Vadakkumnathan Temple is located in the heart of Thrissur
town in Kerala. This popular shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva is the witness to
the world famous Thrissur Pooram. The main Shivling worshipped in the temple is
not visible as it is under a mount of ghee. Shivratri is one of the most
important festivals observed here.
Shivling at Vadakkumnathan Temple
Shivling at Vadakkumnathan Temple
Shiva worshipped here is the Kiratha Murti – one who had a
fight with Arjuna before blessing him with divine weapons. It is believed that
Kiratha Murti had an injury during the fight with Arjuna. Therefore, abhishekam
with ghee was performed for centuries.
The main Shivling worshipped here is covered by 5 meter high
and 7 meter wide mount of ghee. The miracle here is that the ghee has not
melted or gone bad even after several hundred years of Abhisheka.
Mother Goddess Parvati is worshipped in the shrine and she
faces east.
A large sculpture of Nandi is also found in the temple
complex.
Bhgavan Sri Rama and Shankaranarayana are worshipped in separate
shrines. Subsidiary deities worshipped in the temple include Ganapati, Gosalakrishna,
Rishabha, Simhodara.
About Vadakkumnathan Temple Architecture – Gopuram,
Koothambalam and Mural Paintings
Vadakkumnathan Temple is one of the 108 Shivayalays in
Kerala and the deity here was consecrated by Lord Parashurama. It is also one
of the largest and most sacred temples in Kerala and is noted for its
architecture, woodwork and paintings.
The temple consists of three shrines – one dedicated to
Shiva as Vadakkumnathan, one dedicated to Bhagavan Sri Ram and another dedicated
to Shankaranarayana.
The Koothambalam in the shrine is note for its impressive architecture.
It contains exquisite woodcarvings and interesting bracket figures. The special
Koothu and Kodiyattam performances are held here.
The temple complex is surrounded by an enclosing wall, which
has four gateways on its four sides known as gopuras – with gabled roofs of
wood and tiles typical of the Kerala architectural style.
Another important feature of the shrine is the mural
paintings belonging to the 16th and 17th centuries. Prominent among them are the
Shiva Tandava – Shiva with sixteen hands performing the Tandava dance, Vasuki
Shayanam of Shiva,
The temple is open in the morning hours till 10:30 AM; in
the evening hours from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM.