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Home > Temples of Kerala > Kottayam district Kottayam district(a)Meenachil taluk The Sree Rama temple at Ramapuram (on the Palai-Koothattukulam road) is an ancient temple, the main offerings being pushpaanjali and veti. The bhootha image seated at the bottom of the pranaala is a unique master piece of art. Within a radius of five kilometes there are three temples located at Koodappalam, Amapakara and Methiri (all in Ramapuram village) dedicated to Lakshmana, Bharatha and Sathrughana respectively. Sree Mahadeva temple, Lalom (in Palai town) is prominent and the main offering is dhaara. Another temple on the bank of Meenachil river, known as Katappattoor Mahadeva temple, was installed recently. The idol of the deity was obtained under strange circumstanes while felling a tree in a compound. The shrine built on modern architecture, can be worshipped from all sides and there are no religious restrictions. The Subramanya temple at Kitangoor has two shrines facing east within the naalambalam, the south one relating to Bala subramanya and the other chathur-baahu Vishnu. The important vazhipaats are katum-paayasam, paal-paayasam, panchamrtham besides paal-abhishekam (pouring of milk on the idol) and using milk for paal-kaavati for the thai-pooya festival. The kaavati-abhisheka offering consists of carrying the kaavati on the.shoulders of the devotee, the pole of the kaavati having the pots containing milk, sandal, rose water etc suspended from its ends. Kaavati is also decorated with tapestry and peacock feathers (as peacock is the vaahana of Lord Subramanya). In the kootthambalam of this temple there is the shrine of a Bhuvaneswari facing south which is believed to have come along with the timber logs brought for its construction. A sword in lieu of an idol is kept on a peetha here. Poonjar on the upper reaches of Meenachil river has two important temples, one dedicated to Sree Dharma Saastha where the main vazhipaat is ila-ata while the other temple is dedicated to Madurai Meenakshi were koottu-paaysam is the principal offering. The Maha Vishnu temple Bharanangagam is one of the few Vaishnavite shrines in Kottayam district, the important offering being paal-paaysam. (bl Vaikom taluk The Siva temple at Vaikom, having the only ellipitical shaped sreekovil in the state, is known as Perumthrikovil temple. It is very ancient and the legend on the idol has been described in the Vyaghrapuri mahaathmya included in the Bhargava¬puraana. According to this legend, the Lord at Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu) himself gave three idols to Khara Maharshi. While carrying them, the idol placed towards right fell down from his hand by the will of Go, and he could only install the other two idols, one at Katutthurutthi and the other at Ettumanoor. However, as instructed by the sage Khara, Vyaghrapaada Maharshi conducted poojas at Vaikom for the idol that fell down from his hands. It is believed that the original idol was consecrated by Lord Parasurama himself and he stayed there for one full year in performing the rite of sahasrakalasam. Depending on the time of a day the deity is conceived in three forms, and poojas done accordingly viz. Dakshinamoortthi in the morning, Kiraathamoortthi at noon, and Parameswara with Parvathi at night. Sahasrakalasam still continues to be a major vazhipaat in the temple. Another important vazhipaat is praathal (feast) which is held in the temple. During the feast the main shrine is closed as it is believed that the deity participates in the feast along with His devotees. However, the devotee who offers the praathal has to do pradakshina along the pradakshin-a-vazhi (ie, outside naalambalam) by chantingpanchakshara-manthra (Om Namah Sivaaya) till the praathal is over. Further. he can take food only after taking theerttha and prasaada. This vazhipaat is done for the cure of all types of diseqses including those considered as incurable particularly stomach ailments and also for progeny. The Vaikkath-Ashtami (Ashtami of sukla-paksha in the month of Vrs'chikam) is the important festival. The bhasma (ashes) taken from the valia-atukkala (great kitchen) is an important prasaada. The Kalamezhutth-patt known as Vatakkupurath-paatt is yet another vazhipaat and is done by laying a big picture of Bhadrakaali on the northem ground of the temple followed by poojas. The ashtami day in the dark fortnight of Kumbham is also celebrated at Vaikom with less pomp. Another ancient Siva temple in this taluk is Katutthuruthhi which is about 16km east of Vaikom. The deities of Vaikom and Ettumanoor are also installed as upa-devathas in this temple. The important vazhipaat of this temple is dhaara. It is also considered very auspicious to have darsan of the deities at Vaikom, Katutthuruthhi and Ettumanoor temples on the same day. The Subramanya temple at Udayanapuram is very important and the rituals in the temple are closely linked with the Mahadeva temple at Vaikom. On the Aaraat day of Udayanapuram temple the aaraat (sreebali) vigraha of the deity is taken in procession to the tank at the eastern nata (entrance) of Vaikom temple for bathing and then placed on the pedestal by the side of Mahadeva and pooja conducted for both deities. This is