Salagramam; Dwaraka; Naimisaranyam

Salagramam;
Srimurthi Perumal has as his thayar Sridevi Nachiyar with Kanaka vimana the Lord is facing North. the theertha is Gandaki theertha and also Chakra theertha. the Lord appeared to Brahma, Rudra and Gandaki.

{Tulasi also known as Holy Basil is closely associated with the origins of Shila worship.Once in anger Sarasvati cursed Lakshmi. Sarasvati's curse changed Lakshmi into a tulsi plant and forced her to live on earth forever. Vishnu, however, intervened and modified the curse, saying that Lakshmi would remain on earth as tulasi until the river Gandaki flowed from her body. In the meantime, He would wait by the riverside in the form of a stone to take her back to His abode. This stone was the Shaligram Shila, which thus remained on earth as a representative of Vishnu. The Shila Deities and the tulsi plant are thus always worshipped together as Vishnu and Lakshmi.

A Shaligrama – which has the marks of a shankha, Chakra, gada and padma arranged in a particular order – is worshiped as Keshava. With the change in the order of the four symbols, the name of the Shaligrama stone is also different and the images of such deities also have similar setting of the four symbols. The various orders and names are given for the twenty four permutations. These are well known names, which are the different names by which Lord Vishnu is known in the Hindu pantheon. The various versions of the Saligrama Shilas or stones vis-a-vis the order of the four symbols are:^[9][10]

1. Shanka, chakra, gada and padma - Keshava
2. Padma, gada, chakra, shanka - Narayana
3. Chakra, shanka, padma and gada - Madhava
4. Gada, Padma, Shanka and Chakra - Govinda
5. Padma, shanka, chakra and gada – Vishnu
6. Shanka, padma, gada, chakra – Madusudhana
7. Gada, chakra, shanka and padma – Trivikrama
8. Chakra, gada, padma, shanka - Vamana
9. Chakra, padma, shanka, gada - Shridhara
10. Padma, gada, shanka, charka - Hrishikesh
11. Padma, chakra,gada, shanka - Padmanabha
12. Shanka, chakra, gada, padma - Damodara
13. Chakra, shanka, gada, padma - Sankarshana
14. Shanka, chakra, padma, gada - Pradyumna
15. Gada, shanka, padma, charka - Aniruddha
16. Padma, shanka, gada, chakra - Purushottama
17. Gadha, shanka, chakra, padma - Adhokshaja
18. Padma, gada, shanka, charka - Narasimha
19. Padma, chakra, shanka, gada – Achyuta
20. Shanka, chakra, padma, gada - Janardana
21. Gada, padma, shanka, chakra - Upendra
22. Chakra, padma, gada and shanka – Hari
23. Gada, padma, chakra and shanka - Krishna
24. Shanka, charka, padma, gada – Vasudeva

With Keshava in the form of Salagrama shila reside all the devatas, asuaras, yaksas and the fourteen worlds.--- Padma Purana^[7]

The Lord resides in many places in which he may be worshipped, but of all the places Salagrama is the best.---Garuda Purana

Any person who has seen Salagram Shila, paid obeisances to Him, bathed and worshipped Him, has achieved the results of performing ten million sacrifices and giving ten million cows in charity.--- Skanda Purana – Hari-bhakti-vilas

“Any shila from the place of shalagrams can never be inauspicious though cracked, chipped, split in two though still in one piece, or even broken asunder.”--- Brahm Puran

“Merely by touching a shalagrama one becomes freed from the sins of millions of births, so what to speak of worshiping Him! By Shalagrama puja one gains the association of Lord Hari.”--- Gautamiya Tantr

“Shalagramas do not require installation ceremony. When one begins the worship of shalagrama, however he should start with elaborate puja using all articles. The worship of shalagrama is the best form of worship, better than the worship of the sun.”--- Skand Puran

"Devotees should take the charanamrita mixed with Tulasi leaves from the shalagrama in their hand and sip it, sprinkling the balance on their heads.“---Gautamiya Tantr

“All those holy rivers awarding moksha, such as the Ganga, Godavari and others, reside in the caranamrita (bath water) of shalagrama.”--- Padm Puran

