Thirunakkara Temple Festival 2024 At Kottayam - Shiva Kshetram - Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple Pooram 2024
Thirunakkara Temple is located in Kottayam Town in Kerala. Thirunakkara temple festival 2024 date is March 14 to March 24. Thirunakkara Pooram 2024 date is March 23. Three festivals are held in the temple the most important is the festival in Meena masam from Meenam 1 to Meenam 10. The festival is also known as Arattu utsavam and Pooram.
The festival draws to a close with the the ritualistic arattu that
includes a procession of caparisoned elephants. Various temple arts and
cultural programmes are part of festival.
A major attraction is the all-night Kathakali performances on the third and fourth days of the festival.
Nine majestic caparisoned elephants participate in the
Arattu procession that marks the conclusion of the annual 10-day
festival at the Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple.
തിരുനക്കര മഹാദേവ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിലെ പകൽപൂരത്തോട് അനുബന്ധിച്ച് സമീപത്തെ 10
ക്ഷേത്രങ്ങളിൽനിന്ന് ചെറുപൂരങ്ങൾ എത്തും. അമ്പലക്കടവ് ഭഗവതിക്ഷേത്രം, തിരുനക്കര ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണ ക്ഷേത്രം, പുതിയതൃക്കോവിൽ
മഹാവിഷ്ണു ക്ഷേത്രം, പള്ളിപ്പുറത്ത് കാവ് ഭഗവതി ക്ഷേത്രം, കൊപ്രത്ത്
ദുർഗാദേവീ ക്ഷേത്രം, പറപ്പാടം ദേവീക്ഷേത്രം, തളിയിൽക്കോട്ട മഹാദേവർ
ക്ഷേത്രം, പുത്തനങ്ങാടി ദേവീക്ഷേത്രം, എരുത്തിക്കൽ ദേവീക്ഷേത്രം.
പുല്ലരിക്കുന്ന് മുള്ളൂർകുളങ്ങര മഹാദേവക്ഷേത്രം എന്നിവിടങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നാണ്
ചെറുപൂരങ്ങൾ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ എത്തുന്നത്.
During the Arattu
ceremony, folk arts like Mayilattam (peacock dance), Velakali etc, are
presented on the evening in the temple compound.
The other two festivals held in the temple are 8-day Aani festival in Mithuna masam and the 6-day Aippasi festival in Thulam month.
At
Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple, Lord Shiva is worshipped in a benign and calm
form. The natural formed, or Swayambhu, Shivling is six inches tall. There is a small murti of Goddess Parvati. There is a white thechi plant and the Nandi in the temple.
The subsidiary deities worshipped in the temple include Ganapati, Sastha, Subrahmanya, Goddess Bhagavathi, Nagas and Brahmarakshas. There is also another separate shrine of Shiva where he is worshipped as Vadakkumnathan.
This is one among the 108 Shiva temples in Kerala.
Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple History
Thekkumkoor Raja constructed the temple around 500 years ago.
The temple bears striking resemblance to the famous Vadakkunnathan Temple in
Thrissur.
Thekkumkoor king used to travel to Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur every month for offering prayers. When the king became old, he found it difficult to travel to Thrissur. On one occasion, the king asked Shiva will he be able to have darshan of Vadakkunnathan in the temple.
The king then heard a voice from the Vadakkunnathan temple. The voice told the king that he will sit at Nakkara Kunnu near his palace along with Nandi and a White Thechi flower plant. The king went to the spot and found a Shivling, Nandi and white chetti flower plant.
The king built a temple in the place with four gopurams and chuttambalam. The king also gave paddy fields for the maintenance of the shrine.
Another belief is that the Thekkumkoor king only renovated the temple and the original prathishta in the shrine was performed by Parshuram avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu.
Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple Architecture
The shrine is a typical example of Kerala Style Temple architecture. The walls of the sree kovil are noted for its beautiful paintings. The temple has gopurams, chuttambalam, big sheeveli pura, big swarna kodimaram (gold plated flag post), Balikkalpura, there are beautiful wooden sculptures in front of the balikkalpura, mandapam, sculpture of Vrishabha or Nandi, and Anakottil.
The temple is full off beautiful and exquisitely and intricately carved sculptures.
The koothambalam in the temple has sculptures from Ramayana - crossing the ocean, Ashoka vana, and war between Rama and Ravana can be seen here.
Wall paintings are found in front of Balikkalpura, roof, koothambalam, and on the walls of sreekovil.
The rice with husk inside the Nandi Vigraham in the mandapam in front of the Sreekovil has medicinal properties and it is believed to cure stomach related ailments.