Cheruvathur Mahadeva Temple, Kerala:
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| Cheruvathur_Mahadeva Temple Entrance, en.wikipedia.org |
The legend has it Lord Parasurama, an incarnation of Vishnu (6th one), created the land between Gokarna and Kanyakumari. Son of Sage Jamadagni and Renuka, Parasurama, who had great animosity toward Kshatriya clan, at last, realized his sin and to absolve of it he meditated at Gokarna on Lord Varuna (the Lord of the Oceans) and requested him to give a boon. He wanted to donate lands to the Brahmins, but had nothing to offer them as he already donated the entire land to Sage Kashyapa.
Lord Varuna asked Parashurama to throw his axe (Parasu) from the place where he stood at Gokarna and this would enable him to donate as much land as possible. The land between Gokarna to the place where the axe would fall would be donated to him. Thus a new land was created from Gokarna to Kanyakumari where the axe finally landed. Thus Kerala was created and Parasurama, as decided earlier, donated the land to the Brahmins and settled them there in 64 gramams or villages. Among them, 32 are in Kerala and the rest in Karnataka. Sri Parashurama had established 108 plus Shiva temples and they are believed to be pretty old.
Cheruvathur Sri Mahadeva Temple, in Kunnamkulam town of Thrissur district of Kerala is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is a famous one. Simple in appearance, here the east-facing idol
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| Sage parasurama, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, his weapon axe. en.wikipedia.org |
in the garbagriha (Srikovil or sanctum) is believed to have been installed by sage Parasurama. It is part of 108 famous Shiva temples in Kerala. No Hindu temple is devoid of sthalapurana, legend about its origin. Cheruvathur Sri Mahadeva Temple has many legends and is often referred to as "Cheruvathurappan" in this temple. The sanctum is a circular one and the tiled roof is copper-plated, a feature common in Kerala and also at some Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu. The advantage is during rainy season the rain water won't get into the inner part of the roof made of wooden frames and beams. The wooden work is free from seepage.
At this temple the Balikallu is very big and the Namaskara mandapa - hall is not a big one. The water pond is close to the temple. Near-by at Punnathur, there is a Shiva temple where the deity is self -manifested -Swayamboo.
The temple is about 1km away from Kunnamkulam bus stand in Trichur district (but the Cheruvathur village is in Kasaragod district),
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheruvathur_Mahadeva_Temple
Chowalloor Shiva Temple:
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| Chowalloor Shiva Temple, chowalloorsivakshethram.org |
Located just 3 km. towards East from Guruvayoor town, Thrissur District, Chowalloor Shiva Temple, an ancient one, was established by sage Parashurama. A part of 108 Shiva temples established by the sage, here the idol in the sanctum faces west. It is one among the five Shiva temples close to Guruvayoor where God Sri Krishna (Guruvayoorappan) is famous and it is one of the most popular Sri Krishna temples in India. The temple, that is on a land of about four acres, does not have a flag-staff- Dwajasthmbam. Normally, all Hindu temples have a flag-staff close to the main entrance where the temple flag is hoisted on the very first day of any temple festival and this age-old tradition continues even today. That there is no temple flag-pole here is a riddle. Shivaratri and Ashtami Rohini are the major festivals of the temple. The main Balikallu in Balikalpura is about 10 feet tall. The sanctum of this temple is circular in shape with two floors. The conical roof is copper-plated and was renovated in 2001. Daily three pujas are conducted by the temple priests. In Tamil Nadu and elsewhere, in most Shiva temples, there is Aaru Kala pujas (six times a day) being conducted. At this temple there is a shrine for God Subrahmanya (Karthikaya) and the shrine underwent renovation in 2001along with the main temple.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chowalloor_Siva_Temple