“Shalagrama should not be placed on the earth or ground and worshiped.”---Sammohan Tantr

“In puja of shalagrama it is unnecessary to call the Lord for worship or request Him to return His abode upon completion.”--- Bhagavata Purana

“It is impossible to fully explain the importance of Tulsi leaves (Holy Basil) in the worship of shalagrama, as Tulsi is the most beloved consort of Hari in the form of shalagrama.”--- Brihan-naradiya Purana

“He who takes the charanamrita of shalagrama destroys all sinful reactions at their roots, even the killing of a brahmana.”--- Skand Puran

“By taking the remnants of foodstuffs offered to shalagrama, one will get the result of performing many sacrifices.”--- Skand Puran^[8]

"One who has drunk the water that bathes a Shaligram at least once in life time won't have to suck his mother's breast for the second time. He has attained Moksha (liberation)" --- Skanda puran}

The above are from the net.{}

There is a lot of doubt as to which actually is the place or spot of this divya desham. some say Mukti Narayana kshetram is the place others say that enroute to Mukti Narayana Kshetra on the banks of the Gandaki river lies the divya kshetram. some say in Katmandu there is a place called Damodara Kund and that spot is Salagramam.

The stala purana has an interesting story

A King Vrusha dwajan belonging to manu vamsa was a great siva devotee who became powerful and arrogant with the boons bestowed on him by Lord Siva. he troubled the devas and others by his behaviour. the sun god was irritated with him and cursed him saying all his wealth would be taken away by his enemies. vrusha dwaja ran to Lord Siva and sort help to be rid of the curse. Siva was mightly disturbed that his devotee was cursed and he rushed toward the sun with his Sulayudha held aloft. The sun god in turn ran to his creator Brahma for shelter. Lord Brahma asked him to approach Vishnu. seeing him run towards Vishnu Siva too followed him. On approaching Vishnu he heard Vishnu admonishing the Sun god as to why he had caused Siva to be angry. he also added that the power of Siva was equal to that of his disc and it was very difficult to control Siva. hearing this from Vishnu, Siva was very pleased and he calmed down. He explained to Narayana that he was always very angry if any of his devotees were ill treated, and in particular at the sun for cursing Vrusha dwaja. Lord siva continued to stay in that place conversing with Vishnu and in the course forgot as to why he had come there. after some time Vishnu gently reminded him the purpose of his visit and also informed him that while he was praying time had elapsed and the king vrusha dwaja had also passed away and his son Hamsa dwaja also ruled the kingdom and passed away. and hamsa dwajas children  dharma dwaja and kusha dwaja had lost their kingdom and were suffering. and the man whom he wanted to punish Vrusha dwaja was no longer alive. it was then that Siva left sparing the sun god.

On How and why the Salagrama is worshipped using a conch and tulsi leaves.

The story goes......

The above Kusa dwaja had a daughter who was an amsam of Lakshmi, she was able to repeat the vedas even as soon as she was born hence she was named Vedavati, as she grew up she took to severe penance to attain Lord Narayana. Ravana happened to see her once and wanted to take her to sri lanka, but by her tapo bala she saw that Ravanas hands got paralysed to prevent him from the act. an asareeri voice was heard in the sky saying Vedavati would attain Lord Narayana in her next birth and that Ravana would carry her away and that he would meet his end through her consort Lord Narayana himself. 

Now Kusadwaja had a second wife Madhavi she too did severe penance and was blessed with a daughter who also happened to be an amsam of MahaLakshmi, she was very beautiful and was named Tulasi, Tulsi was promised by Brahma that she would attain Lord Narayana in her next birth there is a winding story of Krishna sudama and Sankhachoodan his armour and how he gifted his armour and how Vishnu appeared to her she requested the Lord to remain there and that was how God conceded and remained there as a huge mountain named Salavanam and she continued to stay there as the Gandaki river the long terraces became the tulasi vanam. the bones of Sahnkachoodan were thrown by Lord Siva into the ocean which turned to conches. It is said thereafter people would place the tulsi leaves in the conches and wash the saligrama with the water that is poured through such a conch. whoever does the prayer in this manner would be rid of all his sins was the assurance given to her by Vishnu. That is how we have the practice of doing the Thirumanjanam to the vigraham and saligramam of the Lord by placing the tulasi leaves in the conch and pouring the water through the nose of the conch for our prayer.

