The Vadakkunathan Temple

The Vadakkunathan Temple

Vadakkkunnathan Temple is one of the largest temples in Kerala that is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is located in Thrissur in Kerala and is over a 1000 years old. Adi Sankaracharya is supposed to have spent his last days in this temple. This temple is a classic example of the Kerala style of architecture with beautiful murals of the seventeenth century delineating graphically the story of Mahabharata. The shrines and the Koothambalam display exquisite vignettes carved in wood. It is believed that this temple was built by Parasurama. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 466 KB) Summary Harish Mukundan Licensing Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 466 KB) Summary Harish Mukundan Licensing Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Vadakkumnathan Temple File links The following pages link to this file: Thrissur Pooram ... Vadakkumnathan Temple File links The following pages link to this file: Thrissur Pooram ... List of famous Keralites Districts of Kerala Local Body Election in Kerala Malayalam External links Government of Kerala Chief Minister of Kerala Kerala Trivia Poorams Pachakam Categories: | | ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... Thrissur (Malayalam: തൃശു൪) is a city situated in the central part of Kerala state, India. ... Adi Shankara (Śaṅkara, Shri Shankaracharya, Adhi Shankaracharya, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya; the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord) (approximately 8th century, but see below) was the most famous advaita philosopher, who had a profound influence on the growth... List of famous Keralites Districts of Kerala Local Body Election in Kerala Malayalam External links Government of Kerala Chief Minister of Kerala Kerala Trivia Poorams Pachakam Categories: | | ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... Eastern Orthodox shrine Buddhist shrine just outside Wat Phnom. ... Koothambalam is a theater hall for staging kuttu, an ancient dramatic form of art famous in Kerala, South India. ... In Hinduism, Parashurama (axe-wielding Rama) is the sixth avatar of Vishnu, and a son of Jamadagni. ...

The sprawling Thekkinkadu maidan, en circling the Vadakumnathan temple, is the main venue of the Thrissur Pooram. Trichur Round is the local name for the hill in the center of the city of Thrissur (in Kerala, India) on which the Vadakkunnathan Temple to Shiva is built. ... Among the varieties of festivals celebrated in Kerala, Thrissur Pooram is the most thunderous, spectacular and dazzling. ...

The temple is currently being renovated under the auspices of the ASI (Archeological Survey of India) with the help of liberal grants from the TVS group.

It is said that Tipu Sultan camped near this temple during his raid on northern Kerala. But this fact is disputed by a number of historians.

Details of the temple structure

Vadakkunnathan temple is surrounded by a massive stone wall enclosing an area of nearly 8-9 acres. Inside this fortification there are four gopurams indicating the four directions - North, South, East and West. Gopuram of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam Gopuram, a prominent feature of the Hindu temple architecture of South India, is the rising tower at the entrance of a temple. ...

Apart from this four gopurams there is a multi-shrined complex in the center with three principal shrines dedicated to Siva or Vadakkunnathan, Sankaranarayana and Rama. This article is about the Hindu God. ... Lord Åšiva. ... Lord Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. ...

In the northern side there is a circular structure with the deity facing west. The figure of Siva-Parvati faces east and is just behind Siva, in the same shrine. The two-storied shrine of Sri Rama facing west is located in the south. Between these two srikovils stand a third one, circular and double storied in shape, dedicated to Sankaranarayana and facing west. There are mukhamandapams in front of all the three central shrines. A deity or a god, is a postulated preternatural being, usually, but not always, of significant power, worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, or respected by human beings. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Lord Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. ... The sanctum sanctorum is the area inside a Hindu temple complex where the main deity is installed. ...

More details

Vadakkunnathan temple is one of the oldest in South India according to the archaeologists. According to the legends, it was founded by Lord Parasurama and enshrines Lord Siva as the principal deity. The idol of Siva, which is not visible, is said to be covered under a mount of ghee, formed by the daily abhisheka (ablution) with ghee over the years. A devotee looking at the sanctum now sees an eleven-feet high 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 Kailas, the abode of Parvathy and Parameswara. Siva here is more popularly known as Vadakkunnathan. Apart from Lord Siva, Sree Parvathy, Sree Ganesh, Lord Sankaranarayana and Sree Rama are enshrined within the main nalambalam of the temple. Lord Vettekkaran (Siva in a hunter form) is also worshipped within the nalambalam enclosure. In Hinduism, Parashurama (axe-wielding Rama) is the sixth avatar of Vishnu, and a son of Jamadagni. ... Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Ghee Ghee (Hindi घी, from Sanskrit ghá¹›ta घृत sprinkled) is a type of clarified butter important in Indian cuisine and tradition. ... Sanctum is a two-player computer collectible card game, played exclusively online against human opponents. ... Kailash may refer to: Mount Kailash Kailash (journal) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Popular image of Ganesh In Hinduism, Ganesha (Gaṇeśa, lord of the hosts, also spelled Ganesa and sometimes referred to as Ganesh in Hindi, Bengali and other Indian vernaculars) is the god of wisdom, intelligence, education and prudence. ...

