Temples & Beach: Thiruvananthapuram & Kovalam
I had a hotel booked on the beach in Kovalam for the last couple of nights and the drive went through Thiruvananthapuram, so I stopped at a couple of the temples before heading further south. The first was the famous Padmananbha Swami Temple, which has a large ornately carved 100 ft. tall Kerala-Dravidian Style gateway. It is dedicated to Lord Anantha, one of Lord Vishnu’s avatars and the city’s name means “Land of Lord Ananthatha.” The temple was closed to visitors and only Hindis are supposedly allowed in, so I just got a couple of photos from the outside. I had to stay fairly far away as the guards don’t let anyone within 100 feet of the place. The carved figures in what I believe is sandstone are amazing. When I came back with a guide the following day, I learned that the temple is famous not only for its architecture but also for its history. The first recorded mention of the temple is from the 9th C, with further records from the 15th. It was renovated in the mid-18th and major work was undertaken by King Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma who was one of the most powerful rulers of the region. He and his successors collected tribute in addition to taxes from worshipers, his people, additionally other kings and traders made substantial donations to the temple. The royal family kept the gold, silver, coins, and jewels etc. in the temple and it eventually became the wealthiest temple in the world. In the late 20th C, four of the six known vaults were opened, and they did in fact hold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of treasure. It's no wonder the guards didn’t let me get any closer.
The next temple was the almost as famous Attakal Bhagavathy Temple, which is dedicated the Goddess of that name. The website states:
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The story goes that the Goddess Bhagavathy revealed herself to a fervent devotee of a notable family viz. Mulluveettil family. It is said that one evening a young girl appeared before the head of the family while he was performing his oblations in the Killi river and requested him to help her cross the river. Impressed by her charismatic demeanour, the- old man bent before her with awe and reverence and not only helped her cross the river but took her to his house nearby. Strangely enough, while the household members were amidst preparations for intending a warm welcome to the young girl, she vanished. That very night she appeared as an icon before the old man in his dream and demanded that he should establish an abode for her in the nearby sacred ground of shrubs and herbs (kavu), at a consecrated spot marked by three lines. The next morning the old man went to the spot revealed to him in the dream and to his great surprise he did find three marks indented on the ground.
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He lost no time in erecting a temple on this consecrated spot to house the Goddess. Many years later, the building was renovated by the local devotees. They also installed a beautiful and majestic icon of the Deity with four arms, bearing weapons of destruction in each, like spear, sword, shield etc. The consecration ceremony of this Exalted Being was performed by no less a person than the high priest of the Badarinath Temple.
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Another story relates: Attukal Bhagavathy is supposed to be the divinised form of "Kannaki", the famous heroine of Chilappatikaram, the sangham work of Tamil Literature written by ilamkovadikal. After the destruction of the ancient city of Madurai, Kannaki left that city and reached Kerala via Kanyakumari and on her way to Kodungalloor took a sojourn at Attukal. The hymns of the "Thottampattu ) sung during the annual temple festival, are based on the story of Kannaki. Moreover, architectural depictions of Goddess Kannaki seen on the Gopuram (entrance gate) temple substantiate this mythology.
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The Gopuram brings the legends to light as it features brightly painted figures of various gods and goddesses in scenes from the epics and puranas. It was difficult to really see the scenes, although the individual figures were visible, as the tower was blocked by a metal roof shielding worshipers from the weather, but obstructing a view of the storyline. There were workers in the temple and the gate was open, so I walked in and was quickly able to see the idol of the Goddess before a guard came yelling at me to get out. The temple was supposed to be closed. Oh well, I did go back with the guide the next day and that is when I learned about the legends. The guide, Navreen, was excellent and I’m glad he accompanied me to the other temples.
