Panangad Swayambhoo Ganapathy temple is located at Panangad in Ernakulam district, Kerala. The shrine is dedicated to Ganesha or Ganapati – swayambhu form (that which is not made by man) is worshipped in the temple. The 6-day annual festival is held in such a manner that the Vinayaka Chaturthi festival in Malayalam Chingamasam falls on the fifth day of the festival.
This is a typical Kerala style temple with an east facing sreekovil. The temple has a chuttambalam, namaskara mandapam, kodimaram, pond and shrines of Upa Devatas. The main Upa Devata worshipped here are Shiva and Goddess Parvati on the same pedestal. The other upa devatas are Nagas and Brahmarakshas.
The annual festival in the temple is famous for the utsava bali on the fourth day and annadanam and chaturthi payasam on the Vinayaka chaturthi day. Panchari Melam, music, and traditional performing art forms are part of the festival.
Navratri is observed with vidyarambham.
Panangad Swayambhoo Ganapathy Temple Story
As per local history, centuries back, when Panangad was under the rule of Elangalloor Swaroopam, once, then Edappally Thampuran (The head of the Edappally Royal Family) was traveling on a boat through the Panangad river at night to take part in a Murajapam and to his pleasant surprise he felt that something in the form of an elephant trunk was coming out of fire to have Copra (Dry Coconut) from the Kavalal (Security) who was drying the ‘Copra’ in the fire and eating.
Edappally Thampuran asked him to whom he was giving the ‘Copra’ and he answered, “whenever I eat copra at night, an elephant trunk will come out of fire and I don’t know who it was but I used to give copra, and the practice was continuing for awhile now”.
Edappally Thampuran who was an ardent worshipper of Ganesha immediately realised that he was witnessing a miracle and Ganesha was showing his presence in the place and he immediately decided to built a temple at the Parappally courtyard. While searching for a suitable place to build the sanctum sanctorum, Edappally Thampuran found an ever growing ‘Swayambhoo’ shila at the place where the present ‘Sreekovil’ is situated, and observing the presence of Ganesha in the ‘Sila’ he built the temple over there and the temple thus built is the Swayambhoo Sree Mahaganapathy Temple.