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| Sree Vallaban temple, Thiruvalla, Kerala, myoksha.com |
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| part of flag-mast-Sree Vallabha temple Kerala journeyviakerala.wordpress.com |
Above image: A part of 54 foot tall flag-mast made of stone- metal plated, Sree Vallabha temple Kerala......
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| Panthanmthitta dist., Kerala. indianetzone.com |
Shri Vallabha temple temple located on the banks of the River Manimala at Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala is a famous shrine for the Vaishnavites (followers of Sri Vishnu) and an important pilgrimage center in Kerala state. The salient features are the tall stone flag-mast before the sanctum and the presence of a big idol of Lord Vallabha (Sri Vishnu) and Shee Sudarsana in human form installed in the sanctum.
Shri Vallabha Temple at Thiruvalla ( Pthanmithitta district) is unique and popular in Kerala for the following reason:
01. Dating back to several centuries since 59 BCE the temple has been following the same worship protocol . This puja rituals, erc., are rooted in orthodoxy and no compromise is made on adherence to Sastras covering temple rituals. The Vallabha kshethram is mentioned in Garuda and Matsya Puranas, confirming the antiquity of this temple.
02. Two samprathays ( ritual workship)i are common in many temples of Kerala - Vaidiha Sampradaya established in 4th AD and . Tantra Samuchayam is practiced in some Bhagavathy temples of Kerala. .
03. To the main god Sri Vallabhan , several offerings are made, one being the traditional dance of Kerala - Kathakali. It is a ritualistic offering done between 10 pm to 1 am (following morning). This is the only temple in India where the dance offering to God is made almost daily. This practice has been in vogue for centuries.
04. The temple priests entering the sanctum/Srikovil must follow the traditional norms set by the temple authorities. They must take bath in the temple tank Jalavanthy and must wear sandal paste on the fore head. Sacred Viboothi (ash) is strictly prohibited (this is true of devotees as well) on the temple premises. The main priest must be 50 plus year old and his family does not have any hereditary rights in the Shiva temple. The priests are changed every three years. Yet another restriction is the priests entering the sanctum are not allowed to enter other shrines on the temple complex.
05. This is the only Vishnu temple where both the deity and the Sri Chakra are worshipped under the same roof. The Srichakra installed here is an ancient one and later a shrine had been built by the queen of Cherman . Cherumthevi in 59 BC.
06. The main deity Sreevallabhhan ( Sri Vishnu incarnated as a bachelor to kill a demon) is a Brahmachari (bachelor), hence women were not allowed inside the temple till 1968 except on a couple of festival days.
07. The surrounding compound walls on all four sides are 4.5 foot thick and 12 -foot tall, stretching 566 feet all around with a two-tier entry tower (gopura vaasal) facing all cordial direction. The boundary wall is made of red granite.
08. In almost all temples the flag-mast (Dwajasthampam) is made of metal - mostly copper or brass pand also gold in some temples. But, here the tall flag mast facing the Vallabha shrine is made of monolithic black granite.
09. The temple water tank is a big one covering 1.5 acres and the temple complex includes a sprawling 8 acres of land including vacant space.
10. The primary idol of Sri Vallabha in the Srikovil - sanctum is a beautiful tall ( 7-foot tall) massive one in standing posture over a tall platform The legendary architect of this temple was Perunthachan.
11. A striking feature in this temple is the 54 foot tall Garuda sthambam - flag mast made of stone was built centuries ago. Some records mention it has been there since 57 BC. . It is mentioned that it was sculpted by the legendary architect Perunthachan,
12. The temple administration had been under the care of the Brahmin family- Pattillathil Pottimar (Brahmins of ten families) till 1752-1753. - The ruler of Travancore Marthanda Varma,- 1752-1753 seized control from the Brahmins and, it is believed, that later Ramayyan Dalawa looted whole temple assets and took them to Thiruvanantha Puram. So it was once a rich temple.
13. The 10 day annual festival in February, attracts lots of people During this period amazingly 12,000 bunches of Padatti Pazham (a variety of bananas) are made as offerings to the lord on the first day itself.
