Mannarsala, Ambalapuzha and Ochira Temples
This is the second time we were planning the same places Mannarsala, Ambalapuzha and Ochira... Last time we went there along with my Dad Mom and Rakeu 's mom. This time we are going with Dhanya and Rakeu 's mom.
We started from Edappally at around 5:40AM. It was in the month of September. Our first destination was Ambalapuzha temple. Ambalapuzha is a place in the district of Alleppy. Ambalapuzha temple is a famous Srikrishna temple. This temple is directly associated with Guruvayur Temple.
During the raids of Tipu Sultan the idol of Sri Krishna from the Guruvayur Temple was brought to the Ambalappuzha Temple for safe keeping. It was kept here for 12 years.
The payasam served in the Ambalappuzha Temple is famous among Hindu devotees. It is believed that Guruvayoorappan reaches here daily at the time of Palpayasa Nedyam to have it.
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| Ambalapuzha temple |
We reached Ambalapuzha temple at around 6:40AM. At the entrance itself Mizhavu (a big copper drum) used by Kunjan Nambiar was placed for exhibit. Left to the temple entrance itself there was a big statue of an elephant and a shell. There was also a place where Guruvayur Appan's photo was placed. This might be the place where the idol of Guruvayoor Appan might have placed during Tipu’s reigns. After getting Darsan we ordered 1litre Palpayasam which they said will be serving between 12pm to 1pm. Then we enquired about Annadanam( meal served to dieties as prasadam). Temple authorities informed us that Annadanam will be served at 12:30pm and we can collect the coupons from 11:30am onwards. So we thought of coming back to collect Palpayasam after visiting few more temples.
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| Mannarsala temple |
We started off to Mannarsala Sree Nagaraja Temple by 7:40am. We reached the temple by 8:15AM. Mannarsala Temple is a famous serpent god Temple. Like most snake temples this temple is also situated in a forest area. Main idols here are of Naga Yakshi and Naga Raja. There were many images/idols of snakes along the paths and among the trees, and is the largest such temple in Kerala. These idols were brought from many different houses/areas after some ceremonies. That is if there is a snake temple somewhere and they are not in a condition to look after it and those families will keep a ceremony and bring their idols to the main temples like Mannarsala, Ameda, Pambumekavu etc. And these are the idols placed along the paths and trees here. Women seeking fertility come to worship here, and upon the birth of their child come to hold thanksgiving ceremonies here, often bringing new snake images as offerings. Mannarsala Ayilyam is the famous festival here and is held in the month of September and October.It enjoys the rare honour of having a woman as the chief priestess and she is called as Amma(mother) by all devotees. Last time when we visited here we couldn't meet Amma so this time we decided to wait and meet her. from 10:30am you will be able to meet Amma. So we just came out and had our breakfast and then we sat below a banyan tree enjoying the weather and breeze. By 10:40 or some we were able to meet Amma and take her blessing.
Last time we went to Ochira paraBrahma temple in December and fortunately this was the festival time for the temple. We could see many exhibits and food items which usually we see during festive seasons which kind of made me nostalgic. When we entered the temple premises itself we could see many guys holding a bull and an idol is placed on top of it. In fact people were making money out of worship /beliefs. You can say that there is no structure or as such temple but below a banyan tree there were few idols placed and people were worshipping God.
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| Ochira |
As it was getting late for us to collect Ambalapuzha Palpayasam we skipped the visit to Ochira this time
We reached Ambalapuzha temple by 12pm. Palpayasam distribution which was supposed to be at 12 started only by 12:30pm. When we reached itself we stood in the queue to collect Palpayasam and after collecting the famous Palpayasam we left the place as we couldn't get the food coupons this time. Last time we were fortunate enough to get it and had food from the temple itself. This time we ended our temple visits for the day after collecting the yummy Ambalapuzha Palpaysam. J
Guruvayur Temple
Guruvayur Temple has always been my favorite temple. Lord Krishna is the main idol of the temple and every day the Krishna changes his attire. If you visit this temple you will come to know that it has 4 entrances named with the directions as East Nada, West Nada, South Nada and North Nada. At the main entrance itself you could see the golden flag post and towards right there is a stage where almost all the time some performances will be going on. Daily there will be a long queue of deities. Most of the days people will come early in the morning around 3 and 4 AM and stand in the queue. And on auspicious days like Vishu, Ekadashi and all the people start queuing at night itself to get a glance of Krishna. There are many offerings like Thulabharam (It is a symbolism of offering oneself to the Lord. Since one has to live in this mundane worldly affairs, till life lasts, one offers a representative thing equal to his weight, usually banana, fruits, grains or even gold if one can afford), Kadalipazha nivedyam, Palpayasam, Thrimadhuram, Krishnanattam etc. Krishnaattam is a temple art in Kerala. It is a dance drama and presents the story of Krishna in a series of eight plays. The eight plays are: Avataram, Kaliyamardanam, Rasakrida, Kamsavadham, Swayamvaram, Banayuddham, Vividavadham and Swargarohanam. This is one of the offering being done by deities. People offers Krishnanattam depending on their wish. The list of stories along with what it will give you is listed in devaswom site along with how to book it.
Another custom here is picking Kunnikkuru(Crab's eye) and Manjadikkuru(Red Lucky Seed). Devotees take it in their hands and drop back three times to rid themselves of skin ailments . It will change the attitude of the children and they will become naughty like Unni Kannan, that’s the belief.
Anjumana Devi Temple
Anjumana Devi Temple is a famous temple at Edappally,Ernakulam. The temple is very near to bypass NH47. The main idol is Shri Bhuvaneswari who is none other than Parvathy. There are other idols of Ayyappan ,Ganapathy, Kaali, Annapurneshwari, Subrahmanian inside the temple. And outside the temple there are idols of Nagayakshi, Nagaraja, Muthappan, Marutheshwaran, and Brahmarakshas. The main Festival in December. During festival there will be many stalls being installed around the temple. There will be dramas, songs or many other cultural events organized by the temple authorities. It’s always fun visiting any temple during festive season.
There are many more temples which we will be covering in our upcoming blogs... 😉
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