The next day we started out back at Padmanabha Swami Temple and then walked over to the Ganapathy Temple but weren’t allowed in as only Hindis are permitted to visit the deity. We had better luck at the Chamunda Temple, Shree Udiyanoor Devi Temple and Vellayani Devi Temples, all of which have incredibly ornate and vivid Gopurams. People pray to the differing forms of the Goddess based on what that particular idol represents. In the Chamunda Temple, she is known to help with career advancement, help with education and studies, and with the arts. In the Udiyanoor Devi Temple they ask the Goddess Bhadrakali for help with family and health. In Vellayani the same Goddess is honored and asked for protection against all evil and suffering. The legends of the origins of these temples can be found on the temple websites and are copied at the end of this blog.
The last temple we visited was the famous Pazhanchira Devi Temple, which was first built in the 13th C.. It was closed, so I could only walk around, but the outside was something to behold. The figures that had just been on the Gopurams in the other temples, were now covering the entire structure. The high relief and 3-D images lived and acted on the sides of the temple. They are supposed to help the worshiper stay on the path of Dharma “by understanding and transforming oneself” through contemplation of the figures and what they represent. (https://www.ishtadevata.com/temple/sree-pazhanchira-devi-temple-manacaud-thiruvananthapuram/)
In the courtyard was the large sacred tree, this time with cradles hanging from its branches. The cradles had little doll figures in them as women who want children come and pray to the goddess for fertility. There is also a Naga temple and people with eye and skin diseases pray at that shrine as well as to the Goddess. As with the Attakal Bhagavathy Temple, there was a metal roof blocking a clear view of the temple and Gopuram, so I wasn’t able to get the entire visual effect, but what I was able to see was an artistic wonder. On the side, above the metal, the top of the dome was partially visible. There was a monster-like looking creature holding two very European Renaissance looking women figures, and I couldn’t figure out what that was supposed to represent. Navreen didn’t know either, so he asked one of the priests who was having instant coffee by the entrance. He said that the women were supposed to be the Goddess Lakshmi and the monster, wasn’t that but the wishes of the people who want to keep her near them so that she will bring them good fortune. I put a photo in the gallery, and you can see what you think. When we were in the Attakal Bhagavathy Devi Temple, there were a number of independent wooden statues of devis holding various objects and I wasn’t sure what they represented, so again I asked. Neither Navreen nor the temple priests could answer that question though, and as photography wasn’t permitted, I wasn’t able to do an internet search. It’s unfortunate because the artworks are placed in the temples for a specific reason and that reason gets lost over time when there is no written record or oral history.
The last stop of the last full day in Kerala was to the Vizhinjam Rock Cut Temple. These 8th C carvings are on what is really just a large granite rock with a cavern in which a figure of Dakshinamurthy is placed in the center and as guardians in unfinished low relief Tripurantakara on the left and Shiva Nataraja and Parvati on the right. This is reputed to be one of the earliest rock cut temples in Kerala. When we were there a fresh garland of white blossoms had been placed on Dakshinamurthy. People obviously still use the rock for puja worship.
Not too far from the rock shrine, is a 13th C temple that is dedicated to Parasurama, Brahma and Shiva. This is one of only two temples in India that are dedicated to Brahma. It was closed, so I couldn’t get in and the view from the outside wasn’t inspiring, which is why there are no photos of if in the gallery.
The hotel I stayed at was directly on Kovalam Beach, which is a soft gold and black pebble-free sandy beach. It is divided by a rock outcrop, but there is a path behind a small park that connects the two sections. The weather wasn’t conducive to swimming as it was extremely windy, and the waves were too high. Signs were posted that said swimming was prohibited, and I saw lifeguards chasing a couple of kids out of the water. People were nonetheless allowed to lie right by the shoreline and let the waves roll over them as a means to cool off. Even the wind didn’t stop the humidity. It was in the mid-90sF (ca. 37-38 C) with 90% humidity. A romp in the sea was very tempting despite the warnings.
I learned from Navreen that Kovalam is about to change. The beautiful beaches will soon have a new neighbor. The largest port in Asia is planned just on the other side of the last rock outcrop. It is supposed to bring jobs that will help the economy, but it will definitely ruin the now pristine shoreline. The clean soft sandy beaches backed by lush rainforest vegetation are famous, and they deserve their reputation.
