SREERANDUMOORTHY TEMPLE, THRIKKANGODE,PALGHAT DISTRICT -KERALA
Introduction The Thrikkangode Randumoorthy temple is located in Manissery, Ottapalam,in the Palghat District of Kerala. It is a big and beautiful temple with huge compound wall and beautifulwalkways. The temple’s uniqueness is that here in inner sanctum there are idols of two Gods, Shiva andVishnu. Lord Shiva is in a west facing position and is believed tobe very powerful, Lord Vishnu is believed to balance the power of Lord Shiva. This temple is believed to be one of the temples installed by LordParasuraman in Kerala. Thisancient temple later withered away and was covered by forest for centuriestogether until it was found out by two Aadivasis Chakki and Chaathan. Story is that when they were cutting tree barks with their sickles theyhit upon the idols and it started bleeding. Scared, they fled. When the locals came toknow about this, they cleared the area and found the two idols with a well bytheir side. Astrologers found out that these were of Shiva and Vishnu andtherefore a temple was erected there. Another version is that they saw a divinelight in between two ponds. Seeveli (procession with God) in this temple is also unique. There are 3seeveli done daily. In this temple if one Seeveli is done for Lord Vishnu the next one is done for LordShiva. This is a diligently followed custom and this normallyresults in Seeveli for Shiva falling perfectly on Shivarathri day. In the yearswhen this doesn’t happen both Vishnu and Shiva together are taken for theSeeveli. People from far way places come here for getting relief from seizure and mental conditions. The belief is that if theperson apply the oil offered to the Gods here, bathe and pray for 21 days in arow, there will be relief from these problems. Key information The "Randu Moorthy Temple at Thrikkangode" is is in thePalakkad district of Kerala, specifically near Ottapalam. The temple is unique forhousing the deities of both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu within the same sanctum,facing west and treated as separate entities with distinct pujas. Location: Thrikkangode, near Ottapalam, in the Palakkad district of Kerala. Deities: The unique feature is having both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnuconsecrated in the same inner sanctum (sreekovil). Prathishta(Consecration): The two deities are consecrated in linga form and facethe west. Pooja (Worship): Pujas are performed separately for each deity, nottogether. Daily dhara (abhishekam) is offered to both, which isnoted as a rarepractice, especially for Lord Vishnu. History: According to folklore, the temple's idols were installed by LordParasurama. It was reportedly covered by forest for many years until itwas rediscovered by two tribal people who accidentally found the idols whilecutting tree. Architecture: Thetemple features exquisite wood carvings and sculptures and has acircular-shaped srikovil. Visiting the temple: Dress code: Like many temples in Kerala, visitors are typically expectedto dress modestly. For men, this often means going bare-bodied with a dhoti.Women should wear traditional attire like saris or long skirts that cover theirshoulders and knees. Offerings (Vazhipad): Offerings can include Archana (worship with flowers), Abhisheka(oblation with liquids), and Vilakku (lighting lamps). Legend The two tribals namedChathan and Chakki were collecting forest wealth and they happened to witness a divine light.They got frightened and ran. Chathan ran towards north and Chakki ran towards south and jumped intotwo ponds. Hence the two ponds came to know with their names andboth the ponds can be seen nearby the temple. This prompted thepeople to clean the area and they found two swayamboo lingams and a well northof it. Devaprasnamclarified that the lingams represented Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu. Thepresent Garbhagriha (Srikovil) was built then. The root of the two lingams aresaid to be so long as to reach a deep well that is 10 meters away. History As per history, thetemple belonged to Pozhathu, Varikkasseri and Paruthipra manas. Later it wasmanaged for a brief period by Kavalappara Nair. Now the temple is managed by a local committee . Main Deities Lord Vishnu & Lord Siva.Lord Vishnu is one of the principal deities in Hinduism, known as the preserverand protector of the universe. Lord Shiva is revered as the supreme deity inShaivism, embodying the aspects of destruction, transformation, andregeneration. The sanctum sanctorumis circular (vatta sreekovil) and darshanam is towards west. Vishnu Bhagavan ison left and Shiva is on right in the sreekovil. Other Deities The Upa Devatasworshipped in the temple are Sri Krishna, Goddess Parvati, Ganapathi andAyyappan. Separate Vishnu temple Inside themathilakam, situated is another temple