mahasaraswati in the morning, draped in white; Mahalakshmi at noon, draped in crimson; and as Mahakali in the evening, decked in blue. Goddess ‘Keezhkkaavu bhagavathi’ is believed to be Bhadrakali, in her fierce form of her or Ugra form of her. Bhadrakali, is a form of mother Kali, supposed to be born from the third eye of Lord Shiva, to kill the demon king Darika. People suffering from mental illnesses and commonly visit the temple, as Chottanikkara devi is said to cure her devotees of her. Guruthi pooja is a ritual done at late evening to invoke goddess Mahakali. Earlier ‘Guruthi Pooja’ was done only on Fridays. But nowadays, it is performed every day. Legend The area in which the temple is located was once a dense jungle that is said to be infested with yakshis and raktharakshas. A tribesman named Kannappan used to live in this forest. He was a devout worshiper of Kali and ritually sacrificed a buffalo to her every Friday (Goddess day). One day, he found a calf near the forest. He kidnapped the calf and took it to his stone altar. Just before the calf was sacrificed, the tribesman’s daughter, Pavizham, intervened and pleaded with him to stop the sacrifice. The man loved her daughter and so he allowed her to have the calf as her pet. Unfortunately, Pavizham died a few days later, possibly from a snake bite. Kannappan burst into tears and decided to cremate her body. To his surprise, the body of his daughter disappeared. A nearby priest told him the reason for such an event; Kannappan used to forcibly take the young calves from his mothers and slaughter them. As punishment, he suffered the same fate when his daughter died. However, when the tribesman searched for the calf, he found a glowing sacrificial altar in its place. The priest again tells him that the calf was actually divine and represented the divine couple, Vishnu and Lakshmi, and that he would pray before the altar every day and be forgiven for what he had done in the past. Since Kannappan’s death, the stones were forgotten. The stone was accidentally rediscovered by a low-caste lawnmower, who discovered that blood was oozing from a stone that she had accidentally cut. Only it was a stone, but then it started to bleed. Horrified by what she saw, she brought the matter to the attention of the public. A nearby priest was called to solve the problem. After devaprasnam, it was concluded that the stone was divine. On that day, the old brahmin of the Yedattu household came with some puffed rice in a coconut shell and offered it to the Goddess for the first time. Even today this system of offering puffed rice in a coconut shell continues. The Brahmins of the Yedattu house became hereditary priests in this temple from those days. Another legend associated with the temple was that of the spiritual leader Shankaracharya. During the time he lived, Adi Shankara realized that there was not a single temple in Kerala that signified the worship of Goddess Saraswati. As a result, he himself went to Kashmir and meditated for many days so that the goddess would appear before him. His meditation paid off and before him was the incredibly beautiful goddess, dressed in red. On being asked, he said that he would like to take the goddess to Kerala and establish a temple dedicated to her worship. In this way, the people of Kerala would not have to go so far to worship her, as in the case of the old men and elders. After much persuasion, the goddess agreed; she would follow him on foot wherever he went, but only on one condition. If he trusts her, then he wasn’t allowed to look back to see if she followed him or not. If she did, then he wouldn’t go any further. He accepts and they continue walking. They were walking through the Kodachadri hills, with Shankara in the lead and the goddess’s anklets jingling and letting him know that she was with him. After walking a certain distance, the tinkling suddenly stopped. Shankara waited a few moments and glanced quickly back to find the goddess still with him, looking at him reproachfully. In accordance with the condition, the goddess stopped right there. This is the place that would turn out to be the Mookambika temple. Shankara, however, was not one to give up. He apologized profusely for breaking the condition and repeatedly pleaded and pleaded with the goddess to come with him to Kerala. After many pleas, the goddess agrees to a compromise and arrives at Chottanikara in Kerala, where the Chottanikara temple was located. From the early hours of the morning, the goddess would come and appear before the devotees in the Chottanikkara temple. Then, in the afternoon, she would go back to the Mookambika temple (where she stopped). Since then, the Chottanikkara temple shrine gates were opened during the early morning hours in honor of the worship of Goddess Saraswati before the Mookambika temple main shrine gates were opened. Makam Thozhal The annual Chottanikkara Makam Thozhal is the main festival at the Chottanikara temple. It
Janardhanaswamy Temple (Varkala Temple)