14. Jalavanthi or Khandakarna theerthem, it is said, is self originated pond is said to contain 64 hidden idols of the Lord. This pond is not for the devotees to use it and is for the priests entering the sanctum -Garbagrih. .
15. The first ever work in the form of prose in Malayalam script is the Thiruvalla inscription dated to the first half of the 12th century AD, and came to light only in 1915.
16. The Unnuneeli Sandesam of the 13th century AD mentioned in details the splendor, beauty and the serenity of the surrounding places.
17. This place once was a popular center of spirituality education. More than 1000 students were taught various courses in Vedic scripture. Ayrvedha, astronomy, maths and other courses were offered. The temple management ran an Ayurvedic hospital with provision to take care of numerous patients.
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| flag-mast, Garuda Mandapa and main shrine, Sree Vallabha temple, kerala, wikipedia |
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| 2nd passage, west side, Sree Vallabha temple,Thiruvalla,Kerala, en.wikipedia org |
19. The astonishing fact is there are no black granite outcrops either here or in the neighborhood. Where did they find the rock and how did they carve out a long cylindrical pillar out of a single block is a mystery.
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| Shri Vallabha temple, Kerala .facebook.com |
Above image: The massive metal image of Garduda atop the roof of the main shrine fainf the flag-mast with metalled cover. .................
20. Another mystifying fact is how did they set the 3 foot massive metal idol of Garuda atop the roof facing the mast Garudadeva in sitting posture hold his hands in supplication
21. Vallyambalam ( structure linked to naalambalam at its main entrance and between Naalambalam and balikkalpura) has two tiers with copper-plated roofs supported by 16 stone pillars. These pillars and the roof have beautiful minute carvings done with meticulous care. These features highlight the extraordinary skills of the artisans of past era.
.22. Circular Srikovil - (sanctum or garbagriha) is rare. Here, the main deity Sree Vallabhan facing the Garuda flag-mast, is installed in the sanctum whose outer perimeter is 160 feet. It has three concentric walls.The deity has four arms carrying Chakra, conch (sangu) etc..
23. The 7 foot tall massive idol is placed on a 10 foot platform right under the roof of Srikovil. To see the idol, the devotee has to bend his body to see the crown, but, bottom can not be seen. This is unusual in other Hindu temples of South India.
24. The circular, copper roofed and gold-plated domed sanctum is amazingly adorned with finely etched murals of other deities - Matsya, Kaaliyamardana, Kurma, Dakshinamurthy, Varaha, Venu gopala, Maha Ganapathy, Besides, the various avatars of Sri Vishnu, goddess Lakshmi, Kali avatar (not yet taken by the lord) and garuda are etched in a clock-wise manner.
25 .Also installed in the Srikovil is Sudarsana in human form with eight hands each carrying various attributes of Sri Vishnu and his weapons, etc..
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| Garuda image Sree Vallabhan temple, kerala, journeyviakerala.wordpress.com |
Above image Garuda image above the roof facing the shrine, Sree Vallaban (Sri Vishnu temple); a divyadesam shrine.
26. This is the only/ sanctum in a Vishnu temple where both Sri Vishnu and Sudarsana are installed under the same roof. Elsewhere, in many Vishnu temples, there is separate shrine for Sri Sudarsana.
27. The belief has been that the tall, massive walls all around the temple stretching 550 feet .and the tall stone Garda Sthambam were built on a sing day (in 57 BC) by the crew of the lord. - apparently boothaganas. -goblins?on lord's instruction
28. The architect of this temple designed the Graruda image that was cast in Pachaloka ( a blend of five metals) and set atop the flag-mast.
29. The place Thiruvalla was once a village among 64 Namboothiri villages in Kerala. and this temple is the largest (land-wise) and oldest in Kerala state. It is an important divyadesam shrine in Kerala like the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvanantha puram. .
https://journeyviakerala.wordpress.com/2020/03/20/famous-temple-in-thiruvalla-sree-vallabha-temple/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sreevallabha_Temple
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