Pazhaya Sreekanteswaram Temple
Encyclopedia
Pazhaya Sreekanteswaram Temple or Old Sreekanteswaram Temple, located at Puthenchantha in Thiruvananthapuram
, is one of the ancient Siva temple
s in Kerala. According to the renowned historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai
, this temple existed even in the 9 th century AD. This temple is the original abode of the Lord of new Sreekanteswaram
. The new temple is situated just outside the "North Fort" in Thiruvananthapuram. As noted by Dr. M. G. Sasibhooshan, the old temple was on the route taken by the King of Travancore
and his retinue in connection with the Pallivetta of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The old temple might have lost its importance to the new one in the latter half of the 18th century when Chettikulangara was used by the mercenaries of Thampi siblings, the sworn enemies of Sri Vira Bala Marthanda Varma
.
and Lord Krishna
(Vishnu
) are the principal deities in Old Sreekanteswaram. The linga
of Sreekanteswara (Siva) is believed to be on the samadhi of Sage Kanwa. Chettikulam, a pond nearby that was reclaimed decades ago, is referred to in Syanandura Purana Samuchaya and Anantapura Varnana as Kanvatirtha. This lends credence to the belief that Old Sreekanteswaram and Chettikulangara formed part of Kanwa Tapovana. The idol of Sri Krishna
was installed later to reduce the ferocity of Shiva. The idols of Lord Ganesha
and Serpent gods also find place in the temple. All the deities here face east.
Mritunjaya Homam, Mrityunjaya archana, Jaladhara, Pinvilakku and Kuvala mala samarpanam are the most popular offerings made to Lord Siva.
and Thiruvathira
are the days which attract huge crowds to the temple.
of the temple. The Potti is a hereditary member of the Ettara Yogam
which used to be the governing body of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
tharavad by name Kovilvila.
in the land of Sri Padmanabha. After leading fruitful lives they reached the Divine Abode of Lalita Parameswari
.
In course of time the family began to manage the affairs of Pazhaya Sreekanteswaram Temple. Years rolled by. Besides Sreechakram, the family started worshipping Bhadrakali
of a kalari
and the great Karanavar who had attained the lotus-feet of the Divine Mother. By the blessings of Sreekanteswara and the Household Deities, the family prospered and reached great heights. But succeeding generations did not have the required degree of piety. The family is believed to have incurred the wrath of the Guardian Deities. Kovilvila House, along with the chamber in which the Guardian Deities were installed, was reduced to ashes. Though the tharavad managed to rise from the ashes, it did not resume the upasana for many years.
, five-hooded Nagayakshi and Chitrakootam were installed by Amedamangalathu Vishnu Nambuthiri on the next day. Being the day of installation of the Goddess, Uthram in the month of Meenom, is the most important day in the temple calendar. Women devotees offer Pongala
on that day. Ayilyam in the month of Thulam is important for the Serpent gods.
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
, is one of the ancient Siva temple
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
s in Kerala. According to the renowned historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai
Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai
Elamkulam Pillai was a historian and scholar from Kerala, India, who through his works enriched the field of historical research of Kerala-Early life and career:...
, this temple existed even in the 9 th century AD. This temple is the original abode of the Lord of new Sreekanteswaram
Sreekanteswaram
Sreekanteswaram is a place in the Thiruvananthapuram city , India. The place is known for the Siva temple, from which the name was derived...
. The new temple is situated just outside the "North Fort" in Thiruvananthapuram. As noted by Dr. M. G. Sasibhooshan, the old temple was on the route taken by the King of Travancore
Travancore Royal Family
The Travancore Royal Family descended from the Venad line of the Cheras and ruled over the Indian state of Travancore until 1947.The Royal family, alternatively known as the Kupaka Royal Family, Thripappur Swaroopam, Venad Swaroopam, Vanchi Swaroopam etc., has its seat today at Trivandrum in...
and his retinue in connection with the Pallivetta of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The old temple might have lost its importance to the new one in the latter half of the 18th century when Chettikulangara was used by the mercenaries of Thampi siblings, the sworn enemies of Sri Vira Bala Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma , was the founder of the Indian Hindu feudal kingdom of Travancore from Venad SwaroopamHe ruled from 1729 till his death in 1758, having succeeded his maternal uncle Dharma Raja.King Marthanda Varma is usually credited as the "founder of Kingdom of Travancore" from...
.
Deities
Lord SivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
(Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
) are the principal deities in Old Sreekanteswaram. The linga
Lingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
of Sreekanteswara (Siva) is believed to be on the samadhi of Sage Kanwa. Chettikulam, a pond nearby that was reclaimed decades ago, is referred to in Syanandura Purana Samuchaya and Anantapura Varnana as Kanvatirtha. This lends credence to the belief that Old Sreekanteswaram and Chettikulangara formed part of Kanwa Tapovana. The idol of Sri Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
was installed later to reduce the ferocity of Shiva. The idols of Lord Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
and Serpent gods also find place in the temple. All the deities here face east.
Mritunjaya Homam, Mrityunjaya archana, Jaladhara, Pinvilakku and Kuvala mala samarpanam are the most popular offerings made to Lord Siva.
