Aramula or Thiruvaranvilai.
The moolavar is Thirukkuralappan also as Parthasarathy. the consort is Padmasini Nachiar. the moolavar is seen standing facing east. the veda vyasa theertha is also called Pampa theertha. the vimana is called Vimana only. Lord appeared to Brahma and Veda vyasa. Its a religious, cultural and historical center. The scenic beauty of Aramula with the hillocks in the north, the captivating quiet river pampa with rich paddy fields, the sugarcane and bamboo groves is bewitching. it is said that the bamboo shoot is cut and taken to temples as flag mast for festivals. the ground is very fertile. even used bamboo when discarded is capable of forming and growing a bamboo fields here. there are four gopurams on the four sides the eastern one being the main and most impressive one. it has eighteen steps leading to it and is compared to the Sabarimala shrine. some believe that these eighteen steps represent the eighteen forces which one has to conquer to attain moksha. no 18 has been very significant in Hindu philosophy. the eastern gopuram is in typical kerala style with two gopuras. the northern gopura has 57 steps at the foot of these steps the river pampa flows. and is the bathing ghat. this temple is 3000 years old.
In Kerala divya desams five temples are associated with the pandavas as already stated.
Dharmaputra at Tiruchitraaru.
Bhima with Kuttanadu Puliyur.
Nakula with Thiruvanvandoor.
Sahadeva with Thirukodidanam.
Arjuna with Aramula.
Arjuna is said to have personally renovated the temple and this was the idol he was worshipping. he had consecrated this idol at a place called Nilakkal Narayanapuram which was surrounded by forests and wild animals the Lord himself decided to move to Aramula and one day disguised as a young brahmachari came southwest wards with the insignia of an umbrella and a stick typical of vamana avatara. when he came to the banks of the pampa river he was taken in by the beauty and scenic splendor, he saw some local workmen building a catamaran which would be used as float to carry bag baggage and persons. the brahmachari requested those workmen to accommodate him too on their craft, as he too planned to go down the stream. Seeing the effulgence on the face of the Brahmachari the workmen felt that He was a holy person and so they built another barge with six bamboo pieces which would float on the water to carry the brahmachari, he boarded the float and reached a place called Idayaranmula as it was almost dusk, the local people accompanied him and placed a lamp before him to enable the brahmachari to perform his evening prayers, this place now is called vilakkumadam. after his prayers the brahmachari started moving the locals followed him he reached a place called Keezhthrikovil and rested there for the night as the area was a low level area, the brahmachari who was god himself is believed to have ordered the demons residing there to erect overnight a raised platform for a temple. thus a plateau like platform was prepared on the bank of the river. the gigantic hollow dug on the northern bank of the river for raising mud is now known as Ottakuzhi. the idol from Nilakkal was also shifted here on the plateau erected. and the place came to be known as Aramula as the brahmachari came here on a raft or barge of six bamboos. mula means barge and ara is six.
In the Mahabaratha war Krishna is at one point faced with two of his most ardent devotees Arjuna and Bhishma. Krishna had promised that he would not take arms to fight in the war. now Arjuna had to fight with Bhishma his teacher. he was no match to the rain of arrows let loose by the great Bhishma. it looked as if Arjuna would be felled. Krishna lost his cool he got down from the chariot and took a chariot wheel lying on the ground and proceeded towards Bhishma looking as if he was his disc he was holding in his hand. Bhishma then smiled and awaited his end at the hands of Krishna with folded hands. Krishna also realised he had momentarily lost his cool and it is said that it was his love for Arjuna which drove him to this action. the image of Parthasarathy in Aramula is said to represent this pose of Krishna.
The Aramula boat race, is a religious ceremony held on New years day Onam, but this is not like the ones held as sports event. the story goes that a Namboothri family called Mangad had a senior of the family offering bhiksha to brahmins on the onam day before conclusion of the noon pooja. this was followed religiously for a long time. on one such year on the onam day the senior of the family was quiet anxious as he saw no brahmin approaching his home, he prayed to the Lord of Aramula and said if no brahmin came he would have to fast on onam day. and lo behold when he opened his eyes he saw a young brahmin lad entering his home and he also asked for food. he fed the boy well and said that he should come well on time for the next and succeeding onam days as well. that night the lord appeared in his dream and said that from the next onam the chieftain should make arrangements to send the provisions for the neivedyams to the temple at Aramula itself as he would not be able to make the trip to Kattoor where the chieftain resided. The chieftain from the next onam onwards carried out the Lords command and carried on a big country craft all the provisions to Aramula. on one such occasion some anti social elements planned to way lay the craft and steel the provisions. when word of this plan reached the ears of the villagers it spread like wild fire and from all the 28 villages in the neighbourhood people set out in small catamarans with weapons to protect the thiru Ona thona carrying the provisions this later was followed every year with the tiny bots being well decorated with people and festoons and music etc its a sight to watch today. the tiny boats were replaced with bigger boats and they travel as a convoy. This has now become a religious ritual, people on either bank of the river receive the procession with religious fervour offering obeisance. the well decorated canoes got replaced with snake boats each carrying not less than a 100 people. Other important festivities are Khandavadahanam, then there is the bamboo shoots which are transported from Idayaranmula to Aramula this too is done with elephants today. There is a temple for the Goddesses about four kilometers east of Aramula, The Arathu festival of Devi celebrated in the month of meenam takes place on the banks of river Pampa in front of the temple towers of Lord Parthasarathy of Aramula. On that day Lord Parthasarathy is taken to the river bank dressed in all his regal splendor seated on Garuda. The goddess and the God are worshipped together and then the two leave for the respective temples.