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The Janardana Swami Temple is a 2,000-year-old temple situated in the Varkala township of Trivandrum. It is also known as Varkala Temple. Janardana Swami is a form of Lord Vishnu. It is a well-known temple in Kerala about 10.9 km west of Kallambalam on NH 66 near the sea, 25 km north of Thiruvananthapuram city, 8 km south of the famous destination Kappil and 2 km from the railway station. from Varkala, 14 km northwest of Attingal municipality. It is situated near the coast of the Arabian Sea. It is known as Dakshin Kashi (Southern Benares). The temple is located near the Varkala beach, which is considered to have medicinal properties as the waters wash nearby medicinal plants. It is also a major Ayurveda treatment center. The temple has an ancient bell taken from a shipwreck, donated by the captain of the Dutch ship that sank without causing any casualties near Varkala. Varkala, an emerging seaside city of Trivandrum, also known as Janardanapuram or Udayamarthandapuram or Balit, is a sacred pilgrimage center situated in Trivandrum and is famous for its ancient Vishnu temple, popularly known as Janardana. In Sri Maha Bhavatham, it is mentioned that Balarama, the elder brother of Sri Krishna, visited this shrine during this pilgrimage to Kanyakumari temple and some other temples in the south. It is also known as ‘Gaya of the South’. Varkala has many local attractions and attracts hundreds of pilgrims and visitors throughout the year. Sage Narada, after paying his respects to Lord Narayana, left Vaikuntam to see Brahma. Enraptured by Narada’s sweet music, Narayana followed him unobserved. When Narada reached Brahmaloka, Brahma saw Narayana following his son Narada and offered him greetings, whereupon Vishnu, realizing the awkward situation, suddenly disappeared. Brahma discovered that the person whom he had revered was his own son, Narada. The ‘Prajapathis’ who laughed at this incident were cursed by Brahma to be born on earth and suffer the miseries of human beings. Narada advised them to do penance at the place he himself would select for them. Narada threw his ‘Valkalam’ (bark upper garment) into the air and on the spot where he fell, they consecrated a temple for Janardanaswamy (a name of Vishnu). Thus the name Varkala is a corruption of ‘Valkala’, but the name came into prominent use. The Sri Janardana temple is situated on top of a plateau by the sea. It is located on one of the tops of the hills, which is reached by a long and tiring staircase and one feels tired when arriving at the feet of the Lord. At the entrance to the inner sanctuary are the idols of Hanuman and Garuda on each side and in the main sanctuary is the idol of Sri. Janardana with Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi. The Janardana temple is a fine example of Kerala art and architecture. The circular ‘Sanctum sanctorum’ topped by a conical cupola of copper sheets, the square ‘mandapa’ with beautiful Navagrahas woodcarvings on the ceiling and copper ceiling, the quadrangular enclosures (prakara) around it, a hall containing a ‘bali peetha’ in front of the inner temple are the characteristic features of Kerala’s architectural style. The construction period of this temple saw the rise of a highly ornate temple. One of the inscriptions indicates that the temple was improved during the reign of Umayamma Rani, who ruled this region during 1677-84 AD The main idol has a striking appearance with four arms bearing all the attributes of Vishnu In the south-west corner and in the Northeast side of the outer enclosure are the shrines of Sasta and Shiva with Nandi. To the scientist, Varkala is well known for its geological formation and has been carefully surveyed and examined by hordes of geologists and volumes of interesting literature are carefully preserved in the archives of the Government of India. In addition to the enchanting ocean view, there is the backwater ride down a canal carved into the tremendous heights of the hills on either side. The vegetation on both sides of the channel, rising in height is a magnificent spectacle, it has given rise to a series of springs from which crystal clear water flows throughout the year. It is admitted that the water has medicinal properties that cure certain ailments. Even a single swim is a tonic that no traveler or visitor should miss. History In times of old, Lord Brahma came to earth to perform a Yaga (Fire Sacrifice). He did it in the present Varkala. He was so immersed in making Yaga that he forgot about the work of creating it. Lord Vishnu came to Varkala to remind Lord Brahma in the form of an old man. The brahmins who attended Lord Brahma received the old man and gave him food. But no matter what he ate, his hunger was not sated. Lord Brahma’s attendants went and told him. Then Lord Brahma could understand that the guest was Lord Vishnu himself. He immediately approached Lord Vishnu and found him trying to eat Aabhojanam. Lord Brahma then stopped Lord Vishnu from eating it and said, “Lord, if you eat it, then the final deluge will swallow this world.” Lord Vishnu then asked Lord Brahma to stop the Yaga and resume the work of creating it. He also showed her the ‘Viswaroopa’ of him. After this day, Sage Narada followed by Lord Vishnu was walking in the sky above Varkala. Lord Brahma who arrived there greeted Lord Vishnu. The nine Prajapathis to whom only the sage Narada was visible laughed at Lord Brahma. Because they thought Lord Brahma was greeting his own son Sage Narada. Then Lord Brahma corrected them. They felt sad for having committed a sinful act. Lord Brahma told them that the sage Narada would show them the proper place to pray for his redemption. Sage Narada threw the Valkala (deerskin) that he was wearing towards the earth. He fell into the present Varkala. The Prajapathis wanted a pool to make atonement. Sage Narada