Outside the nalambalam, there are shrines for Lord Krishna, Vrishabha, Parasurama, Simhodara, Dharmasastha and Adi Sankaracharya. Adi Sankara is believed to have been born to the Sivaguru-Aryamba couple of Kalady in answer to their prayers before Vadakkunnathan, as amsavatara of the Lord. Lord Krishna playing his flute. ... Adi Shankara (Śaṅkara, Shri Shankaracharya, Adhi Shankaracharya, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya; the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord) (approximately 8th century, but see below) was the most famous advaita philosopher, who had a profound influence on the growth... Kaladi Kaladi is a village located at 10. ... The 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu In Hinduism, an avatar or avatara (Sanskrit अवतार), is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. ...

The murals in the temple are known for its rarity and two of them - Vasukisayana and Nrithanatha - are even worshipped regularly. A fairly large white bullock on the verandah of the Nalambalam is worshipped as Nandikeswara. In the temple quadrangle, there are specified spots at which the devotees can offer their salutations to Lord Siva of Kasi and Lord Chidambaranatha of Chidambaram, Lord of Siva of Rameswara, Sree Kali of Kodungallur, Mother Goddess at Oorakam, Lord Bharatha (Koodalmanickam) at Irinjalakuda, Sree Vyasa, Sree Hanuman and serpent gods. Nandikeswara was the third century Indian author of the dance text Abhinaya Darpana. ... Varanasi Varanasi (वाराणसी) (also known as Benares, Banaras, Benaras, Kashi, and Kasi) is a Hindu holy city on the banks of the river Ganga (Ganges) in the modern north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... Chidambaram is a town of India, in the South Arcot district of Tamil Nadu, 11 km from the coast and 240 km south of Chennai by rail. ... A common scene depicting Kali standing over Shiva Although her presentation in the West is usually as simply dark and violent, Kali is a goddess with a long and complex history in Hinduism. ... Cranganore (modern day Kodungallur) and known in ancient times as Shinkli, Muchiri (anglicised to Muziris), Muyirikkodu, Muchiripattinam was a famous and prosperous sea-port at the mouth of the Periyar (also known as Choorni Nadi) river in the southern Indian state of Kerala. ... It has been suggested that Great Mother be merged into this article or section. ... Bharata is the name of three different persons in Hindu mythology. ... Irinjalakuda is a small town in Trichur district in Kerala state of India. ... Rishi Ved Vyasa Vyasa (Vyāsa in IAST transliteration) is an important and much revered figure in the Hindu tradition and its literature. ... Lord Hanuman In Hinduism, Hanuman (Sanskrit: हनुमान, hanumāna) is a vanara who aided Rama (an avatar of Vishnu) in rescuing his wife, Sita, from the Rakshasa king Ravana. ...

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. Koothambalam is a theater hall for staging kuttu, an ancient dramatic form of art famous in Kerala, South India. ...

Lord Ganesh in the temple 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 Vadakkunnathan temple. Propitiating Ganapathy here is believed to be a path to prosperity and wealth. Appam is a dish made from rice powder. ... Popular image of Ganesh In Hinduism, Ganesha (Gaṇeśa, lord of the hosts, also spelled Ganesa and sometimes referred to as Ganesh in Hindi, Bengali and other Indian vernaculars) is the god of wisdom, intelligence, education and prudence. ...

The devotees revere elephants as Lord Ganesh incarnate. 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 (ceremonial feeding of elephants) on the 1st day of karkidakom month as per the malayalam calendar. Gajapooja also is conducted once in four years. The Malayalam calendar is a sidereal solar calendar used in the South Indian state of Kerala. ...

Tips for a worshiper

Not only in the case of physical structures, but also in the matter of rituals, poojas and even in the order of movement of a worshipper from sanctum to sanctum, the temple maintains a uniqueness of its own. Sanctum is a two-player computer collectible card game, played exclusively online against human opponents. ...

It is believed that you have to follow a certain order when moving between the temples. It is advisable to ask somebody inside this temple for this.

Time of worship

The temple opens at three in the morning and closes about 10-30 after the morning rites. For the evening worship it opens at four and closes at 8.30 at night after trippuka, the last rite for the day.

See also

• Thrissur
• Thrissur Pooram
• Thrissur Round
• Thekkinkadu maidan