Friday, May 14, 2010

Chengannur Mahadeva Kshetram

12 May 2010:
We made a day’s visit to Chengannur & Aranmula , two small but important towns in Kerala State. Our first stop was at Chengannur. It is 117 km north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on the banks of the Pamba River. The nearest towns are Pandalam on the south, Thiruvalla on the north, Mavelikkara on the west and Aranmula and Pathanamthitta on the east. It is also the nearest railway station to go to Sabarimalai.(Sabarimalai is the abode of Lord Ayyappa where lakhs of devotees flock every year for darsan after trekking barefoot for miles through jungles and rocky hills)
Chengannur is famous for its Shiva temple -“Chengannur Mahadeva Kshetram”, where thousands have darshan of Aaratu festival of Goddess Parvati or Devi.(The goddess is taken and immersed in the temple tank in a grand ceremony) As per Temple legends this is assumed to be one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. It is a sprawling temple complex with a circular Sanctum. Lord Shiva and Parvathi Devi are the main investitures of this temple. The vimanam of the main shrine is a conical copper plated structure similar to pagodas in Thailand. Devi’s main Idol is made with an alloy of five metals (Pancha-loham). The temple was constructed centuries back in accordance with an architectural design evolved by the famous Perunthachan.
Here are some photographs of the temple complex:

14 comments:

  1. Thanks for the visit man. I am better now but not 100% yet...I am slowly starting to get back into circulation and hope to be visiting all my friends' blogs soon. I do miss you all

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  2. Hi Ram:)

    Welcome back after a long hiatus. The magnificent temple with a serene peaceful atmosphere is a beauty to behold and your narration provides all the information about the legend of the this wonderful temple.

    You must feel like a fish out of water after retiring from regular work for a mammoth period of 38 years. It is a long,long time by any standards but surely must have been exciting. My best wishes to you and your family for a happy retired life:)

    Have a nice day Ram:)
    Joseph

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  3. Very informative post, Ramu. And such nice pictures. How clean the temple surroundings.

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  4. Beautiful temple, with unique architecture.

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  5. Welcome back Ram :)
    Amazing temple
    love the architecture ...

    greetings Anya :)

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  6. India's temples fascinate me, as does the importance of religion in Indian life. This particular temple is quite different architecturally than others I've seen. It does appear to be a calm and peaceful place.

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  7. The temple is very lovely and I enjoyed the information about the ledgend. Thank you for coming by.

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  8. Lovely architecture, thanks for sharing this temple. :)

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  9. Very interesting post and great photographs.

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  10. Welcome back, Ram!
    I really enjoy these very beautiful views of the temple complex. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. nice temple...and equally lovely pictures...would love to go there!
    thanks for the kaleidoscopic visit:) hope to see u around more often:)
    take care

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  12. Sir,
    Thanks for this post with photos of temple. I request you to please add the famous of Bagavthis of this temple
    ((It is still a mystery and wonder of wonders that the pancha loha vigraha gets her periods, which is rare in the annals of history of temples. The periods of the Goddess is locally known as thripoothu and the festival as thrippootharaattu))

    I have visited this temple twice and also made prayer for my daughters and got the Devi's
    blessings.Menstrual problems can be solved by praying this Bagavathi.
    Details about this can get from
    http://www.naturemagics.com/kerala-temples/chengannur-mahadevar-temple.shtm

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  13. @prakasham
    thanks for the significant & interesting information.

    Rgds
    Ram

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  14. falling in love with kerala all over again...
    my paternal house was very near to chengannur..kanje tu kara...
    i wish i could take my father there again...

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