known as kooti-pooja. Likewise on the aaratt day of Vaikom temple Sree Mahiideva's aaraat idol is taken in procession to Udayanapuram temple and after aaraat (at Udayanapuram temple tank) it is kept at the side of Subramanya. These two kooti-poojas symbolize the filial affection of the father (Siva) to His 'son (Subramanya). The important offerings are abhisheka (with milk, rose water, honey ,oil, ghee, tender coconut water, ka]abham) and panchamrtham. Kaavati-abhisheka vazhipaatis important on festival days. Between, Vaikom and Udayanapuram there is an important Naagaraja temple known as Naagampozhi and many find solace here. Another prominent and rare temple is the one dedicated to Aadithya (the Sun God) at Aadithyapuram in Katutthurutthi village. The Brahmamangalam Thrikovil (Siva) temple is also a notable one. The Mulakkulam Sree Lakshmnaswamy temple is associated with the Thiru Moozhikkulam temple of Aluva taluk. The Bhagavathi temple of Elamkaavu at Vadayar has the sankalpa of Kodungallur Bhagavathi. The Goddess is worshipped for getting good progeny and for prosperity. The Sree Rama temple at Thirumanivenkitapuram known as Trinayakutam in ancient days has an idol similar to Vishnu in chathur-baahu-vigraha type without bows and arrows as weapons. The water in the temple tank is supposed to possess some medicinal powers to cure the poisonous effect of rat-bite. The patient who drinks this water or takes bath in the tank continuously for certain number of days is said to get cure. The Thrippakulam Siva (Ardha-nareeswara) temple (in Thalayazham village) is associated with the vision of Lord Siva in the form of smoke and its subsequent shrinking into the shape of a kutam (water pot). The important vazhipaat is thulaabhaaram with poovan-pazham (a type of plantain). (c)Kottayam taluk Of the temples in this taluk Ettumanoor Sree Mahadeva temple, a graama-kshethra, has a unique place. Unlike the benign nature of Vaikkathappan the deity in Ettumanoor is considered aghoramoortthi (fierce god). The main offering to the God has to be made as kanikka mostly in cash and hence the temple is one of the richest temples in the state. It is believed that the worship of this deity regularly and with devotion will help the devotee to attain moksha. The deity here is considered a celebrated exorcist of devils and evil spirits. Persons possessed of devils, it is said, make perambulation, worship the deity etc and get cure. The Bhagavathi temple at Kumaranelloor is dedicated to goddess Kaatthyaayani and according to legends the Goddess is Madura Meenakshi Devi and got installed by Cheraman Perumal. It is believed that it was a graama-kshethra in earlier times dedicated to Lord Siva. Perhaps later when Devi was installed in a separate shrine she got importance. There is yet another legend that the present shrine for Devi was originally built for Kumara (Subramanya) but forcibly occupied by the Goddess. Being a very powerful Goddess there are many vazhipaats but thulaabharam and annadaana (feast) are specially significant, done for the sake of good progeny. The black ointment taken from the upper lid of the big lamp at the agra-mandapam resembles eye salve and is a cure for eye diseases. The Thiruvanchoor Subramnya temple is an ancient one and the important offering is swayamvara-pooja: offered by maidens for getting good husbands and also for happy married life. The Thali (Siva) temple (near Thazhathangady on the way to Thiruvarppu) in Kottayam taluk is very ancient and has mural paintings and wood carvings. The important vazhipaat is dhaara. Sree Mahadeva temple at Thirunakkara, in the heart of Kottayam town has exquisite paintings. One who looks at these paintings gets the impression that they show real pulsations of life. The important vazhipaats are dhaara and mrthynjaya homam. The idol of Pallippurath kaavu dedicated to Sree Bhadrakaap and made of krishna sila is quite enchanting. With fierce teeth, three eyes and long tongue of a cruel visage, two hands holding aloft a trident that pierces through the body of the demon Daarikan and his body while the other hands hold a sword, a shield, a skull, a rope, a churika and a snake. The idol has the true sankalpa of Bhadrakaali relaxing over the shoulders of Vethaala stretching out all her eight beautiful hands. The important offering is kuruthi, apart from the ritualistic performances like kutthiyottam, garudan-thookkam etc. The Kutamaloor Vasudevapuram temple and Thiruvarpu Sree Krishna temple are important shrines within the periphery of Kottayam. The offering of koottappam (12 appams) or multiples of it, is the favourite Vazhipaatfor the deity of Vasudevapuram temple. This vazhipaat started from the period of Chembakasseri Rajas with whom the temple is closely associated. The Thiruvaarppu temple has many peculiarities. It has a beautiful idol, the sankalpa being a small child, believed to have been worshipped by Pandavas. Unlike the usual practice in other temples, here the usha-paaysam is offered when the temple is opened in the early morning ie, 7 1/2 nazhikaas before sunrise after a quick washing of the head of the idol. The wiping of the body is done later after serving paayasam to the deity. The paayasam is a very sweet preparation made of 5 naazhis of rice, 50 