It is believed whosoever has a collection of twelve saligramas is said to be equal to a kshetra i.e. divya desa. such a house would be considered as very holy.

Salagrama silal yatra hyakathvis thisra yeva cha sadasro va munisreshta tat tama paramam mama.

Some believe that we should worship four,6,8,10 or 12 salagramas and having two is not correct and that one should be gifted away but this is not correct according to the sloka referred above. which says there is no significance on the no of salagramas that can be possessed by a person and that irrespective of the size it will confer a lot of blessing and benefit on those who possess such precious stones.

Dwaraka:

Dwaraka, Pate Dwaraka, Prabas theertha, Raivatha hill, Palaka town. the moolavar is known as Kalyana Narayanan and also Dwarakadeesan, seen standing facing west. the thayar is lakshmi sri also Kalyana nachiyar. The eight Mahishis of Lord Krishna also have their sannidhis here.the theertha is Gomathi river and it joins the sea at Prabasa theertha, the vimana is Hemakuta vimana. the lord appeared to Drowpadhi, Kuchela, Jambavan, Satyabhama, Rukmini, Arjuna and of course hosts of others. It is in and around here that Krishna leela happened. and the place is full of interesting very famous stories here. at prabhasa peculiar stones are found of various sizes and shapes. it is believed that the salagrama stones represent god and dwaraka stones from here represent Lakshmi. these stones are also prayed to by the people.
From Dwaraka on the way to Rajkot there is a place called Viraval  and at Palaka there is a temple for Krishna this is the spot believed to be the one where Krishna got hit by an arrow let loose by Jara. the idol of Krishna here is said to be the most beautiful idol. here he is seen in a sayana pose with the right leg in a folded posture and the left leg balanced on the knee of the folded right leg. it is said that this was the pose where the hunter saw the sole of the foot and mistook it for a dove and let loose the arrow. today a hunter is seen at the foot with bent knees with a bow and a quiver of arrows on the shoulder seeking forgiveness. near the wall near by a sloka said to be uttered by the hunter is written in sanskrit. the reply given by Sri Krishna is also written on the wall. the hunter is none other than Vali. so this arrow of his was in return for vali vadha as promised by the lord.

Naimisaranyam:

ONCE UPON A TIME... Sounaka and other maharishis went to Brahma and asked him which is the best place suited for performing yaga, dhana and tapas. Brahma is said to have lifted a darba grass nearby, rolled it into a shape of a wheel and let it loose. he then said that the place where the wheel goes and stops will be the ideal spot for performing yagas. the wheel stopped at the spot now known as Naimisaranyam. nemi wheel landed at a place which was an aranya. where the chakra fell a deep pit emerged water bubbled out of the pit and it became the holy tank and came to be known as Chakra theertha. it is believed a bath in this theertha ensures moksha. and a 30 day bath here is equal to baths in all the 108 theerthas. the moolavar here is Devaraja, the consort is Sri hari lakshmi also Pundarikavalli,  the chakra theertha, gomukhi river, Nemi river, Divya Visranta theertha. the sri hari vimana. the sthala viruksha is Tapovanam. God is believed to have appeared to Indra, Sudharma, Devarishi Suta Puranika and Veda vyasa. this is regarded as the very holy forest. there are nine tapovanas. Dandakaranya, Saindhavaranyam, Jambukaranyam, Pushkaranyam, Utpalaranyam, Badarikaranyam, Gurujangalaranyam, Arputharanyam, and Naimisaranyam.
It was here that Veda vyasa divided or classified the vedas into four parts. he wrote the eighteen puranas, Bhagavata as well as Mahabaratha in this place. sukra maharishi is said to have resided here. Parikshit came here on a hunting expedition and identified Sukra maharishi who had his nose as that of a parrot. he then was only a child the maharaja got a throne studded with precious stones for the child sukra placed him on the throne and asked his advise to attain moksha. he was advised to do tapas here and that druva had performed tapas here and attained Narayana, manu did tapas here and became the king of Ayodhya. The best dhana here is to plant or tree here, and it has to be looked after by a brahmin and services rendered by the brahmin suitably rewarded a vruksha here. There is also a small mountain here on top of which we can see a huge hanuman holding Rama and lakshmana on his shoulders.
Ahobila mutt 43rd Jeer attained paramapada here at their mutt.

just two more. 3 included.

