Thiruvanchikulam Maha Deva Temple - A pilgrim travelogue

We had a discussion about Indian culture , traditions and temples during the leisure time. One of my colleagues told us about the temple Thiruvanchikulam and stories behind this temple. It was really interesting. I searched in Google to find more about this temple and i got a chance to visit this temple. 

This temple lies at Methala village, south of Kodungalloor in Thrissur district, Kerala. It is one of the rare temples in Kerala, which retains its ancient Tamil flavor and connections.

The outline map of the construction of the temple which was built in the 9th century. Out of 274 Shaivite Thiruppathies in India, this is the only one in Kerala. 

The temple has many small shrines dedicated to gods and goddesses. Gopuram Thevar, Dakshinamoorthy, Pasupathy, Natakkal Shivan, Sandhyavela Shivan, Palliyara Shivan, Unni Thevar and Konnakkal Shivan are the different forms of Shiva idols revered in this temple

There are a number of stories making up the history of the temple. One among them is something like this: Two very close friends, Saint Sundarmoorty Narayan and Cheraman Perumal worshipped Lord Shiva leading to eternal bliss. They reached the abode of Shiva, Kailas by Narayan riding a 1000-tusked elephant and Perumal a blue horse. Both of them have shrines in the temple. This event took place on the Swati day in the month of Karkidakam (July-August) and hence special poojas are performed in the temple on that particular day. On the left side of the entrance there is a beautiful stone carving of Shiva and Parvati. There is a scar mark on left side on the top of the head which was caused by Arjun as a result of mistaken identity. 

 This marking is attributed to a story. When Shiva and Parvathi appeared before Arjuna in the form of Kiratha and Kirathu (hunter and huntress) Arjuna hit on the forehead of Kiratha which caused the mark. 

There is yet another story winding the temple. Umamaheshwara once appeared to this place where Vasuki, the Serpent God, stood guarding. The 4-inch length, 12 inch diameter and in semicircle form the Lingam here is said to have been self-incarnating. Vasuki was taken in a palm-leaf umbrella by a Brahmin to his Mana (home),six kilometers east of the Mahadeva Temple, for worship with the blessings of Umamaheshwara. Later this Brahmin family became rich and their Mana became famous as Pampummekkatt (serving of snake) Mana. From then it has become very famous for serpent Gods. People from all over Kerala and beyond visit here for the solution of problems connected with serpents.

The most important festival in the Thiruvanchikulam Mahadeva temple is the Shivarathri day, in the month of Kumbam (February/March).

A pair of old Konna trees, forming a canopy over the Shivlinga, is in the outer prakaram. Usually the flowering season of Konna trees ranges from Feb to April. But in this temple  you can find flowers (Konna poo) through out the year in these Konna trees. 

The majestic gateway is decorated with carvings of elephants, gods and goddesses.Only the left side of the entrance there is a stone carving of Shiva and Parvathi as right and left respectively. Inside the enclosure there is a porch with carvings dedicated to the characters of the great Hindu epic of Ramayana. The inner sanctum houses a plain stone lingam

Dampathi pooja (pooja for divine couple) and Pallikuruppu (divine slumber) are the main offerings in this temple

The shrikovil walls and the exterior of Palliyara walls  have mural paintings. Inside the shrikovil they won't allow us to take photos. The mural painting was really good.

I got the stories behind this temple from Internet(thanks to Internet) which was really inspiring. I heard that lot of temples are there in Tamil Nadu especially in Trichy and Thanjavoor. I hope that i will get a chance to visit these temples., especially Srirangam temple.