palams of molasses,5 thutams of ghee, 5 kadali plantains and 5 dried coconuts. It is believed that the deity is present for the uccha-pooja at the Ambalapuzha temple and for atthazha-pooja at the Thiruvambadi shrine in the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple complex, Trivandrum. Hence the uccha-poojais conducted very early and the temple closes after atthazha pooja, also very early before 7.30 p.m.The deeparaadhana (offering of lights) is done after atthazha-pooja in this temple which is a unique feature. The Sree Siva temple at Parippu is also famous and the important vazhipaat is chathsyam (which is prepared by using 100 coconuts, 101 naazhis of rice, 101 kadali plantains, 100 pounds of molasses besides three naazhis of ghee and sufficient quantity of cardamom, dried ginger and cumin-seeds). The Uralikunnam Sree Siva temple (in Elikkulam village, near Kottayam) is visited by many who suffer from mental disorders. The Sree Saastha temple at Paakkil is also ancient and associated with Paakkanaar of Parachi-petta-pantheerukulam. The important vazhipaat of this temple is ghee abhisheka. The Sree Vettakkorumakan temple, Olassa had glorious days in the past, but oflate its importance has dwindled. The famous Goddess Saraswathi temple at Panachikkad (near Chingavanam) is unique as the idol of the goddess of learning is invisible, since it is consecrated in a pit submerged in water. A creeper that grows wild there obstructs vision of the idol. On Vijaya Dasami day large number of children are initiated into the letters of alphabet in this temple. The main offering is thri-madhuram. (d)Changanassery taluk The Sree Siva temple at Vazhappally is historically important and contains some lithic records of the reign of Rajasekhara Varma Kulasekhara (820-844 A.D.) besides some fme seventeenth century wood carvings depicting figurines from the epics and puraanas. The Vattezhuthu inscription on the northern part of the base of the cultural shrine indicates that the repairs were completed in Kollam era 840. (ie,1665 A.D.). The Ganapathi shrine located separately within the temple complex and close to the gopura is more famous, the vazhipaat being otta-appam and equally famous as the appam of Kottarakkara Maha Ganapathi temple. For Lord Siva, dhaara is the main vazhipaat. The Kaavil Bhagavathi temple, Puzhavatthu (Changanassery town), built by one of the Thekkumkur Rajas is equally famous. The principal Vazhipaat is raktha-pushpaanjali and koottu-paayasam. The main idol ,in the Thrikkodithanam Mahavishnu temple is believed to have been consecrated by Sahadeva. The images consecrated by other Pandavas are located at Thrichittat, Thiru-Puliyoor and Thiruvanvandoor in Chengannur taluk and Thiru-Aaranmula in Kozhenchery taluk. The Thrikkodithaanam temple has very old lithic records of second Chera Empire(800-1102 A.D.) and exquisite wood carvings. There are sub-shrines of Narasimhamoortthi, Siva, Saastha etc. of which Narasimhamoortthi has added importance. The main vazhipaats are paal-payasam for Maha Vishnu, and sarkkara¬paayasam for Sree Narasimhamoortthi besides pushpaanjali. The Sree Subramanyaswamy temple at Perunna (Changanassery town) is yet another temple of significance, the main offering being uri-paayasam and on Shashti days with lemon-garlands. The Manikantapuram Sree Krish11a temple, Vakathanam also attracts large number of devotees. The Kodungoor Bhagavathi temple (Vaazhoor) has important offerings like ata, kuruthi and chaanthaattam, whereas for Pathanad Sree Bhagavathi kuruthi and katum-paayasam are important offerings. The Kangazha Sree Siva temple is another important Saivite shrine of the taluk where the offerings of dhaara, tender coconut and vella-nivedyam are considered propitious. The Narasimha temple at Kaatamuri in Vaakathaay,am village is an ancient graama-kshethra. (e)Kanjirapally taluk The Sree Saastha temple at Erume1i (about 13 km. south-east 0f Kanjirappally) is an important centre, especially for all pilgrims bound for Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa temple for the annual Makaravilakk festival. The petta-thullal, particularly of kanni Ayyappans (those who go for the first time to Sabarimala) commemorates the preparations of the army of Sree Ayyappan for his march against the Marva contingent of Udayana who was stationed at Karimala. The last of the petta-thullals, according to tradition, are to be conducted by devotees of the ambalappuzha and Alangad (Paravur taluk) yogams. The thullal of Ambalapuzha commences only after seeing the Kriishna parunthu (Brahmini kite) above the temple, the assumption being that Sree krishna of Ambalappuzha arrives in his garuda-vaahana to witness the celebration. Similarly the petta-thullal of Alangad yogakkaars would start only after they have seen a bright star at noon, which is a strange phenomenon. It is also noteworthy that the devote, worship the nearby Vaavar mosque where the Chandanakutam festival is conduct, on these days. This temple is open throughout the year. The other temples importance are SreeMadhura Meenakshi temple at Kanjirappally, Sree Siva temple at Chirakkadav, Sree Parthhasarathhi temple at Mundakkayam and the Sree Bhagavathi temple, Cheruvally
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