THESANKARANARAYANA TEMPLE , NAVAIKULAM, NEAR CHIRAYINKIL, TRIVANDRUM DISTRICT- KERALA.
Introduction The Sankaranarayana temple at Navaikulam in Chirayinkil Talukof Trivandrum district is located by the side of NH 47 from Trivandrum toKollam, between Kallambalam and Paripalli (about 45 km north of Trivandrum). Set amidst a vast campus, the temple enshrines the syncreticimage of Sankaranarayana, whose left half shows the attributes of Vishnu andthe right half that of Siva. The temple is known for its tranquil surroundingsand spiritual ambiance. The concept of Sankaranarayana, representing a deityencompassing the divine attributes of both Shiva (Sankara) and Vishnu(Narayana), originated between the 8th and 9th centuries. This is one of the most popular Sankaranarayana Swamy templesin Kerala along with PayyanurRamanthali Sankaranarayana Temple. Legend According to the legend, Lord Shiva, accompanied by hisconsort Goddess Parvathi, their son Lord Ganesha, and his sister SriBhagavathy, embarked on a pilgrimage to Sankaran Koil in the present Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu . On their return journey,they halted at Darshanavattom, a vicinity close to Navaikulam. At thisjuncture, Lord Shiva instructed his sister Bhagavathi to identify a suitablelocation for him to rest. During her search, she came to Navaikulam and liked the placevery much as it was full of sandal trees and flowers. Instead of going back to Lord, she decided to be there. Lord Shiva got upset as his sister did not return even afterquite a long time. He asked Goddess Parvathy to remain there and went on asearch for his sister along with Lord Ganesha. They saw Bhagavathi taking restat a place that has a serene atmosphere. Angry with her action, Lord Shivacaught hold of her by legs and threw her away and took that place. Bhagavathy fell a bitaway from this place even now there is a Bhagavathi temple a bit away from theSankaranarayana temple. GoddessParvathy remained at Darsanavattom and there is a temple for her even now. Years after, when the locals found a divine power in thatarea, they tried to build a temple at that place. They approached the King ofAyi dynasty who was running the area. King agreed and the work progressed. When it comes to installing the idol, some people demanded Shiva andsome others for Vishnu. As a compromise, the King told them to install the idolof Sankaranarayana in which the divine powers of Both Lord Shiva and LordVishnu will be there. Thus Sankaranarayana Temple came up. History The temple was renovated undoubtedly in M.E. 614 (A.D. 1439) as can begathered from the vatteluttu inscription (Travancore Archaeological Series I,pt. XVI, pp 421) engraved on the west base of the central shrine. According tothe text of the inscription the temple and the mandapa were built in stone andthe central shrine having been covered with copper plates in that year itself.The Kumbhabhisheka was performed by the King Sri Vira Rama MarthandavarmanTiruvadi of Jayatunganadu and Kilpperur illam. Though it appears from the epigraph that the roof was coveredwith copper plates, but atpresent it carries a roof made of older small tiles which are not in voguetoday. There are manyinscriptions about balikkal addition, Saptha mathru idol installation etc. Architecture It is a temple complex, built of granite and has a number ofgranite sub-shrines. Built on a circular plan, the temple, facing east is anexample of eka-tala vimana, but it is approached through an impressive balikkalmandapa associated with sculptured columns, four in numbers with beautifulimages of the late Vijayanagaraor Nayak plastic tradition. Here there is a definite predominance in the use of granite,the nalambalam, namaskara mandapa and other subsidiary structures are all builtof this variety of stone. The entire outer wall is in stone and has usual decorative elements,simple and subdued. It has two functional doors, one on the east and the otheron the west. The sanctum is covered with small tiles, while the pyramidalroof of the namaskara mandapa is covered with Mangalore pattern tiles. Both thevaliambalam and nalambalam are of stone with