BRAHMAAND SIVA TEMPLES AT TIRUUNAVAYA, MALAPPURAM DISTRICT- KERALA- COMPILED
Dear friends, Today my posting is about the Siva and Brahma temples on theopposite side of Nava Mukunda temple which we have to reach by crossing theBharatha Puzha River, inferry. The bridge is under construction only. Though the concept is one has to worship all the threetemples at Tirunavaya, some devotees leave after worshipping in the NavaMukunda temple itself. Hope a divine reading. Gopalakrishnan 29-5-2025. BRAHMATEMPLE AT TIRUNAVAYA –THAVANUR The Brahma Temple at Tirunavaya is situated on the banks of the BharathapuzhaRiver, alongside the Navamukunda (Vishnu) and Shiva temples, forming a sacredtrinity of deities. The Navamukundan Vishnu temple is on the (northern) bank ofthe Bharathapuzha, while the Brahma and Siva temples are on the (southern)bank, in Tavanur (Thavanoor) village. This temple is a rare sitewhere Brahma is actively worshipped, and it holds significance as a venue for performing rituals for the deceased, especiallyduring the Karkidaka Vavu (July). Key Features andSignificance: Location: Tirunavaya, Malappuram district, Kerala, on the southern bankof the Bharathapuzha River. Trimurti: The temple complex includes temples dedicated to Brahma,Vishnu (Navamukunda), and Shiva, representing the Hindu trinity of creation,preservation, and destruction. Mamankam Festival: Tirunavaya was the venue for the Mamankam, a historicalfestival held every 12 years, and the temple was a focal point for the event. Bali Tharpana: The riverbank near the temple is considered a sacred placefor performing "bali tarpana" rituals, where devotees offer prayersfor the souls of their ancestors. Brahma Worship: The Brahma temple isnotable for being one of the few places where Lord Brahma is activelyworshipped, particularly during festivals like Karkidaka Vavu. Historical Importance: The temple and its surroundings are rich in historicalsignificance, with various landmarks associated with the Mamankam festival. Thirunavaya representsa convergence of the Trimurtis: Brahma, Vishnu, Siva. There are three temples here, dedicatedto the worship of these divine personalities, therefore the place is consideredto be equal to Varanasi. Legend The Brahma Temple here was consecrated by Lord Parasurama,who brought and settled the Brahmins here. Parasurama himself is considered to be a"Brahma-Kshatriya", or one who perfectly balances the duties of bothBrahmana and Kshatriya. For this reason, Brahmadeva is said to be Parasurama'sguru, and having executed a great yajna here in Tavanur, Parasurama dedicated atemple to his guru, Lord Brahma. Introduction Tavanur has three mahakshetras (major temples) – one each to Krishna, Brahma and Shiva.The Brahma and Shiva temples are more than 1300 years old. All these threetemples are built on the southern bank of Bharatapuzha river. There is a huge templededicated to Vishnu (contemporaneous to latter two temples) on the northernbank of the river – opposite to the Shiva temple. Across theriver from Tavanur is Thirunavaya – considered as Kashi of Kerala – whereHindus come to do Pinda pradaana for their deceased ancestors. While Thirunavaya Vishnu temple (called Nava Mukunda temple)is quite popular, the other temples on the opposite banks are less known andhave much lesser visitors. Deity The Brahma temple of Tavanur houses a beautiful murti ofBrahma holding sruk, sruva,vedas and kamandala. Srukand Sruva are ladles used to do yajna. Prajapati Brahma is closely associated with yajna. This isperhaps the only individual temple dedicated to Lord Brahma in entire state ofKerala. There are no othermurtis in this temple.After desecration by Tipu, the temple remained in a dilapidated state till lastdecade. Locals claim that they suffered from sudden outbursts of diseases everyfew years – which was attributed to the anger of Brahma whose temple was leftin a dilapidated state. About a decade ago, localsstarted rebuilding the temple and a pujari has been appointed to do nitya pujato Brahma. They claim that there has been no such outbreak of diseasessince then. The temple is in final stages of reconstruction. Importance Hindu students of the locality have also taken to worshippingBrahma sincerely – as he isthe husband of Sarasvati and thus, seen as Lord of knowledge. TAVANURSHIVA TEMPLE: Introduction This is the main temple ofTavanur. The village isnamed after the Lord here. It is believed that Lord Shiva is doing tapasyahere. Tapasya is known as‘tavam’ in Malayalam. Thus, the place where Lord Shiva does tapasya has come tobe known as Tavanur (place of tapasya). Unlike the other two temples, this temple has always beenunder worship even after Tipu’s desecration. The vandalised temple was rebuilt and worship was restartedby the end of 18th century itself. This temple of Shiva houses a small Shivalingam and sits in aserene neighbourhood right on the banks of the river – a devotee can access theriver from the temple. No wonder that the Lord of destruction has chosen thisplace as His place for peaceful meditation. The serenity of its location isenhanced by presence of avedapathashala nearby. Near the Siva Temple sits the famous Vedic Vidyalaya OthanmarMadom, a famous school of Sanskrit and Vedic education associated withParasurama's colony of Brahmins. At Thirunavaya, theBharathapuzha (also known as the Nila) makes a distinct loop northward, and there are a number of importantsites here on both sides of the river. Legends say that theVilwamangala Swamiyar, who wrote Krishna Karnamruta, was born in the Namboodiri Brahmin family ofVella Mana in Tavanur Hisancestral house, Vella Illam, was on the southern banks of Bharatapuzha river –remains of the house’s foundations can be seen there even today – within thecampus of Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (KCAET),Tavanur. Legend It is said that the sage Markandeya once escaped from Yamaand came here to Navamukundan for shelter. The Lord opened His backdoor andinstructed Markandeya to run to Siva, across the riverbank, as only he couldsave him. Vedapata sala The Thirunavaya Vedapathashala, famous for teaching Rg Veda,is near this temple. This pathashala is also well known for preserving some ofthe rarest oral traditions of Rig Veda samhita, otherwise not so popularelsewhere. The pathashala is centuries old – since before Tipu’s invasions.Every year, at Sree Ramaswamy temple in Kadavallur of Thrissur district, acompetition – called KadavallurAnyonyam – is held between two vedapathashala (Thirunavayapathashala and Brahmaswom Madhom of Thrissur) for 8 days. The more esotericrecitation styles are tested at this competition. Bali tharpana Near the temple, thereis also a place where people can perform rituals for the dead which is calledbali in malayalam and is considered to be a very sacred place as it is theconfluence of the Trimurti. Whileperforming the rituals, the priest will mention to worship the trinity byturning towards their respective temples. The priest is actuallypointing at the Shiva Temple and Brahma temple actually located at Thavanur on the oppositebank of the river Bharathapuzha. Deity The temple is one among the 108 Shiva Temples. This temple is ata walking distance from the Brahma Temple. Location The locations of the three temples actually form atriangle but there is no direct road connecting all the three temples together. >From the Shiva Temple, you can walk to the Brahma Temple . Theroad distance >between Thavanur and Tirunavaya is 14 kilometers and theconstruction has begun >for a direct bridge connecting the two villages whichwill cut short the >distance to just 2 kilometers making it easier for pilgrims to cover all >thethree temples. Specialty Like several other locations we've covered in this series,Thirunavaya represents a convergence of the Trimurtis: Brahma, Visnu, Siva.There are three temples here, dedicated to the worship of these divinepersonalities, therefore the place is considered to be equal toVarnasi. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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