Tiruvan Parisaram
The moolavar is known as Tirukkuralappan, also Tiruvazhmarban seen in a sitting posture facing east. The moolavar has four hands the upper hands hold shanka and chakra. the lower right arm is in abhaya hasta and left one is resting on the knees. its a nine ft tall idol. it is made through the kadu sarkara yoga process. just like in the idol of thiruvattar this idol too is made from granite and lime and a paste formed out of a mixture of molasses and mustard is applied on it. hence the Moolavar cannot have the abhishekam as water cannot be poured on such idols. All the daily abhishekha is offered to the utsavar deity. The Moolavar is surrounded by saptaa rishis. the thayar is Kamalavalli Nachiyar, the theertham is Lakshmi theertham, the Indra Kalyana vimanam is seen here.
Kulashekar alwar found his favourite horse here and was so glad to see his horse. he had a bath and worshipped at the small Vishnu temple here and later reconstructed the same temple on a grand scale.
Stories of how lord appeared as Siva to the sapta rishis and they requesting him to appear as Vishnu and how the lord was pleased with their devotion and appeared as lord Vishnu here. also the theertham has interesting stories.
To the right of the moolavar vigraha we can see the idols of rama Seeta and Lakshmana in Pattabhiseka outfit. this was at the behest of Vibhishana who requested the Lord Rama to appear as he had seen him earlier.
Nammalwar was born here. the dwajasthamba has the base and top covered  by gold plates. and this prathista was done by Kulashekar perumal (king) in 8th century.
an important festival at this temple is Anusha Tirunal commenced as a thanks giving offer by king Marthanda varma and interesting stories are wound round his stay here. he made important changes in the functions held here.
another important festival of this kshetram is Karthikai Sri Bali utsavam. this is celebrated in commemoration of the visit of Dharmaraja to this temple. 
Nammalwar's idol at this temple was built by Sri Chittirai tirunal Maharaja and the ratha is  said to have been built by Sri Moolam Tirunal Maharaja.
Adi swathi festival is celebrated here as it was on this day that the Lord appeared to the King Kulashekar alwar.

Thiruvanvandur.
The moolavar here is Pambanaiappan, also known as Kamalanathan seen standing facing west. The thayar is Kamalavalli nachiyar. the theertham is Papanasa theertham. the vedalaya vimanam. The Lord appeared to Markandeya and Narada. it is believed that the idol of vishnu as gopalakrishna originally worshipped by Nakula was consecrated by Brigu maharishi here. The van prefix in the name is at only three places in the 108 stalams  the other two are Thiruvan Purushothamam at thirunangoor, and at Thiruvan Parisaram.
Naradiya purana was written here which runs into 25000 granthas.
The Lord appeared to Markandeya rishi after he had performed severe penance here. he got a unique view of the Lord too.
Nakula is said to have been very much impressed by the stories of this temple and is said to have renovated this temple. also this temple saw its hay days during the reign of Kulashekar raja alwar records in the temple state that the temple was very well managed by the Venad ruler Sri Vallachan Kodhai he was appointed by the chera ruler to rule Nan thuzhai Nadu. after this hectic period the temple and its management went into the hands of a local Nambuthri of Gnazhapally who was very passionate with his worship. it so happened that a near by chieftian A Champakassery Raja made an attempt to invade the temple town and wanted to carry away the idol of Gopalakrishnan and install him at a temple built by him at Ambalapuram but the Nambuthri Gnazhapally is said to have taken the idol and drowned hugging the krishna idol in the temple tank. this lost idol was rediscovered in the year 1963 after a local devotee had a dream that the beautiful idol of Gopala krishna was beneath the ancient tank this idol was recovered after the digging for 41 days. so the incident of drowning by the nambuthari in the 16th century. several vessels used for worship were also recovered.

