Some of the best Kerala Pilgrim centres

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Temple location and history Located inside the East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of the State of Kerala in India is the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This temple is a blend of the Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture. The history of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple dates back to 8th century. It is one of the 108 sacred Vishnu temples or Divya Desams in India. Divya Desams are the holiest abodes of the Lord Vishnu that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars (saints). The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Vishnu, reclining on Anantha, the hooded Serpent. Marthanda Varma, the noted among Travancore kings did a major renovation to the temple and it resulted in the present day structure of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. It was Marthanda Varma who introduced the Murajapam and Bhadra Deepam festivals in the temple. Murajapam, which literally means continuous chanting of prayers, is still conducted in the temple once in six years. In 1750, Marthanda Varma dedicated the kingdom of Travancore to Lord Padmanabha. Marthanda Varma vowed that the royal family will rule the state on behalf of Lord and he and his descendants would serve the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa or the Servant of Lord Padmanabha. Since then the name of every Travancore King was preceded by the title Padmanabha Dasa. The donation of the kingdom of Travancore to Padmanabhaswamy was known as Thripadidanam. The current head of the Travancore Royal Family is Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma. Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala takes its name from the presiding deity of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple, who is also known as Anantha (one who reclines on the Serpent Ananatha). The word 'Thiruvananthapuram' literally means - the land of Sree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy. The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple as per belief is located at a place that is considered as one of the seven Parasurama Kshetras. And references of this temple are there in texts like the Puranas, viz. the Skanda Purana and Padma Purana. The temple stands close to the holy tank - Padma Theertham, which means 'lotus spring.' The shrine is currently run by a trust headed by the erstwhile royal family of Travancore. The Idol The idol of the presiding deity of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is noted for its composition, which has 12008 salagramams, which were brought from Nepal, taken from the banks of the River Gandhaki. The garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is located on a stone slab and the main idol, which is about 18 ft long, can be viewed through three different doors. The head and chest are seen through the first door; while the hands can be sighted through the second door and the feet through the third door. Aesthetics and architecture The temple architecture stands out for its work in stone and bronze. The temple interiors are adorned by beautiful paintings and murals. Some of them are that of the life-size images of Lord Vishnu in the reclining posture, Narasimha Swamy (half-lion, half man incarnation of Lord Vishnu), Lord Ganapati and Gaja Lakshmi. The temple has a dhwaja stamba (flag post) that is about 80 ft high and is covered with gold plated copper sheets. The temple also has some interesting structural features in the form of Bali Peeda Mandapam and Mukha Mandapam. These are halls, decorated with beautiful sculptures of various Hindu deities. Another structure that captures attention here is the Navagraha Mandapa the ceiling of which displays the navagrahas (the nine planets). Broad corridor with 365 and 1/4 sculptured granite stone pillars Extending from the eastern side into the sanctum sanctorum is a broad corridor which has 365 and one-quarter sculptured granite-stone pillars with beautiful carvings. There is a ground floor below under the main entrance in the eastern side, which is known as the nataka sala, where Kerala's classical art form - the Kathakali is performed during the annual ten-day festival at the temple, held during the Malayalam months of Meenam and Thulam. Worship time at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple Morning hours: 03:30 a.m. to 04:45 a.m. 06:30 a.m. to 07:00 a.m. 8.30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 11:45 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. Evening hours: 05:00 p.m. to 06:15 p.m. 06:45 p.m. to 07:20 p.m. Please note that the temple worship timings are subject to change during festival occasion. Dress code to be followed at the temple: Only Hindus are permitted inside the temple. There is a strict dress code that needs to be followed while entering the temple. Men need to wear mundu or dhoti (worn around the waist and going down up to the