Thrichittatt Maha Vishnu Temple
Trichittatt Mahavishnu Temple | |
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Trichittatt Mahavishnu Temple Location in Kerala | |
Geography | |
Coordinates | 9°19′36″N 76°36′15″E / 9.32667°N 76.60417°ECoordinates: 9°19′36″N 76°36′15″E / 9.32667°N 76.60417°E |
Country | India |
State | Kerala |
District | Alapuzha |
Location | Chengannur |
Culture | |
Primary deity |
Imayavarappa Perumal (Vishnu) |
Poets | Nammalvar |
Architecture | |
Architectural styles | Dravidian architecture |
The Mahavishnu Temple, Thrichittatt, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu and located in Chengannur, Alappuzha District, Kerala, South India. Constructed in the Kerala style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, who is worshipped as Imayavarappan. The nearest railway station to the temple is located in Chengannur, while the nearest airport is Trivandrum International Airport.
It is one of the five ancient shrines in the Chengannur area of Kerala, connected with the legend of Mahabharata, where the five Pandavas are believed to have built one temple each; Thrichittatt Maha Vishnu Temple by Yudhishthira, Puliyur Mahavishnu Temple by Bheema, Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple by Arjuna, Thiruvanvandoor Mahavishnu Temple by Nakula and Thrikodithanam Mahavishnu Temple by Sahadeva.
The temple is open from 4 am to 11:00 am and 5 pm to 8 pm and is administered by Travancore Devaswom Board of the Government of Kerala.
Legend
It is one of the five ancient shrines in the Chengannur area of Kerala, connected with the legend of Mahabharata. Legend has it that the Pandava princes, after crowning Parikshit as king of Hastinapura left on a pilgrimage. On arriving on the banks of river Pamba, each one is believed to have installed a tutelary image of Krishna; Thrichittatt Maha Vishnu Temple by Yudhishthira, Puliyur Mahavishnu Temple by Bheema, Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple by Arjuna, Thiruvanvandoor Mahavishnu Temple by Nakula and Thrikodithanam Mahavishnu Temple by Sahadeva.[1][2]
During Mahabharata war, Yudhishthira, the head of the Pandavas, who never before uttered a lie, lied in one instant to defeat his Guru, Dronacharya. To overcome the sin of the lie, he underwent penace worshipping the lord here. Imayavar(Devas) came to this place prior to Yudhishthira and hence the deity here is referred as Imayavarappar.
History
Earliest references to this temple appear in the poems and hymns composed by the greatest of Alvar saints - Nammalvar, in circa 800 AD. Stone inscriptions in the temple date it back to the Second Chera Empire (800 - 1102 AD).[3]
Gallery
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The plate of divyadeshams at Thiruchengannoor (Trichittat temple)
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The keerthana written by Nammarzhvaar praising god at Thiruchengannoor (Malayalam font)
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The temple gate at Trichittatt temple
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The shrine of Goshalakrishan
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The sanctum of Trichittatt temple.
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The huge banyan tree behind Trichittatt
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Temple pond (Sanghatheertha)
See also
References
- Notes
- ↑ Cultural Heritage of Kerala 2008, pp. 44-45
- ↑ Rao 2012, pp. 17-20
- ↑ Temples of Kerala. S. Jayashanker, Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala (Census of India, Special Studies) (May 1997). Temples of Kerala, page 304-305.
- Sources
- Cultural Heritage of Kerala. Kerala, India: DC Books. 2008. ISBN 9788126419036.
- Rao, A.V. Shankaranaryana (2012). Temples of Kerala. Vasan Publications. ISBN 978-81-89888-94-7.
External links
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