Poornathrayeesa temple

 This is a long post where I have attempted to collate facts from several articles online on poornathrayeesa temple in Thripunitura

Iam thankful to these sources dpecially article by Dr Ashalatha thampuran of royal family who has written exhaustively on this ,Ialso am thankful for pictures courtesy her and other articles which I can delete if objected as this article is not for commercial purposes .

I do not claim any authenticity to points written here it's just a humble attempt by a devotee to recount the tales of the Lord history of this unique temple its festivals rituals etc .

I welcome any suggestions editions or corrections too from people more well versed than me .

Sree Poornathrayeesa shethram is unique in so many respects .

Poornathrayeesan is poornam ie perfect in all three vedas and everything else .

The moolasthaanam of poornathrayeesa is in kottaram temple 1.5 km away in Poonithura .

It's legends goes back for long time even beyond yugas more than 5000 years back .

It's Cochin Royal family's temple just like Sree padmanabhaswamy temple in Thirvananthapuram is for the Travancore royal family .

Situated 10 km from Ernakulam in Thripunithura It's deity Lord Vishnu different from any other Vishnu temple in his posture .

The 4.5 feet panchaloga vigraham is in a sitting position with one leg bent .

There is a story on making idol in 1920 when temple was being rebuilt

The main Aashari or sculptor ( metal Smith) somehow could never get the right mix for idol ,so much so he even got threats from king , finally the devout sculptor completes it by falling into the molten mould and becoming part of idol by merging into divine as instructed by the Lord himself as he wanted to give moksha to his ardent devotee

this cannot be taken literally its more like he was spiritually part of the divinity .

Moosaari utsavam is in honour of him celebrated first 8 days of Chingam ..August September .

The other festivals are Atha Chamayam during Onam times ( August September ) which today has been taken over as a Goverment sponsored procession .

Onbathanthi utsavam is celebrated on ninth day of Thulam falling in October November in remembrance of day idol is brought back from Puthen Bungalow after temple was rebuilt following fire in 1920 .

On this day a recreation of fire is made using camphor in large amounts on floor so it looks like temple is afire again .

The camphor is brought from Canara bank branch in a procession as a tradition .

The fire happened on fifth day of Thulam at around 2 Am and water from pond was used to put it out ,the thidambu of idol was covered in wet mud put in a container and taken to Puthen Bungalow which the king had built in 1864 65 for safe keeping and the urn watered to keep it cool .After 4 days on 9th day of Thulam the thidambu is brought back in a procession to be reinstalled

This festival is called Ambalam Kathi utsavam

The Eastern gopuram was destroyed western gopuram was intact .

Temple was reconstructed after 12 years by King Rama Varma popularly called as Madrasil Theepetta thampuran

Vrishikotsavam is most important festival falling in November December in month of Vrichigam for 8 days where there is so much gala celebration festivities and exhibition of folk arts like Chaakiyaar koothu ,Kathakali,Ottam thulal ,Nangiyar koothu Koodiyattam Kadha parayal discourses music concerts dances etc and many big artistes vie to participate in Poornathrayeesa temple .

So are the 15 elephants that converge ,many elephants in state try to participate at least once in coveted processions ,similarly the percussion artistes are the best available in Panchami melam thayambakka etc .

They go on twice a day for all days ,the members of royal family watch this from bslcony opposite Aaanapandhal called Thatumaaliga .

The biggest temple festival in world is Vrischikotsavam .

( Thrissur pooram is a pooram or congregation in a temple precint Vadakunnathan in Thekinkaadu maidan where other temples participate and compete unlike Vrischikotsavam which is a single temple festival )

On fourth day of festival on star Thrikketta a procession called Thriketta Purapaddu takes place

Idol is bathed in a ritual called Thiruvajanam including many auspicious matireals like cows milk,urine cowdung buttermilk and ghee and water .

