>From ancient times Thirunavaya was known as a center of excellence for
Vedic teachings, with Veda Pada Salas for teaching the Vedas, Sasthras,
Tantric Mantras, performing of rituals and preaching under learned
scholars. Moolavar: Thiru Naavaay – Naavaay Mugundhan, “Narayanan”.in
Nindra Thirukkolam facing his Thirumugham towards East direction.
Prathyaksham for Lakshmi, Gajendran and Navayogis. Thayaar: Malar Mangai
Naachiyaar /”Sirudevi”.Pushkarani: “Sengamala Saras”- since the pushkarani
is found full of Senthaamarai (Lotus);Vimanam: Veda vimaanam. Since, the
sthala perumal is worshipped by Nava yogis and they ae said to great in
their Vedic Knowledge, the vimaanam is named as “Veda Vimaanam”. On the
opposite shore of the temple of Vishnu, there are temples of Lord Shiva and
Lord Brahma. There is also a celebrated school of Vedas to the Namboodiris
adjacent to the Brahma temple , which it is believed was consecrated by
Lord Parasurama. So the devotes consider this place as equivalent to
Varanasi (Benares) , The river near the temple also is considered extremely
important to do Pithru Karmas.The temple was supposed to have been
established by the nine occult yogis viz. Sathuvanathar, Saaloga nathar,
Aadhinathar, Arulithanathar, Madhanga Nathar, Macchendira Nathar,
Kadayanthira Nathar, Korakkanathar and Kukkudanathar. It seems the idol of
Mukunda was consecrated by one of these yogis and as per the custom, the
temple was shut for seven days. But when they opened the temple after seven
days, there was no trace of the idol. Then the second yogi did the
consecration. The same story was repeated till the eighth yogi. So when the
ninth yogi consecrated the yogis did not wait for the stipulated seven days
but opened the temple after three days.They were surprised to see that the
idol has already sunk up to the knee. They immediately used occult manthras
and stopped the further sinking of the idols. So even today, you can see
the idol sunk up to the knee. It is believed that in spite of it the idol
is sinking and when it has completely sunk, Kali Yuga will come to an end
the final deluge will take place then. In course of time the first eight
yogis attained salvation but the ninth yogi , prayed God and wanted him to
send those great yogis back to the temple, The god replied to him that the
eight yogis were still there worshipping the God and showed them to him,
The ninth yogi also wanted to join them. The God fulfilled his wish and it
is believed that al the nine yogis are always there worshipping the god.The
Great yogis and Thanthris do not stand on their foot in this temple but
kneel down before the deity in the belief that underneath the entire floor
several God’s idol (which were lost) lay buried.
Another story is about the connection of sage Markandeya to
this temple. It seems when Markandeya attained the age of 16, Yama, the God
of death started chasing him. Markandeya ran in side the Nava Mukunda
temple. It seems then the God gave him one handful of mud and instructed
him to rush through the west door to the Shiva temple at Thirprangode, make
a shiva linga out of the mud given to him and worship it. As soon as
Markandeya crossed the west entrance, Lord Vishnu closed it by putting a
big stone there.(Even to this day, that door is blocked). Markandeya did as
instructed and was saved by Lord Shiva, who killed, Yama, the God of death.
Apart from the main temples of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi there is
also a temple dedicated to Ganesha in this temple.
KR IRS 28525
On Wed, 28 May 2025 at 11:54, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty <
[email protected]> wrote:
> *TIRUNAVAYA NAVAMUKUNDA TEMPLE, MALAPPURAM DISTRICT-KERALA-**COMPILED*
>
> Dear friends,
>
> Today my posting is about Tirunavaya Navamukumda temple. The temple is
> near Tirur in the Malappuram District of Kerala. It is a very famous temple
> in North Kerala.
>
> The temple is glorified in Divya Prabandha, an early medieval Tamil
> collection of hymns by the Vaishnava Alvars. It is one of the 108 Divya
> Desams dedicated to God Vishnu, who is worshipped as Navamukunda Perumal at
> Thirunavaya.