heels) and should note wear shirts of any kind. Women need to wear sari, mundum neriyathum (set-mundu), skirt and blouse, or half sari. Dhotis are available for rent at the temple entrance. Nowadays temple authorities allow wearing of dhotis over pants or churidhar to avoid inconvenience to the devotees. Getting there: Nearest railway station: Thiruvananthapuram Central, about 1 km away. Nearest airport: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, about 6 km away. Sabarimala : The hill Temple of Lord Ayyappa (72 km from Pathanamthitta town, 191 km from Thiruvananthapuram and 210 km from Kochi): One of the most famous pilgrim centres in India, Sabarimala is situated on the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats at an altitude of 914 m above sea level and is accessible only by foot from Pamba (4 km). The temple is dedicated to Sree Ayyappa. Pilgrim season: November to mid January. Mandalapooja and Makaravilakku are the two main events of the pilgrim season. The temple stays closed during the rest of the year except for the first five days of every Malayalam month and during Vishu (April). People of all castes and creeds are permitted into the temple. However, entry is not allowed to women between 10 and 50 years of age. Nearest railway station: Thiruvalla about 102 km. Mahadevar Temple, Ettumanoor (12 km North of Kottayam) This temple is famous for its murals, especially the painting of Nataraja in the gopuram and ezharaponnana (the seven-and-a-half elephants finished in gold). Festival: Ezharaponnana ezhunallathu (10 days in February/March) Siva Temple, Vaikom (40 km from Kottayam) Associated with the legendary Parasurama, this temple is a typical example of the Kerala style of temple architecture. More popular as the Kasi of the South, this temple is famous for its elephant pageants and traditional art performances. Annual festival: Vaikathashtami (November/December) Guruvayoor Location: 29 km West of Thrissur. Guruvayoor is one of the most sacred and important pilgrim centres of Kerala. Its main attraction is the Sree Krishna temple. According to belief, the temple is the creation of Guru, the preceptor of the Gods , and Vayu, the God of winds. The eastern nada is the main entrance to the shrine. Within the Chuttambalam (outer enclosure) is the tall 33.5 m high gold plated Dwajasthambam (flag-post). There is also a 7 m high Dipastambham (pillar of lamps) whose thirteen circular receptacles provide a truly gorgeous spectacle when lit. The square Sreekovil is the sacred sanctum sanctorum of the temple houses the main deity. Within the temple there are also the images of Ganapathy, Lord Ayyappa and Edathedattu Kavil Bhagavathy. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple. Getting There: Nearest railway station: Guruvayoor, enquiry, Ph: 2554300 2556820 Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 87 km. Train timings From Ernakulam: 0720, 1120, 1305, 1720, 2125 hrs From Nagarcoil: 2125 hrs (via Thiruvananthapuram) From Thrissur: 0710, 1120, 1305, 1720, 2125 hrs By road: Guruvayoor is connected by road with several important cities of India. (KSRTC enquiry: +91 487 2556450) Vadakkumnathan Temple One of the oldest temples in the State, the Vadakkumnathan Temple is a classic example of the Kerala style of architecture and has many decorative murals and pieces of art. This is the venue of the world famous Pooram festival celebrated annually in April-May. The fireworks at the Pooram are a spectacular sight. Non Hindus are not allowed entry into the temple. (Open: 04:00 - 10:30 am & 05:00 - 08:30 pm) Parassinikadavu Sri Muthappan Temple This centre of worship and faith has in store many unique practices and rituals, and the temple architecture itself stands testimony to this aspect. Located 20 km away from Kannur, a northern district of Kerala, the Parassinikadavu Muthappan (Siva) Temple on the banks of the Valapatnam River attracts people from all sections of the society; irrespective of religion, caste and promotes the essence of "Vasudaiva Kutumbakam - The whole world is one family." The origin of the Muthappan temple is connected to the appearance of a child who roamed the region with a string of interesting incidents and later vanished without a trace. The incidents up to the point of his disappearance later made the denizens feel the divine presence of Muthappan (Siva) who immediately erected a place of worship, which today is popularly known as the Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple. The temple is also a popular destination for travellers and pilgrims to savour the charm of Theyyam, a ritual that is performed here on a daily basis. Men adorning masks and costumes with a riot of colours perform this temple art form and it represents conflict between good and evil, with good ultimately emerging victorious. Getting there: Nearest Railway Station: Kannur, about 20 km away. Nearest Airport: Mangalore, about 120 km from Kannur town; Karipur International Airport at Kozhikode, which is 93 km from Kannur town.