Thirunelli Temple
Encyclopedia
Overview
Thirunelli Temple (also Tirunelli) is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord VishnuVishnu
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....
on the side of Brahmagiri
Brahmagiri
Brahmagiri , ' is a mountain range in the Western Ghats of south India. It is situated on the border between Kodagu district in Karnataka state in the north and Wayanad district of Kerala state on the south . Brahmagiri Hill, at 1608 m height, is a scenic tourist attraction...
hill in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The Temple is located at an altitude of about 900m in north Wayanad in a valley surrounded by mountains and beautiful forests. It is situated 32 km away from Manathavady
History
No proper records of the exact dates of establishment of temple exist, though it is beyond dispute that Thirunelli was once an important town and pilgrim center in the middle of inaccessible jungled valley surrounded on four sides by mountains. There also exists documentary proof that Thirunelli at the time of Chera king Bhaskara Ravi Varma I (962–1019 CECommon Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
) was an important town and pilgrim center in south India. In the dense jungles surrounding temple, the ruins of two ancient villages can be found. Also recent excavations at the time of paving roads have yielded period coins of 9th and 10th century. Noted historian V. R Parameswaran Pillai in his book "Thirunelli Documents" clearly states that this temple was once an integral part of the early history of North Kerala.
Mention in Puranas and Folklores
The name Thirunelli derives from the nelli, the Malayalam/TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
word for Indian gooseberry
Indian gooseberry
Phyllanthus emblica , the Indian gooseberry, or aamla, is a deciduous tree of the Phyllanthaceae family. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name.-Plant anatomy and harvesting:...
of the Amla
Amla
Amla may refer to:* Indian gooseberry, called amla in Hindi. Amla is the size of a lemon, spherical, bitter and yellow-green.* Hashim Amla, a South African cricketer of Indian descent* Ahmed Amla, a South African cricketer and brother of Hashim...
tree. Veda vyasa wrote the 18 existing Puranas. The Matsya Purana
Matsya Purana
Matsya Purana is the sixteenth purana of the Hindu scriptures. During the period of mahapralaya, Lord Vishnu had taken Matsya Avatar to save the seeds of all lives and Manu...
, Skanda Purana
Skanda Purana
The Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text is devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya , a son of Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him...
, Narasimha Purana
Narasimha Purana
Narasimha Purana is one of the Upapuranas. R.C. Hazra in his Studies in the Upapuranas came to the conclusion that the original text was written in the later part of the 5th century, though several portions of it were added much later. This work was translated into Telugu about 1300.-Contents:The...
, Padma Purana
Padma Purana
Padma Purana , one of the major eighteen Puranas, a Hindu religious text, is divided into five parts.In the first part of the text, sage Pulastya explains to Bhishma about religion and the essence of the religion. The second part describes in detail Prithvi...
, and many other Puranas and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
texts mention the beautiful Vishnu temple as being Built By Lord Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
, located in the picturesque Sahya valley, deep in the middle of forest of unmatchable beauty, and in these texts, it is referred to as Sahyamalaka Kshetra. According to tradition, Lord Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
was travelling round the Earth upon the Hamsa
Hamsa bird
The Hamsa is an aquatic bird, often considered to be a goose or sometimes a swan. It is used in Indian and Southeast Asian culture as a symbol and a decorative element.-Identification :...
, when he became attracted by the beauty of the area now known as Brahmagiri Hill. Descending on that spot, Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
noticed an idol set in an Amla tree. Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
recognized the idol as Lord 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....
Himself and the place as Vaikuntha (Vishnuloka) itself. With the help of the Devas
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
, Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
installed the idol and called it Sahyamalak Kshetra. At Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
’s request 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....
promised that the waters of the area would wash away all sins. (Thus, the spring and river near the temple is called Papanasini—“washes away all sins”).
Even today the head priest of the temple leaves a portion of the worship materials in the belief that Lord Brahma Him self will come and perform Pooja rites deep in the holy hours of morning.
The famous incarnation of Lord Vishnu Parasurama is reputed to have visited Thirunelli and performed last rites at the death of his father sage Jamadagni
Jamadagni
Jamadagni is one of the Saptarishis in the seventh, i.e. the present Manvantara. He was a descendant of the sage Bhrigu, one of the Prajapatis created by Brahma, the God of Creation...
. He also took immersion in the Papanasini to wipe away sins committed in killing Kshatriyas.
Relation with other temples and legends
KottiyoorKottiyoor
A very ancient Siva Temple situated here attracts lakhs of devotees every year. The Bavali river, Paalukaachi hill, all are tourists places in Kottiyoor....
Temple and Trisillery temple are inextricably linked with legends and folklore to Thirunelli temple. There exists an old route which traverses Narinirangi Mala to connect with Trissilery Maha Deva Lord Siva
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...
temple. In earlier days, all devotees who visited Trissilery used to undertake the arduous crossing of Narinirangi mala to pay respect to lord Vishnu and Brahma at Thirunelli. The journey was fraught with danger and might have been comparable to hardships of early Sabarimala pilgrimages.
Temple and its surroundings
Papanasini Emanating from the heart of Brahmagiri flowing through roots, leaves and flowers of ancient trees and medicinal herbs, Papanasini is a holy mountain stream accessible around 1 km North west of the temple premises. One dip in the cold Papanasini waters in reputed to wash away all sins committed in a lifetime. It is further believed that Papanasini is the confluence of river Ganga and Saraswathy.Panchatheertham is the holy temple pond. One notable feature of the temple is the lack of a temple well in the premises. Hence water is transported from a perennial mountain stream deep in the valley via impressive stone aqueducts right into the priests room. Thirunelli is famous as the destination to perform last rites of the deceased at the rock close to Papa nasini stream. Parts of the temple including sanctum sanctorium is being renovated. Renovation activities can be seen on one side of the temple where sculpted stones and beautiful wood carvings are under preparation.