>
> Hope a divine reading.
>
> Gopalakrishnan 28-05-2025
>
> Introduction
>
> Tirunavaya Nava Mukunda Temple is an ancient Hindu temple at Tirunavaya, on
> the northern bank of the Bharatappuzha. The temple is glorified in Divya
> Prabandham, an early medieval Tamil collection of hymns by the Vaishnava
> Alvars. .The Vaishnava sect of Hindus have 108 Divyadesams (most holy
> temples) and *eleven of them are now in Kerala and Thirunavaya is one
> among them. *
>
> This temple was constructed about 5000 years back. Though it had undergone
> periodical renovations, the last and major renovation with the
> reconstruction of Sanctum Sanctorum was done by the legendary PERUMTHACHAN
> under the direction of the Vettath Raja about 1300 years back.
>
> The reconstruction had the typical ' Perumthachan touch ' making the rays
> of the rising sun fall on the idol on every Medam First ( in Utharaayana
> period, i.e. in April) and on Kanni First,(in Dakshinayana period i.e., in
> October).
>
> Legend
>
> The Vishnu is called "Navamukunda Perumal/Tevar '' as it is believed that
> the idol was the ninth one to be installed in the temple by a group of nine
> Hindu yogis known as "Navayogis' '. *The first eight idols sank into the
> Earth as soon as they were placed there and the ninth sank to its knees
> before it was forcibly stopped.* As the location of the sunken idols are
> not known, devotees used to make pradakshina on their knees. Even
> Alvancheri Tamparakkal and Tirunavaya Vaddhyans were not exempted from this
> practice. Thirunavaya is also known as "Navayogisthala".
>
> The piratti, Lakshmi Devi and Gajendran (the elephant) worshipped the
> perumal and dedicated him with the Lotus flowers from the Lake.
>
> Lakshmi Devi daily plucked all the flowers from the pond before its being
> plucked by Gajendran, the elephant. Seeing the action of Lakshmi piratti,
> Gajendran felt sad and worried about it. Gajendran cried for this and
> prayed to the Perumal. Hearing the voice of Gajendran, the Perumal ordered
> Lakshmi piratti not to dedicate the flowers that were plucked from the pond
> and *instead she has to sit beside him and should accept the flowers
> that’s being dedicated by Gajendran*.
>
> Accepting the words of the Perumal, Lakshmi piratti seated along with the
> Naavaay perumal and accepted the flowers of Gajendran.
>
> In this place , the Naavaay perumal is treated as the father, Lakshmi
> piratti as mother and *Gajendran is treated as their son. *Thus, this
> sthalam explains the relationship between the Perumal (father) and Lakshmi
> (mother) and Gajendran (son).
>
> History
>
> The history of Thirunavaya Nava Mukunda Temple dates back thousands of
> years.
>
> Religiously, Thirunavaya is a significant place for Hindus, as it is home
> to the 6,000-year-old Navamukunda Temple.
>
> It is renovated by Vettath Rajah, a chieftain of Tanur region, 1300 years
> ago, it is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the deity worshipped as Navamukunda
> Perumal
>
> The temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is a revered pilgrimage site where
> thousands of devotees gather during Karkidaka Vavu to perform rituals for
> their deceased loved ones.
>
> The temple has come under attack several times in history, *including by
> the troops of Tippu Sultan* during his invasion of Kerala and then by the
> rebels during the Moplah Rebellion.
>
> Thirunavaya, the land of ancient Mamankam, Tirunavaya is south of Tirur.
> Situated on the banks of Bharathapuzha river; it is a place of historical
> importance. In olden days, Mamankam a grand assembly of rulers was held *once
> in 12 years here.*
>
> * The river bank of the temple is considered holy and the rituals for
> forefathers (bali tarpana/sradha puja) are offered here. *
>
> Architecture
>
> The present temple building is constructed in the indigenous Kerala Temple
> Architecture style.