In evening idol is placed in an elephant with a golden kolam golden umbrella

Police personall give a gaurd of honour before the procession .

There is also a ritual called Kanikka given to Lord by devotees which is begun by a member of royal family first

On seventh day of festival all members of royal family go to temple to renew thier servility in a ritual called Adimaputhen

On eighth day of festival Lord is taken for Arattu through western gate the only occasion where it's done so to the house of Ilayidathu moothattu traditionally to whom temple belonged .Aaratu takes place in pond of Chakkamkulangara a Siva temple 1.5 km away .

Sankara Narayana villaku is celebrated in month of Dhanu ( Dec Jan ) where Lord Siva on Thiruvathira day visits Thripunithura poornathrayeesa temple from Perumthrikovil .

Para utsavam is celebrated when Lord goes to houses of his devotees though these days he stops at designated points when devotees in that area converge with Kaycha or offerings in a para or measuring vessel .

On return idol is carried in a boat to cross the poorna river during this time an authorised person sits with the Lord in boat and tells in his ears all the accounts for the year .

A person from temple authority places an ezuthani and a chisel on a palm leaf in return Moothathu representing Lord gives him pudava in appreciation of his work and idol is taken as procession to moolasthanam to Kottaram Vishnu temple .

On sixth day of para utsavam a procession is taken to vadekedathu mana to house of Nangema a namboodhiri woman who was so devoted to Lord and when arrangenets were made for her wedding on eve of wedding went inside temple to never return it is sad she merged with Lord then

The Lord is received in mana with pomp and celebrations deserved by a son in law of the family .

This is called Nagema utsavam

Uthram vilakku is celebrated in Kumbham ( Feb March) is birthday of the Lord and on that day Godess Lakshmi of Pishari Koil visits her brother to wish him and there is a joint procession Lakshmi Narayana villaku .

On that day there is also a ceremonial birthday sadya to devotees and many consider it a fortune to take part .

I was lucky to have had it this year .

So Poornathrayeesa temple is unique in having maximum number of festivals ,heralding festivals in temples and also holding biggest temple festival in the world .

The lord sits on Sesha naga though in all other places including padmansbhaswamy he reclines .

The deity is called Santanagopalan as he is known to bestow children to childless couples .

The Sreekovil is in shape of a chariot ,in honour of Arjuna bringing idol and ten children of brahmin in chariot of Lord Krishna himself .

The entrance of sreekovil is made of rolled gold

Roof has copper sheets to protect it

There are brass figures of God's and Hodesses in outer walls of sanctum

Devotees call temple as Vellayambalam as its white in colour

The Eastern Gopuram or front is two storeyed with first floor having pillars hall .

On right of Gopuram is a covered area called Aanapandhal where capriosined elephants stand during festivals .

We also see figures of sree poornathrayeesa being surrounded by small children who cling on to him .

There is a story behind that too .

Yeons back in Dwapara yuga people had great trust and love to thier kings and they too did thier best for their people

People used to reach the king for any problem big or small and the king too did his best

Anything going wrong too people would blame the king !

There lived an young brahmin couple whose children kept dying one after another .

The brahmin hailed from puliyanoor illam or house which even now gives chief priest to the temple its said .

The brahmin blames Ugrasena then king for this and asks him why he cannot prevent deaths whether he is an enemy of brahmins and called him a false shatriya .

Arjuna of pandavar listens to this after ninth baby of brahmin dies soon after birth and tells brahmin he would help him by guarding his wife to prevent one more child's death .

But the tenth child too dies and Arjuna could do nothing

He even uses his famous Gandhiva Bow but is unable to prevent child's death .

Arjuna feels he had no right to live after this debacle and tries to fall into a fire

Lord Krishna saves him as Arjuna os his close friend and Krishna knows everything has a reason .