Thiruvalla (Thiruvallavaz)
The Moolavar is Kolapiran also Tiruvazhmarban, also Sri Vallabha.
seen standing facing east the thayar is Selva Thirukozhundhu Nachiyar also Vatsalya devi. The Lord appeared to Gantakarna. the theertha is Gantakarna theertham also Pampa river. the vimanam is Saturanga kola vimana.
Thiruvalla was a great center of learning a strong hole of Nambudiris and the priestly class of Kerala. it has a long history of a city connected to learning even as ancient as before the 7th century. Dandin the great sanskrit poet has written in praise of this place. The immense copper plates found in this are speaks volumes of its literary history. it also gives a detailed description of how the administration of temples was conducted in ancient times. Huge areas of land were endowed to the temple for its feeding of brahmins and to upkeep and worship of the deity. also there is mention of the temple administration imposing personal fines on the residents of the town for various acts of omission and commission. all payable in gold. The temple was in a habit of granting loans to the residents in need and this was also repaid in gold. that amounts for the huge deposit of gold now found. The copper plates also details the names and addresses along with the terms and conditions of lending.
Hundred of students were enrolled and they were fed also by the temple. the gurukula style was practiced. the subjects taught were Philosophy, grammar, Tarkashastra, vedas to name a few.
The original temple was a small shrine constructed by the ten families they exercised great power over the temple its administration and also the people connected with the temple their life and properties. later this power vested in the Venad rajas in 1750. yet another peculiarity is the poojas performed at the temple where the priests were rotated between tulu brahmins and the local pottis (families). it is believed the idol in the temple was the handiwork of Visvakarma the great divine architect and this was at the behest of the Lord Krishna and the idol was gifted to his friend Dwaraja Satyaki before the end of dwapara yuga. the idol is believed to be given by Krishna to Garuda for safe keeping and Garuda put the idol into the river Netravati which flows from Karnataka to Kerala. the story goes that the royal consort of Cheraman Perumal dreamt that the idol was lying at the bottom of the river and that it should be brought to Thiruvalla and installed. expert divers searched with great fevour for the idol and it was found by some tulu brahmins with the help of the local potties of thiruvalla. that is how the worship is shared between them.
Another interesting feature is that of the flag mast of the temple. it is made of Granite almost 50 ft in height. there is a belief that it extends to an equal distance in the ground as well. it has a circumference of two feet. the entire structure is encased in a three storied minaret structure. the top of the flag mast depicts a panchaloka idol of Garuda. how this large structure was possible is all a mystery to unfold.
he huge temple tank within the temple is also unique it has a permanent supply of underground water.
the sri kovil is circular in shape. the eastern shrine is that of Sri vallabha. in it facing west is the shrine for sudarshana. the image of vallabha is 5 ft tall pecularly if one sees the face of the lord the feet are not visible and if one sees the feet the face is not visible at the same time. The Lord has conch and discus in his two upper arms and right lower arm has a lotus and the left hand rests on his waist. what an interesting pose. its no wonder that he is so captivating that ladies were not allowed near the sanctum sanctorum. legend goes that a lady was so captivated by the figure of the Lord that she entered the sanctum to prevent this the ladies were forbidden to approach close to the temple except on two occasions when the lord was dressed as a hunter and they thought he was not as captivating as in his original pose. so ladies were not allowed to enter the Nalambalam.
The neivedhyam offered to the lord is also peculiar a plantain Kadali plantain first offered by sage Durvasa who installed the idol.
Kathakali dance is also offered to the Lord as a thanks giving. the dance performed are Vallabha charitram, Tolakasura vatha. great many artist hail from this place. another peculiarity is the food is offered to a brahmin before it is offered to the Lord here. the food is presented on an arecanut leaf instead of a plantain leaf. (this was first said to have been done by Sankaramangal amma a great devotee who'es story is also related.
during a festival conducted in the month of may deities of three other Bhagavathi shrines also visit this god Vallabha, the deities of Kavil temple, the Padappad temple and Alamthurath temple pay the visit in all their splendor being carried in special palanquins they return the next day after receiveng the customery vishu offerings.