>
> The architectural style of the temple is the key highlight. Enclosed by a
> rectangular wall with built-in gateways, the outer pavilion within the
> temple walls is called chuttambalam. With the main temple or sri kovil
> located centrally, the roof of the temple and its walls have *wood
> carvings depicting stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata*. The
> temple is also adorned with exquisite sculptures, including depictions of
> the ten avatars (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu.
>
> A rectangular wall around the temple, called kshetra-matilluka pierced by
> the gateways, encloses all the temples within the temple. The metal plated
> flag-post (dhwaja stambha) is located axial to the temple tower leading to
> the central sanctum and there is a deepasthambham, which is the light post.
> Chuttambalam is the outer pavilion within the temple walls. The central
> temple and the associated hall is located in a rectangular structure called
> nalambalam, which has pillared halls and corridors.
>
> Between the entrance of nalambalam to the sanctum, there is a raised
> square platform called namaskara mandapam which has a pyramidal roof.
> Thidapalli, the kitchen used to cook offerings to the Navamukunda is
> located on the left of namaskara mandapam from the entrance. Balithara is
> an altar used for making ritualistic offerings to demi-gods and the festive
> deities. The central temple called Sri kovil houses the idol of the
> Navamukunda.
>
> It is on an elevated platform with a single door reached through a flight
> of five steps. Both sides of the doors have images of guardian deities
> called dwarapalakas. As per Kerala rituals, only the main priest called
> tantri and the second priest called melsanthi alone can enter the sri kovil.
>
> About the temple
>
> The central temple has a square plan with the base built of granite,
> superstructure built of laterite and conical roof made of terracotta tile
> supported from inside by a wooden structure. The roof projects in two
> levels to protect the inner structure from heavy rains during monsoon. The
> roof of the temple and some of the pillars have lavish wood and stucco
> carvings depicting various stories of epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. The
> outer walls around the sanctum have a series of wooden frames housing an
> array of lamps, which are lit during festive occasions.
>
> Deities
>
> The idol of Navamukunda is portrayed only from above the knee, the rest of
> the idol being concealed within the ground. There is believed to be a
> bottomless unexplored pit behind the idol in the sanctum. The idol of the
> Navamukunda is 6 ft (1.8 m) tall, and is made of stone and covered with
> pancha loha. The idol is in a standing posture, with four hands carrying
> Panchajanya conch, lotus flower, Kaumodaki mace and the terrible Sudarshana
> discus. The idol is facing east.
>
> Goddess Lakshmi has a separate srikovil in the Thirunavaya Temple. The
> srikovil is in the north-west of the nalambalam, to the left of
> Navamukunda, and the idol is facing east. The idol only has two hands, with
> varada abhaya mudra.
>
> The specialty of this the temple is that the *Lakshmi devi sannadhi is
> in a separate sanctum, * and it is one of the specialty among the
> Malayala Naatu Divya Desam.
>
> *My note- In Tamilnadu Perumal temples, consorts Bhoodevi and Sri Devi
> will be in the same sanctum or by the sides of Perumal(Lord Vishnu).*
>
> Sub deities
>
> Ganapati (Adi Ganesa/Gajendra), Ayyappa Swami are the associated
> pratishthas
>
> Poojas
>
> The Thirunavaya Nava Mukunda Temple in Kerala follows a set of daily
> rituals that include opening the sanctum sanctorum, performing abhishekams
> (celestial bath), and various poojas. These rituals are performed multiple
> times a day, with five poojas being done. The temple also holds special
> significance for rituals related to ancestors, with devotees performing
> prayers on the banks of the Bharathappuzha River.
>
> Daily Rituals:
>
> Opening the Sanctum Sanctorum:
>
> The temple day begins with the opening of the sanctum sanctorum, where the
> deity resides.
>
> Abhishekam: This involves a ceremonial bath of the deity with various
> sacred substances.
>
> Pooja: The main part of the daily ritual, involving offerings and prayers.