He asks Arjuna to come with him to the other lokas in search of the departed children of the brahmin so that they can try to get back children

First they go to the subterranean yamalog but is told he there are no children there ,then they go to Bramalokha

They go to Indraloga next but no children are found then to planet of fire with demigod Nairrti then to Vayuloga and Varunaloka and Rasatala planet .

Having failed Lord Krishna brought his transcendental chariot to go north in universe .

For Lord it's not an issue to do this earlier but since Krishna is an avatar in human form he would abide by rules of humanity and do it the hard way .

The travel into universe is called Saptadvipa ie if the vast atmosphere is an ocean there are many islands in it like in an ocean

Each world or planet is different some have atmosphere ,different kinds, some have oceans of milk ,ghee ,liqour,water etc .

As Lord Krishna travelled over all these land they reach the cover of the universe shrouded in darkness

Krishnas chariot is drawn by three horses

Saibya ,Supriya,Megapuspha ,Balahakka and they hesitate to enter dark areas

One shud remember Krishna and horses all have fear only as humans but they put off that as in thier true nature they are divine .

Krishna sends his Vishnu Chakra which whirls to give brightness and the area lights up and horses jump to race .so they go through dark area with light ,cross the cover of universe and reach Brahmajyoti .

The brilliant light engulfs even blinding Arjuna who dare not see it directly or experience It

As long as one is in matireal word one cannot feel Brahmajyoti ,

They go into an ocean called karanarnava or Viraja

The two Brahmaloga and Mahavishnuloga came after this

Lord Vishnu lies in karanava river on sesh nag serpent

Initially ocean is disturbed and turbulent but later calms down as lord Krishna wished it so

Arjuna sees the sea as well as llluminated palaces with pillars in the water and huge sesh nag with Purushotama on it

Lord Vishnu welcomes them and tells them it was his divine play to get the children there so the two will follow .

He tells them to take the children and give them to the brahmin and fight the demons .

When Arjuna questions the children whether they are happy to see thier father and mother shortly ,one of them says who is father who is child in several births they were our children in some our enemies in some they were the animals we tamed or ate and they too were same !

This is to show that nothing in life is permanent .

Just about to return Vishnu gave Arjuna an idol and told him to consecrate it in a temple .

He returned to kerala gives the children to the brahmin and looks for an auspicious place for the idol .

He deputes Lord Ganesha to find a place for idol ,he comes to know Ganesha had found a place

Its poorna veda puri or land of vedas ( poornavedapuram ) he goes to see and finds it perfect but Ganesha has sat there and is stuck so Arjuna kicks at Lord Ganesha who is pushed into southern side conventionaly not always facing east or west . Another unique detail .

Arjuna also crushes some gingelly leaves to get oil to light the lamp its said the Valia vilakku in front as that lamp its a lamp that's never put out .

Pouring olpennaa or gingelly oil in lamps is an important vazhipadu here .

Other than Ganesha the temple has no upadevata which too is unique .

Poorna veda puri became Thripunithura

The temple got destroyed in fire in 1920 and was rebuilt by Easwara Warrier a renowned temple architect .

The temples famous Vrishikoltsavam heralds temple season in kerala by falling in end of November .

The day when fire destroyed temple in 1920 is still remembered

Poornathrayeesan is supposed to be elder brother of Chottanikara devi and pisharadi devi and is supposed to be married to a namboothiri girl Nangema of Vadakedathu mana

The deities from nearby temples of Siva and Bhagavathi visit in procession annual and here have combined procession called Sankara Narayana vilakku and lakshminarayana

vilakku

After annual utsavam poornathrayeesa goes to nearby chakkamadom siva temple for Aaarattu or divine bath .

There are three main entry exit points East and West and South .

Only East and West are open

South entry is closed for last 70 years as it was used only by Royal family .

Since now there is no need for that as all enter through same East or west doors .

There was a controversy on melting the antique jewellery the gold covered elephant Caprison for bringing in Railways from Shoranur to Cochin.

Some pictures are from online

Can delete if objected