Thirumoozhikalam

The Moolavar is known as Thirumoozhi Kalathan, Appan, Sri sookthinathar, He is seen in a standing pose facing east. the thayar is Madhuraveni thayar. the theertham is Perunkulam, Sanga theertha, chitraru. The vimanam is Soundarya vimanam. the lord appeared to Hareetha maharishi. It is believed that this idol is consecrated by Parasurama.
It is believed that fisher folk found four Idols in their net while fishing and they handed over these idols to their master Vakaiyil Kaimal, who in turn entrusted them to Namboodri priests, after astrological readings the priests consecrated and housed these idols at or near river banks.
Hareetha maharishi the son of Viswamitra did deep and long penance at this place. He laid down the varnashrama dharma and the basic tenets of yoga, srisookthi, thirumantra, and also prayers that should be uttered during the different parts of the day, daily anushtanams etc. God is said to have accepted the correctness of these religious rites, precepts and practices. As the Lord who had put his seal on the approval of the precepts he came to be called ThiruMozhi Kalathan and the place got the name Thiru Moozhikalam. The idol is actually damaged and it is said that broken idols are not worshipped but kerala which is known for astrology as a strong base says the readings for the idol prove that in spite of the damaged condition the idol is holy and fit to be worshipped.
In ancient days this temple housed in 2 and a half acres had a beautiful Koothambalam. and a festival in the month of Makaram was celebrated. elaborate Koothu dance used to be organised for 41 days  and for three days Koodiyattam was also held. besides vedas used to be taught the shastras would be read, teaching of dance arts  were done in the temple precints. The gurukula system was followed and hundreds of students were taught they were fed too in the temple. unfortunately now nothing exists here. another custom noticed is no vadyam is played during the pooja performance in the temple. Nammalwar has written 10 pasurams on this Lord.  refer 3623-3633.Thirumangai alwar has written 3 verses1553,2061 and 2674.

Thiruppuliyur (Kuttanadu)

