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| Anju moorthy temple, Thirumittacode, discoveringindia.nem |
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| Vishnu shrine. .templepages.com |
Uyyavandha perumal / Anju moorthy temple, Thirumittacode town (way back this place was called Thiru Vithuvakkode), Palakkad District of Kerala has two shrines, one dedicated to Sri Vishnu and the other one to God Shiva. This quiet town is close to Shoranur. Pattambi is yet another near-by town. The former is called Uyyavandha Perumal and the latter is referred to as Anju moorthy temple. Vaikunda Ekadashi and Thiruvonam festivals are popular here - one of the oldest temples in this state.
The Vishnu temple is one of the 108 Divaya Desam shrines (94th)
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| Anju moorthy temple, Thirumittacode, divinebrahmanda.com |
On the Prathakshana path near the entrance out side the sanctum there are small shrines dedicated to God Ganesha, Dakshinamurthy and Goddess Durga, besides four idols of Vishnu. This temple is believed to have been worshipped by the five Pandava brothers (Pancha Pandava) of the Mahabharata. While in exile -angnadha vasam from their kingdom, they found this secluded and serene place in the midst of greenery close to the river most suitable for their penance and peaceful life. They, it is said, installed five Vishnu idols for worship. The one here in the sanctum was installed by Arjuna, a reputed archer, rest in the Prakara were installed by other brothers, Dharmar, Bheemar, Nakulan and Shahadevan. According to the sthalapuranam, Vishnu appeared here to give darshan to king Ambarisha.
A unique feature of this temple is there is also a shrine for God Shiva, the great comic dancer who has neither aathi and nor antham (no beginning and no end; all-pervading and omnipresent). The story goes that in the by-gone era a sage from here went to khasi in Uttar Pradesh on a pilgrimage. At Khasi, the sage kept the umbrella on the banks and went for a bath. Upon his return, he found the umbrella missing; the umbrella disappeared to become a Shiva lingam. It is said that lord Shiva took great pleasure to come over to this place from Khasi in order to be with the 5 pandavas. Hence this unique temple is referred to as Anju moorthy sthalam implying the presence of five idols. The place is considered a highly sanctified one on account of God Khasi Viswanathar along with Maha Vishnu, much similar to Thirunavaya Nava Mukundha temple.
The legend related to king Ambarisha, who is believed to have built this temple goes as follows. Being a true devotee of God Vishnu, never had he missed Ekadashi vrata (fasting); following morning being Dwadashi, the King would break his fast by taking food after feeding Brahmins. Many rulers and others in those days followed this age old tradition with religious conviction. Once sage Durvasa, who was known for his intemperate nature, visited king Ambarisha on Ekadashi. The sage who was requested by the ruler to stay until Dwadashi, wanted to test his adherence to this religious tradition of feeding the Brahmins before breaking his fast. Following morning the sage went to the near-by water body to bathe and came late when Dwadasi thithi was over. The King, having waited for the sage, did not want to miss the 'thithi time', so he broke the fast and had food. When sage Dursava realized that the king had already taken food without feeding him, he got angry and had an ogre (a man-eating giant) to kill him. King Ambarisha prayed to Lord Vishnu for help. Vishnu, sensing his true devotee was in danger, sent his Sudarshana Chakra (celestial disc) to kill the giant and the giant fell down for good. After this, the Chakra went after arrogant Durvasa. With no other way to escape the sage fell at the feet of Vishnu and sought pardon. On Vishnu's instruction, the sage apologized to Ambarisha. The lord then asked his devotee to express his wish. He wanted the lord to give him darshan. The other version says the king had salvation in this place. a privilege difficult to get from the almighty. http://discoveringindia.net/thirumittacode-anju-moorthy-temple
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