Puliyoor Vishnu Temple is located around 4 km west of
Chengannur town in Kerala. The temple is associated with Pandavas of the
Mahabharata. Puliyoor Temple was constructed by Bhima, the second of the Pandava
brothers. The shrine is also one among the 108 Divya Desams – Thiru Puliyoor
Mayapiran Perumal Temple (108 temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu as per Vaishnava
tradition).
The murti worshipped in the temple was worshipped by
Bhimasena. He built the shrine here during his pilgrimage to the area after the
Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata.
The murti of Mahavishnu is in standing posture on a 20 feet
high pedestal. The height of murti is 3 feet 10 inches. The four hands hold Shankhu,
Chakra, Gada and Padma.
The temple faces east and is approached after climbing 18
steps.
The shrine is a classic example of Kerala style temple
architecture with mandapam, nalambalam, balikkal pura, temple tank, sevapanthal
and compound wall. The sanctum sanctorum is conical in shape with doors on four
sides.
Ganesha is worshipped on a wall. There is no separate shrine
for Ganapati.
Subsidiary deities worshipped in the temple are Sastha and
Ganesha.
The main offering in the shrine is Chathustham – made using
rice, coconut, ghee and jaggery.
Puliyoor Vishnu Temple Timings
Morning Darshan Time – 5:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Evening Darshan Time – 5 PM to 8 PM