Kerala seems as they normally advertise as Gods own country all the temples here have a pitures description of the surroundings. no doubt as the full state is surrounded by water mostly and God's abode on earth seems to be next to water bodies. where water is trees flowers birds and nature survive and thus make it beautiful to behold.
the Moolavar is Mayappiran seen standing facing east. the thayar is Porkodi Nachiyar. the two theerthas are Pragnasaras and Poonshunai theertha. the vimanam is known as Purushothama vimanam. The Lord appeared to the saptha rishis. The temple is on a small hillock, Nammalwar describes the temple as "Karimanickkathu malai mel manithadam chadukal pol" this description stands good even today the beautiful lotus tank and the emerald like hill described is seen even today like in the glorious past.
the Mahabharata war is too well known the Pandavas had a lot of hesitation to fight against their guru and teacher Dronacharya. The plan was that Dharmaraja was to utter in the hearing of their guru Aswathama Hatathaha at a feverish pitch and at a more softer tone Kunjaraha. Even on hearing this it seems Dronacharya was continuing to fight and engage the pandavas in the encounter. then Bhima is said to have uttered even louder the words Aswathama Hatathaha and it was true what dharmaraja had said. now on hearing Bhima, Dhronacharya is said to have swooned. Drishtadumnya is said to have let loose an arrow and killed the great acharya. here Bhima is said to have been greatly disturbed for what he had done. they the Pandavas lived so righteous a life that this action of theirs caused them so much mental torture and they had to atone for the fault committed. Bhima decided to go on a pilgrimage he went in search of peace and saw the beautiful hill he enquired from the locals and on learning that the God had blessed the saptha rishis there he decided he would also worship the lord at Thiruppuliyur and worship Mayappiran. Very interesting stories are related of the sapta rishis being blessed by perumal and also of Bhima being associated with this temple and of his worshipping and installing the idol here.also the namboodri brahmins and one Nair amoung the 28 member council who administered the affairs of the temple is quiet interesting. everything offered in the temple is of gigantic size the appamas and adas and also a payasam called Chathushatham the minimum quantity of rice used to prepare this payasam is 400 measures. today there is a long list of devotees waiting to perform this feat to express their gratitude to the lord here.
Namallawar has sung 10pasurams on this deity they are in a nature of words uttered by a companion describing the mental anguish of her mistress. the three sets of ten called tholi pasurams of thiruvaimozhi are 3062 -3072;3271- 3281; and 3535- 3545; In all the three sets of pasurams the alwar expounds the philosophy ofananyarhatwam  which is enshrined in the word om which relates I belong to him and to none else.
the first set starting with Theerpaarai yaam eni.....  the lady companion notices that the elderly ;ladies in the village look at her love lorn mistress parankusa nayaki and mistake her behaviour as that of a woman in danger of loosing her senses and they arrange for a veriaattam a dance to exorcise the deamon that they believe has taken hold on the mistress. however the lady companion knows of what has smitten the mistress and tells them that the disease and medicine do not match and that she can be cured if her mistress could get the basil garland of the Perumal and explains the ananyarhathwa state of her mistress.
The second set of pasurams starting with Thuvalil maamani maadam..... here Parankusanayaki has lost her heart to Aravindalochana perumal of Tholaivilli mangalam, the tholi also says ini umakku aasai illai vidumino. meaning she belongs to Aravindalocana and not to herself or you or me or the other. 
The third set starting with Karu manicka malai....... here Parankusa nayaki has attained marriageable age, the parents have fixed a date for her swayamvara and send invitations to select eligible bachelors. the companion learns of this and knows too well that her mistress has voiced her choice of not marrying mortals and that she would willingly give up her life too. She tells the parents after much thoughtthat their daughter is for ever talking of Thirupuliyoor perumal and his great qualities his great achievements and that they should give up the thought of arranging any svayamvara for her. the parents wanted to know if the Thirupuliyoor perumal was a fit companion for their daughter  if he was proficient in vedas was he equally beautiful like their daughter and if he had enough wealth fame qualities of generosity affection etc. she assures them that the Perumal of Kuttanad Puliyoor fulfills all these criteria, even if he does not meet with their approval, their daughter has already set her heart on him. though this reads like a love story the beauty lies in reveling the fundamental truth of life itself. swaroopa gnana. refer 3540 pasuram of Nammalwar.

Thirunavai.

The Moolavar here is Naavai Mukundan or Narayanan seen standing facing east. the Thayar is Malar Mangai Nachiyar. the only shrine in Kerala to have a separate shrine for the thayar. she is also known as Siru devi the theertham is Sengamala saras, the Vimanam is Veda Vimanam. the lord appeared to Gajendra and nine yogis here. this temple has a glorious past even today in its dilapidated condition there is a aura of mysticism and greatness here. the temle is situated on the right bank of the Bharatpuzha river. the river is to kerala what ganga is to the whole country.The great poet of Kerala paid glowing tributes to this river he said the river ganges fascinated poet Kalidasa, the godavari cast a spell on poet Bhavabhooti, the river padma to poet Rabindranath tagore, and the heart of mahakavi Kunhiraman Nair is lost to the rustic and bewitching beauty of Bharatpuzha river seen at its broadest here. This river is equalled to Kasi and Rameswaram and  as in all temples of Kerala here too there are lots of stories connected to the temple.
The Lord appeared to 9 yogis in this kshetram They were Satwanathar, Saalokanathar, Adinathar, Arulithannathar, Mathanganathar, Machendranathar, Kadayanthiranathar, Gorakanathar, Kukutanathar. All of them lived here and worshipped their own Vigraha murthy, but in course of time eight of them disappeared and their vigrahamurthi theywere praying too also disappeared the ninth yogi was greatly disturbed and gave up worship, the lord appeared and wanted to know why he had stopped worshipping him. he promised to worship again if he got to see his eight friends again and god is said to have made it possible for him alone to see them.
another interesting story is of the Maha makam festival that was celebrated here every twelve years just as it is done even today at Kumbakonam. the festivities were conducted in a grand scale but they also had competitions of various sorts. all this is stopped now 
but teltale signs of them still continue as if it were to haunt the place.
then there is a legendary story quoting how Markandeya rushi approached the lord here to escape from Yama and how god advised him to go through the door behind his vigraha and how he should make a linga and worship lord siva. The door was locked by the lord and is not opened to this day. also a bottomless pit at the rear of the vigraha are stories that exist with evidence but hard to believe. there are stories of Adi shankara having taught the haughty people a lesson. also how the eight vigrahamurthy vanished and to this day the vigraha of the lord is seen only knees upwards as on consecration of the idol the garbagriha was opened on the third day itself for the people were afraid that this ninth vi graham also would vanish.  The story of the goddesses  eyes closed etc are all connected to this place. there is even today a shrine next to the sri koil dedicated to lord Vigneswara and there is a concrete slab next to it covering a hollow this slab is not cemented but still seems to be there for centuries with out any dislocation in spite of the no of years this is believed to cover another pit.
The people who lived here were very pious and by the grace of the lord were rich too. this definitely is a blessed place.
Nammalwar has sung in praise of this lord and it is said how Ramanuja charya once when on his visit here is seemed to have asked the local residents how far was Navai divya desam and they replied Kurukum kurukum meaning not far and how ramanujacharya was imagining as to how Nammalwar described this lord and the place so well and also used the local lingo in his verse. he has written 11 pasurams and thirumangai alwar composed two pasurams on the lord here. 

Thirukatkarai

The Moolavar is Katkarai Appan seen standing facing south, the Thayar is Perunselva Nayaki or Vatsalyavalli. the theertha is Kapila theertha. the vimana is Pushkala vimanam. Perumal appeared to Kapila Maharishi. This place was very famous and important also known as Vamana Kshetram or the place were the foot was placed.
The place Thirukkatakarai is very beautiful and scenic. Kapila Maharishi once on his visit was so impressed that he dug a pond grew lotuses and Sengaalineer flowers and worshipped the lord Vishnu. God appeared to him and he requested the lord to continue to stay here and bless the visitors. the area around the temple is sprawling with beauty and is said to have twenty seven other shrines in its 11 acres for various gods and goddesses. each having imposing gopurams and each having its own priest and priests. the dwajasthambha was made of gold and it had a wide amphitheatre as well as an auditorium for presenting events that were prevailing in those times. The temple is a Vamana avatara shrine and even today the broad square mantapam before the magnificent huge presiding deity is impressive. The Chera king Kulasekar Varma or Kulasekar perumal as popularly known has gifted a lot of land and a lot of work here. the onam festival the state festival has its origin from this place.
The hey day when the onam festival lasted for one whole month. Each family in Kerala used to send one member of the family to this place for the festival, the 64 revenue divisions with their local chieftains and the regional representatives would come and camp here each had a place here. each had a duty assigned to him the Zamorin of Kozhikode used to take his station here. the Raja of Edapally officiated as the priest and he used to nominate the person who would perform the pooja. the festivities ended on the thiru onam day in the month of Chingam. the last ten days was specially grand. The pageantry of 64 Caparisoned elephants the decoration, the great feast, the fireworks, the people in the most joyful mood. even to imagine the happenings gives one joy even today the poovidal that is the floral decoration in the mantapam is part of what used to happen in those times the starting of the ruler of cochin proceeding to take part in the festivities itself used to be an impressive function called Atha chamayam of Thirupunithura. this is practiced even today for ten days the important final days in memory of the great festivities happening during days gone by. today the 64 divisions celebrate the festivities in their own place and each makes a clay image of thirukkatkarai appan and pooja is offered to him symbolically. Mahabali the great ruler was blessed with the Lord putting his foot on his head as the true bhakta here.It is said that Mahabali wished to visit his kingdom every year to witness his kingdom. so the people of Kerala perform the festival of onam to welcome their just king and ruler  who had created a paradise on earth for them. when the festivities of Onam are celebrated today is a small replica of what used to be in olden times.

kerala divya desams. Aramula; Thiruvithvacode.

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.