exclusively for lord Vishnu (UchaankodeSri Krishnan), who is very powerful and is again facing west. There is also aprathishta of Lord Ganapathi facing east. Another lord Ganapathy is upadevan tothis lord Vishnu. Poojas The Tanthri and oneof the trustees of the temple belong to Bhargava gothram, which is said to beindicating the relationship between them and Sri Bhargavaraman. The poojas to thesetwo deities are performed separately and never together. Lord Siva and LordVishnu are treated as two deities in the same sreekovil. In other words, thechaithanyas of lord Siva and lord Vishnu are present separately andharmoniously inside the same garbhagriha. Both the deities are offered withdhara (abhishekam) every day. It is said that in no other temple, lordVishnu is offered with daily dhara. On the east side ofthe circular sreekovil, there is a wall mural of Goddess Parvathi who is saidto be very strong in marriage cases. Bhoothathan Thara hasto offer another significant story. Several diseases are said to be cured oneating the sand from the opening of this thara especially of children. Temple well The abhisheka Jalamis said to be reaching the well through the underground passage. Therefore the wateris treated with full devotion. Only the Brahmins are allowed to fetch waterfrom this well. The water is said to be very tasty and healthy and had notdried for centuries. Festivals Annual festival: The 7-day Utsavam2025 at Randu Moorthy Temple, Thrikkangode, Palakkad, is an annual celebrationheld in December-January (Malayalam month of Dhanu). Main offerings ofthis temple are Navakam, Panchagavyam and shanghabhishekam during festivaltime. The temple premisesremains closed after uchapooja, sheeveli and sreebhoothabali. Kazhchasheeveliand Panchavadyam are the main programmes conducted after noon in whichelephants participate. During Niramalafestival beautiful flowers are brought from the neighbouring places to decoratethe temple festival. Ezhunallath (procession) of God is a main function onsreeboothabali. The family called Aluku Veluthedathukar has the right to bringthiruthada for decorating the idol of God. They enter the temple premisesthrough east and hand over the thiruthada to kazhakakkar. They receive them andoffer to the god in sreekovil. This ritual is followed even now fromgenerations. EVENTS/PROGRAMS • Panchari Melam•Elephant Procession • Navakam• Panchagavyam • Shanghabhishekam• Uchapooja • Sheeveli• Sreeboothabali • Kazhchasheeveli•Panchavadyam Lakshadeepa Samarppanam:The LakshadeepaSamarppanam is a sacred ritual observed at the Sree Randumoorthy Temple inThrikkangode, Palakkad district, Kerala. During this ceremony, devotees offerthousands of oil lamps to the deities, creating a mesmerizing display of lightand devotion. The flickering flames symbolize the illumination of the soul andthe dispelling of darkness, invoking blessings for prosperity, happiness, andspiritual enlightenment. Vishu:Vishu, celebrated in the SreeRandumoorthy Temple in Thrikkangode, Palakkad district, Kerala, is marked bythe traditional Vishukkani ritual, where devotees wake up to auspicious sightssymbolizing prosperity for the upcoming year. It is a time of joyousgatherings, feasting, and cultural festivities, as devotees seek blessings forabundance, prosperity, and well-being in the New Year. Niramala: This is the most importantfestival of the temple. Celebrated towards the end of Mandala month it is agrand celebration of lights and traditional melam. Idols are decorated withflowers and is a grand vision for the devotees. Navaratri Pooja is another big celebration. Prathista Dinam: Celebrated every year on thePunartham day of Kumbham month. Shivarathri, Ashtami Rohini are also celebrated inlarge scale in this temple. Main Offerings Some of the important offerings are Palpayasam, Karayil Appam,Kadinapayasam, Special Puja for Sreekrishnan, Rudrabhishekam,Mruthyunjayahomam, Ottappam, Dasha Deepam, Shata Deepam, Sahasra Deepam,Dashasahasra Deepam, Sarvaiswarya Pooja, Ayyappanu Chuttuvilakku. How To Reach By Air: Calicut International Airport is the nearest airport situated at78.7KM from the temple. By Road: Palakkad KSRTC Bus Stand is 36.7KM from the temple. By Rail: Palakkad Junction Railway Station is 37.5KM from the temple,and is main railway station. Nearbyrailway station is Ottapalam. Contact Address: Sree RandumoorthyTemple, Thrikkangode village, Chorottur, Ottapalam, Palakkad, Kerala 679521.PhoneNumber :0466 224 6057 Accessibility 🚌 Nearest Bus Station: AUP SchoolBus Stop- 550 m 🚂 Nearest Railway Station:Ottapalam Railway Station- 5 Km Informationcompiled from different websites and posted by R. Gopalakrishnan dated22-10-2025. -- 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]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1000194658.3428496.1761102526151%40mail.yahoo.com.