And so, this Asian Pilgrimage Adventure came to and end. It began in northern India and ended in the southern part of the country. The last day between flights was spent in Delhi at the National Museum and the Lakshmi Temple, where photography is prohibited as it was inside most of the other temples. During the trip I was able to visit various kinds of Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim shrines and sacred places. Photos of many of them are in the galleries. The trip also had me trekking the high Himalayas to snorkeling in the sea. I went from freezing in the mountains to roasting on the seashore and in some of the major cities, e.g. Manila. I saw places of pristine natural beauty and human made squalor. We inhabit a phenomenally diverse planet, and it should be respected and protected. If there was one lesson that came across loud and clear was the statement from the Kerala spice plantation owner who said his success depends on the careful attendance to enhancing a harmonious diversity of vegetation. My perennial hope is that travel can foster respect for and enhance a harmonious diversity of cultures and protection for the natural world which we jointly inhabit.
I welcome comments.
Thiruvananthapuram Sree Udiyanoor and Vellayani Temples mythology from the websites:
Sree Udiyanoor Devi Temple https://sreeudiyannoordevi.in/about.html
The origin of the temple is as follows.There is a devotee named Neelakandan belonging to Udiyanoor family in Vattiyoorkonam,Thiruvananthapuram. Later he shifted his house to Maruthankuzhi.He completed his education under “Kesarapurathu Aasan” belonging to Pallichandra family. At that time, his family goddess Sri Bhadrakali came to his dream. She said that he will get an idol from the flood water, during the rainy season from the Killi river and he must take it and worship that idol. The same thing happened during the rainy season. Neelakandan and his friends went to see the flood .
By seeing the idol, he jumped into the water. He captured the idol,but he and the idol disappeared into the flood.Everybody thought that he was dead.By knowing this incident Kesavapurathu Aasan came to the place and committed pooja with red flowers.He returned back to home after 7 days by surprising everyone. He kept the idol in a box made of jack tree covered with dhothis and silk. He made archana with flowers. He gave tender coconut,bananas and rice as nivedhyam to devi.Nelakandan’s mother made the “Ada” and dedicated it to devi.Later this “Ada” became famous as Udiyanoor Ada.With the advice of his mother and Guru,the poojas are done by Neelakandan.
No soon later,the idol is installed on a stone(Kallara)near his house.Later,Neelakandan became a famous moth because of the believes in devi. He got the super natural power from devi. Then after he became famous as Sri Neelakanda paramahamsasadguru. The place where he worshiped with the idol is now known as “Mudipura”. At that time Neelakandan and his mother moved his family house to Vattiyoorkkonam. For the poojas, he came to the temple from Vattiyoorkkonam. Later Sree Neelakandaparamahamsar became the famouse moth and Yogeeswaran.After fulfilling his ambition in life,he dedicated his life to devi. https://sreeudiyannoordevi.in/about.html
Vellayani Devi
https://www.ishtadevata.com/temple/major-vellayani-devi-temple-vellayani-thiruvananthapuram
Vellayani Devi’s story: Goddess Bhadrakali -The history says that Kelan Kulashekhara, a blacksmith, saw a frog with divine powers near the lake. He caught the frog and brought it to the Nair chieftains of the locality. Kulashekhara, then, constructed the Thiru mudi (idol) in which the divine spirit is stored. From then on, the right to perform the rituals is held by the Nair families. The priest of the temple also belongs to the blacksmith family.
Another part of the story says that Darika, a demon who received a boon from Lord Brahma went on to conquer the world by defeating the King of gods, Indra, with his immense power. His intolerable atrocities made the divine Sage Narada to request Lord Shiva to destroy Darika. Lord Shiva opened the Third Eye and created the ferocious Kali to destroy Darika who had received a boon that he can’t be killed by any human living in any of the fourteen worlds of the Hindu Mythology. Goddess Kali was a woman who was given birth by a divine power. Kali, the most ferocious form of Lord Shiva’s third eye did not stop even after killing the demon. She went on to kill all the human beings for whom Darika was killed. No God could stop her. Kali was finally calmed down after Lord Shiva, her creator, surrendered to her.