Important days
Maha ShivaratriMaha Shivaratri
Maha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri or Shivaratri or Sivarathri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month of Maagha or Phalguna...
and Thiruvathira
Thiruvathira
Thiruvathira is a Hindu festival celebrated in the southern Indian state of Kerala on the full moon day of the month of Dhanu . The festival commemorates the death of Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love...
are the days which attract huge crowds to the temple.
The Tantri of the temple
Vanchiyoor Athiyara Potti is the TantriThantri
Thantri or Tantri is the Vedic head priest of Hindu temples in Kerala and a very few temples of coastal Karnataka in southern India.Thantris Shrauta are Namboothiri Brahmins who have studied the ancient tantras, and Poorva Mimamsa -- , unlike other Brahmins in India who are Smarta and follow...
of the temple. The Potti is a hereditary member of the Ettara Yogam
Ettara Yogam
The Ettara Yogam or the Council of Eight and a Half was a body of Trustees of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple which is the richest and most well endowed temples in the world now ,situated in Thiruvananthapuram, Travancore and religiously most important to the Maharajahs of Travancore.-Origin:The...
which used to be the governing body of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
The management of the temple
The temple, now, comes under the control of Travancore Devaswom Board. Before it was taken over by the Board, the temple belonged to a prominent NairNair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
tharavad by name Kovilvila.
Kovilvila Tharavad
Kovilvila Tharavad traces its roots to Valluvanad. Centuries ago, the tharavad had a Karanavar who was an advanced upasaka of Srividya sampradaya. He and his wife used a Meru Sreechakram for their worship. They had many disciples. Though they were revered by the people around, they were not in the good books of the ruler. Due to royal displeasure, the members of the tharavad had to flee to Pattazhi. From Pattazhi they moved to Thiruvananthapuram and settled there. The Karanavar and his wife continued their upasanaUpasana
Upasana in Sanskrit literally means "Sitting near" but normally the term is used in Hinduism to denote a prescribed method for approaching a Deity or God or getting close to a deity/deities. In the Vedas, some Upasanas are prescribed whereby one meditates on the all-pervading Brahman as some aspect...
in the land of Sri Padmanabha. After leading fruitful lives they reached the Divine Abode of Lalita Parameswari
Tripura Sundari
Tripurasundarĩ or Mahã-Tripurasundarĩ , also called Śoḍaṣĩ , Lalitã and Rãjarãjeśvarĩ , is one of the group of ten goddesses of Hindu belief, collectively called Mahavidyas.As Shodashi,...
.
In course of time the family began to manage the affairs of Pazhaya Sreekanteswaram Temple. Years rolled by. Besides Sreechakram, the family started worshipping Bhadrakali
Bhadrakali
Bhadrakāli , is one of the forms of the Great Goddess mentioned in the Devi Mahatmyam. In Sanskrit, the word Bhadra means "blessed", "auspicious", "fair", "beautiful", "good", "fortunate", "prosperous"....
of a kalari
Kalari
The word Kalari means battle ground in Tamil and translates as "threshing floor" or "battlefield" in Malayalam. Training for Kalarippayattu, a martial art of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, is traditionally done inside the Kalari....
and the great Karanavar who had attained the lotus-feet of the Divine Mother. By the blessings of Sreekanteswara and the Household Deities, the family prospered and reached great heights. But succeeding generations did not have the required degree of piety. The family is believed to have incurred the wrath of the Guardian Deities. Kovilvila House, along with the chamber in which the Guardian Deities were installed, was reduced to ashes. Though the tharavad managed to rise from the ashes, it did not resume the upasana for many years.
Kovilvila Bhagavati Temple
After an elaborate Ashtamangala Prasnam in December 2006, a new temple by the name Kovilvila Bhagavati Temple was conctructed in a piece of land adjacent to Pazhaya Sreekanteswaram. This piece of land belonged to Kovilvila L Parukkutti Amma, the wife of Justice K. S. Govinda Pillai. The Guardian Deities of the tharavad - Kalari Bhadrakali, Meru Sreechakram, and Karanavar - were duly installed by the Tantri Thrippunithura Puliyannoor Murali Narayanan Nambuthiripad on March 21, 2008. One-hooded NagarajaNagaraja
Nagaraja is a Sanskrit word from naga and raj meaning King of Snakes. It is applied to three main deities, Anantha , Takshak, and Vasuki. Anantha, Vasuki and Takshak are brothers, children of Kashyap and Kadru, who are the parents of all snakes...
, five-hooded Nagayakshi and Chitrakootam were installed by Amedamangalathu Vishnu Nambuthiri on the next day. Being the day of installation of the Goddess, Uthram in the month of Meenom, is the most important day in the temple calendar. Women devotees offer Pongala
Pongala
Pongala is a Hindu religious festival. The name 'Pongala' means 'to boil over' and refers to the ritualistic offering of porridge made of rice, sweet brown molasses, coconut gratings, nuts and raisins. Only women devotees are allowed to participate in this ritual.Rice, coconut and jaggery are...
on that day. Ayilyam in the month of Thulam is important for the Serpent gods.