Aramula is also the place where the Jewellery of Lord Ayyappa of Sabarimala are kept in safe custody and taken out in a procession for adorning the idol on the eve of Makarajoythi at Sabarimala.
THIRUVITHVACODE.
Thiruvichicode or anju murthy koil. The moolavar here is Uyyavandha Perumal seen standing facing south. the consort is Vithvacodevalli and also Padmapani Nachiyar. the theertha is chakra theertha. the vimana is Thatwakanchana vimana. the lord appeared to Ambarisha rishi. This temple is located on one of Keralas longest rivers Bharatpuzha. Kulashekar alwar has sung 10 verses in praise of the Lord here.
The temple located in the heart of a village entertains no sound that tends to unsettle its tranquility. amidst the stillness it holds sway to the rhythmic ripples of the tiny waves of the gentle river, timelessly complemented by the rustles of long leaved trees that encircle the complex. the sparrow chirping from the wooden shed lends a background music creating a sylvan backdrop. no speeding vehicle cries can reach the vicinity of this temple as though it is in the heart of the village there are no motorable roads. The beautitude that envekops the temple atmosphere overwhelms the devotee the moment he steps into the temple complex. the rustic simplicity of this area is a blessing in disguise which takes you back in space and time. the temple has four vishnu idols and one shiva idol in the same complex and interesting stories connected to this unique temple. The following story was narrated to the Pandavas after the Mahabaratha war when they were visiting holy places to pray and get some peace of mind. the rishis who were living in this beautiful peaceful village narrated the story of The Just King Ambarisha who followed all the rules laid down by Manu for ruling a kingdom. as he had no heir to the throne he undertook severe penance and the lord appeared to him but at first he wanted to test the king so he appeared as Indra and requested the King to ask for a boon. the King was saddened and said he would continue to do penance until Lord Narayana himself appeared to him. the Lord was pleased with his devotion and disclosed his true form. he asked god for the heir to the throne and god promised him a daughter and requested him to perform putra kameshti yaga and he would be blessed with a son too. he went back to his kingdomand was soon blessed with a daughter first who he named Srimathi and later on performing Putra kameshti yaga he got three sons too. he gave his daughter in marriage to Lord Narayana and handing over his kingdom to his sons he proceeded to the forest to meditate and pray to god in due course he got moksha. when the lord had appeared to the Ambarisha rishi he had requested god to show him all his four forms that is how we have all the four as Pradyumna, aniruddha, Sankarshana, and Para Vasudeva. this is a unique feature of this temple.
How the Siva idol manifested of its own accord here. a devotee of Kasi Viswanatha was residing at kasi and worshipping the lord there one day however he heard that his mother was not well back home he was in a fix as to what to do he asked God to resolve his problem that night in his dream the Lord told him to go home and that he would accompany him there. the devotee left for home and enroute at Thiruvithvacode as he reached the temple it was time to perform Sandhyavandanam so by the river he placed the umbrella which he was carrying near the altar stone in front of the idol of Lord Vishnu and went and performed his evening prayers and when he came back to retrieve his umbrella he found the umbrella had got entrenched in the altar. he tried to pull out with force when the stone broke and a Siva linga emerged. those were the times when Saivism and Vaishnavism flourished together. the walls of the temple have beautiful murals of Dasavatara, pootana vada kamsa vada etc.
Kulashekar alwar has sung ten beautiful verses extolling the Lord here.
In the Mahabaratha war Krishna is at one point faced with two of his most ardent devotees Arjuna and Bhishma. Krishna had promised that he would not take arms to fight in the war. now Arjuna had to fight with Bhishma his teacher. he was no match to the rain of arrows let loose by the great Bhishma. it looked as if Arjuna would be felled. Krishna lost his cool he got down from the chariot and took a chariot wheel lying on the ground and proceeded towards Bhishma looking as if he was his disc he was holding in his hand. Bhishma then smiled and awaited his end at the hands of Krishna with folded hands. Krishna also realised he had momentarily lost his cool and it is said that it was his love for Arjuna which drove him to this action. the image of Parthasarathy in Aramula is said to represent this pose of Krishna.