> The rituals generally follow the ṣoḍaśopacara (sixteen upacaras)
>
> Offerings
>
> The Thirunavaya Nava Mukunda Temple offers various poojas and Vazhipadus
> (offerings). These include Lakshmi Narayana Puja, Samvadasooktham
> Pushpanjali, Appam, Karukamaala, Bhagyasooktham Pushpanjali, Saraswatha
> Pushpanjali, Mangalyasooktha Pushpanjali, Malar Para, Ayyappanu
> Chuttuvilakku, Neeranjanam, Shanidosha Pooja, Thaamara Maala, and Paal
> Paayasam.
>
> Additionally, the temple is known for rituals related to the souls of
> the deceased, performed on the banks of the Bharathappuzha river.
>
> The major religious practices are Naivilakku, Thamara mala, Palpayasam,
> Malar mala and Thali Charthal
>
> Festivals
>
> The annual 10-day festival of the temple is held during the month of
> April. Both festivals attract devotees from all over Kerala.
>
> What is the Thirunavaya Temple famous for?
>
> Thirunavaya is a place of worship also with three temples of Brahma,
> Vishnu and Siva on either side of the river. The Nava Mukunda temple
> believed to be *constructed by Nava yogis* situated here is an important
> Vishnu temple
>
> What is the meaning of Nava Mukunda?
>
> It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, specifically in his form as *Nava
> Mukunda, meaning "one who bestows nine blessings."*
>
> How to reach the temple
>
> By Air-43 Km Calicut International air port
>
> By Train- 11 KM Tirur railway station
>
> By Road-11 KM Tirur bus stand
>
> Address:
>
> Nava Mukunda temple, Tirur - Kuttippuram Rd, Malappuram Dist, Thirunavaya,
> Kerala 676301
>
> Phone: +91 494 260 3747,+91 94971 99647
>
> Temple timings
>
> All days: 05:00 AM - 11:00 AM
>
> 05:00 PM - 7:30 PM
>
> No temple Pond
>
> The temple has no pond or well, and water from the river is used for all
> rituals.
>
> About Trimoorthy temples
>
> Opposite to the Bharathapuzha river, a separate temple for Lord Shiva and
> Brahma devan are found. So, we can get the seva of all the Tri-Moorthies in
> this Thiru Naavaay divya desam.
>
> Shradha pooja
>
> The river bank in the temple is considered as holy as Kasi and the ritual
> offering practices for forefathers (bali tarpan/shraddha puja) are similar
> to the ones done there.
>
> Pitru Tharpanam or Thithi or Pinda pradhanam
>
> This temple is famous for pitru tharpanam. Like most of the temples in
> Kerala, One has to pay charges at the ticket counter which is hardly less
> than 100 rupees, And dip in the river(clothes the male needs to wear is
> mundu or dhoti or veshti) and in the wet clothes offer the tharpanam. All
> the ritual pooja items will be provided by the temple. After the ritual is
> complete, the wet clothes have to be changed. The temple strictly does not
> allow pants or other non Indian wear. Strictly men have to be in dhoti and
> their shirts removed.
>
> Mangalasasanam:
>
> Nammalwar – 11 Paasurams.
>
> Thirumangai Alwar – 2 Paasurams. Total 13.
>
> Pushkarani: The pushkarani is named as “Sengamala Saras' '. Since the
> pushkarani is found full of Senthamarai (Lotus), it is named so.
>
> Vimanam:
>
> Veda vimaanam. Since, the sthala perumal is worshipped by Nava yogis and
> they are said to be great in their Vedic Knowledge, the vimaanam is named
> as “Veda Vimaanam”.
>
> Accommodation
>
> Accommodation is provided by the temple administration. Affordable
> accommodation is provided here. Rooms and common dormitories are available.
> One can contact the temple administration for advance bookings.
>
> Administration
>
> Presently, the Thirunavaya temple is administered by Samutiri of
> Kozhikode (Zamorin of Calicut) as the managing trustee under *Malabar
> Devaswom Board,* Government of Kerala.
>
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