tiled roof on woodwork. Outside the nalambalam are the Dhwajam (the flagmast) and theAnapandal (the elephant portico) on the eastern side culminating in thedvara-sala. Sanctum, chief deityand sub deities The circular shrineencloses a square srikovil made of granite. It has its own flight of steps andis encircled by a row of twelve columns along the inner ambulatory. The main deity Sankara Narayana is nearly 6 feet tall. The deity faces east. Other structures within the nalambalam include Ganapathi shrine facingwest just south-east of the Srikovil, the covered Mathrusala containing the sapta-matri-bali stones onthe south side of the srikovil, the well on the north-east corner and thethitappalli in the south-east corner. Particular mention has to be made of the large human sizesculptures of Garuda andHanuman. The Sasthashrine is located on the south-west side.Other sub deities are Bhagavathy, Nagaraja and Nagayakshi Temple pooja Timings 5:00 AM: Nada Thurakkal,6:00 AM: Usha Pooja 6:10 AM: Pantheeradi Pooja,10:30 AM: Ucha Pooja Temple opens at 5:00 PM in the evening 6:40 PM: Deeparadhana,7:00 PM: Athazha Pooja Temple closes at8:00 PM Devotees visit thetemple for Devotees visit the temple to seek blessings for peace,prosperity, and spiritual well-being. Festivals The Temple has a number of festivals. The important ones are: Thiru Ulsavam-The Thiru Ulsavam, celebrated duringthe Malayalam month of Medam, is a significant festival. Devotees gather toparticipate in various rituals, processions, and cultural events, expressingtheir devotion to Lord Sankara Narayana Swamy. The 10-day annual festivalbegins on the Uthrattathi Nakshatra in Medam month with kodiyettam. The templefestival begins with flag hoisting and ends with Arattu on the last day. Devotees get to have darshan of the murti atop a caparisonedelephant during the festival. Usual temple rituals are observed during thefestival. The shrine is decorated with plantain and coconut flower during theoccasion. Temple arts, dance, music and cultural programs are performed duringthe 10-day festival. Navaratri-During Navaratri, the temple hosts various rituals andfestivities. These include the Book Pooja, where devotees offer prayers for theblessing of books and educational materials, Veyppu, a traditional ritualoffering to the deity, and Vidhyarambham, the initiation of learning for children,symbolizing the auspicious beginning of education. Vishu and Karkidaka vavu are also other main festivals in thetemple Etymology Historically,Navaikulam was renowned as a hub for Vedic studies. Numerous Vedic scholarsonce resided here, imparting their knowledge through classes and teachings. Theterm 'Navai' signifies Vedic studies, while 'Kalam' translates to"Place" in the local Malayalam language. Consequently, the villagewas initially named Navaikalam, which later evolved into its current name,Navaikulam. While Navaikulam's historical significance as a centre for Vedicstudies is notable, its contemporary fame is attributed to the reveredSankaranarayana Temple. Deity Sankara Narayana Many historians theorize that this deity emerged as areconciliatory measure to address the enduring feud between the followers of Shiva (Shivites) and Vishnu (Vaishnavites). The temple's legend further supportsthis notion. Some importantofferings Aikyamathiyasooktha Archana ₹50 Arippara₹300 Avil Para₹180 Ashtadravya Ganapathy Homam₹500 Bhagavathy Seva₹300 Chuttuvilakku₹6100 Kalabhabhishekam₹1600 karuka Homam₹50 Kudumbarchana ₹50 KudumbarchanaPayasam ₹90 Lakshmi Narayana Pooja ₹300 Lakshmi Pooja₹125 Menithula Payasam ( 1 Unit) ₹6600 Mrithyunjaya Havanam ₹100 Muzhukapp₹475 Muzhukapp – Venna ₹100 Muzhukappu for Devi ₹475 Nelpara ₹120 Paanakam ₹100 Para - Panchasara₹300 Saraswathi Pooja ₹135 Sastha Pooja ₹130 Shankhabhishekam ₹25 Sharkkara Para ₹300 Swayamvara Archana ₹30 Vadamaala ₹325 Vishnu Pooja ₹125 Contact Address: Navaikulam Sree Sankara Narayana Swamy Temple, Navaikulam,Kerala 695603.Phone Number: 094952 71389 Compiled and posted by R.Gopalakrishnan 7-10-2025 -- 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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