The Aramula boat race, is a religious ceremony held on New years day Onam, but this is not like the ones held as sports event. the story goes that a Namboothri family called Mangad had a senior of the family offering bhiksha to brahmins on the onam day before conclusion of the noon pooja. this was followed religiously for a long time. on one such year on the onam day the senior of the family was quiet anxious as he saw no brahmin approaching his home, he prayed to the Lord of Aramula and said if no brahmin came he would have to fast on onam day. and lo behold when he opened his eyes he saw a young brahmin lad entering his home and he also asked for food. he fed the boy well and said that he should come well on time for the next and succeeding onam days as well. that night the lord appeared in his dream and said that from the next onam the chieftain should make arrangements to send the provisions for the neivedyams to the temple at Aramula itself as he would not be able to make the trip to Kattoor where the chieftain resided. The chieftain from the next onam onwards carried out the Lords command and carried on a big country craft all the provisions to Aramula. on one such occasion some anti social elements planned to way lay the craft and steel the provisions. when word of this plan reached the ears of the villagers it spread like wild fire and from all the 28 villages in the neighbourhood people set out in small catamarans with weapons to protect the thiru Ona thona carrying the provisions this later was followed every year with the tiny bots being well decorated with people and festoons and music etc its a sight to watch today. the tiny boats were replaced with bigger boats and they travel as a convoy. This has now become a religious ritual, people on either bank of the river receive the procession with religious fervour offering obeisance. the well decorated canoes got replaced with snake boats each carrying not less than a 100 people. Other important festivities are Khandavadahanam, then there is the bamboo shoots which are transported from Idayaranmula to Aramula this too is done with elephants today. There is a temple for the Goddesses about four kilometers east of Aramula, The Arathu festival of Devi celebrated in the month of meenam takes place on the banks of river Pampa in front of the temple towers of Lord Parthasarathy of Aramula. On that day Lord Parthasarathy is taken to the river bank dressed in all his regal splendor seated on Garuda. The goddess and the God are worshipped together and then the two leave for the respective temples.
Aramula is also the place where the Jewellery of Lord Ayyappa of Sabarimala are kept in safe custody and taken out in a procession for adorning the idol on the eve of Makarajoythi at Sabarimala.
THIRUVITHVACODE.
Thiruvichicode or anju murthy koil. The moolavar here is Uyyavandha Perumal seen standing facing south. the consort is Vithvacodevalli and also Padmapani Nachiyar. the theertha is chakra theertha. the vimana is Thatwakanchana vimana. the lord appeared to Ambarisha rishi. This temple is located on one of Keralas longest rivers Bharatpuzha. Kulashekar alwar has sung 10 verses in praise of the Lord here.
The temple located in the heart of a village entertains no sound that tends to unsettle its tranquility. amidst the stillness it holds sway to the rhythmic ripples of the tiny waves of the gentle river, timelessly complemented by the rustles of long leaved trees that encircle the complex. the sparrow chirping from the wooden shed lends a background music creating a sylvan backdrop. no speeding vehicle cries can reach the vicinity of this temple as though it is in the heart of the village there are no motorable roads. The beautitude that envekops the temple atmosphere overwhelms the devotee the moment he steps into the temple complex. the rustic simplicity of this area is a blessing in disguise which takes you back in space and time. the temple has four vishnu idols and one shiva idol in the same complex and interesting stories connected to this unique temple. The following story was narrated to the Pandavas after the Mahabaratha war when they were visiting holy places to pray and get some peace of mind. the rishis who were living in this beautiful peaceful village narrated the story of The Just King Ambarisha who followed all the rules laid down by Manu for ruling a kingdom. as he had no heir to the throne he undertook severe penance and the lord appeared to him but at first he wanted to test the king so he appeared as Indra and requested the King to ask for a boon. the King was saddened and said he would continue to do penance until Lord Narayana himself appeared to him. the Lord was pleased with his devotion and disclosed his true form. he asked god for the heir to the throne and god promised him a daughter and requested him to perform putra kameshti yaga and he would be blessed with a son too. he went back to his kingdomand was soon blessed with a daughter first who he named Srimathi and later on performing Putra kameshti yaga he got three sons too. he gave his daughter in marriage to Lord Narayana and handing over his kingdom to his sons he proceeded to the forest to meditate and pray to god in due course he got moksha. when the lord had appeared to the Ambarisha rishi he had requested god to show him all his four forms that is how we have all the four as Pradyumna, aniruddha, Sankarshana, and Para Vasudeva. this is a unique feature of this temple.
How the Siva idol manifested of its own accord here. a devotee of Kasi Viswanatha was residing at kasi and worshipping the lord there one day however he heard that his mother was not well back home he was in a fix as to what to do he asked God to resolve his problem that night in his dream the Lord told him to go home and that he would accompany him there. the devotee left for home and enroute at Thiruvithvacode as he reached the temple it was time to perform Sandhyavandanam so by the river he placed the umbrella which he was carrying near the altar stone in front of the idol of Lord Vishnu and went and performed his evening prayers and when he came back to retrieve his umbrella he found the umbrella had got entrenched in the altar. he tried to pull out with force when the stone broke and a Siva linga emerged. those were the times when Saivism and Vaishnavism flourished together. the walls of the temple have beautiful murals of Dasavatara, pootana vada kamsa vada etc.
Kulashekar alwar has sung ten beautiful verses extolling the Lord here.
No comments:
Post a Comment