Aranmulla Parthasarathy temple- Kerala

Happy Janmashtami greetings to all . 

Befitting the occasion, I am taking you to the famous Aramulla Parthasarathy temple in Kerala near Chengannur which is on the banks of river Pampa. Aramulla is declared as a heritage village.It is famous for its snake boat race and the Tiruvabharanam procession for Sabarimala temple halts at this temple. Aramulla mirrors are also famous as it is cast with a special metal.

The temple of Parathasarathy, the divine charioteer  is situated in a calm and salubrious atmosphere totally away from the dust and din of the city. The temple is on a higher elevation and a flight of steps leads one to the temple. There are towers  on  four sides of the temple and on Northern side we see river Pampa where the famous Vallom kali  ( snake boat race) starts during Onam, the famous harvest festival of Kerala. This year, Onam falls in September  and those who are interested to see this colourful snake boat race can head towards Aranmulla.There is an intersting legend connected with the Aranmulla boat race . read it here.

Have a 360 degree virtual tour of the temple click here.

The Lord here,  Parathasarathy is Krishna, gives Vishwaroopa darshanam to His devotees as He appeared to Arjuna after the famous Gitopadesham. The temple sanctum is circular in shape with typical Kerala architecture . The idol here is believed to be consecrated  by Arjuna . There are 4 more temples of Vishnu which comes under the 108 divadesams consecrated by the other 4 Pandava brothers, in Kerala. I will be posting about all those one by one. These temples are in the nearby villages and devotees make it a point to visit all of them on the same day.

Just outside the sanctum on the Northen side we find the idol Nirmalyadhari Vikshasenar, 

There is a subshrine for Balabadra, in outer circumambulatory path. 

How to reach:

Nearest rail station is Chengannur. Aramulla temple is 9 Kms from this town.  Nearest airport is at Trivandrum .  

A diversion at Kulanada on NH would take one to this temple.

  My friend Asha has written  an interesting  post on  Uriyadi Varagur temple about the Janmashtami celebrations. Shall be visiting the temple soon and would bring you pictures in the near future.

 To read about Parthasarathy temple of Chennai ,on 'My Pilgrimage' click here.

My Clicks Of Parthasarathy temple, Aranmulla.

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipN0KXCZGe2ldKUpVDZUHesSEnqPVPpkVTaEXZ8e

Tirunageshwaram- ( Rahu sthalam) ,Tamil Nadu

Tirunageshwaram  is an important Navagraha temple in Kumbhakonam ,  Rahu is worshipped here along with his consorts. The presiding deity is Naganatha swamy ( Siva) . His consort is known here as Girigujambika. Rahu is found in the subshrine of the main temple.This is the only place where  Rahu appears in a human form, unlike other temples where he is worshipped as a serpent.

The temple gets crowded here during Rahu Kalam . The idol of Rahu is worshipped and bathed in milk during this period to ward off the ill effects of the planet.

This temple is 7 Kms from the Kumbakonam town. Very near to Uppiliyappan temple.( 1 km)

PHOTOS
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipNe1UcQgruBFyModuUjz-MQosMyrRYA7WXtrOvW

Tiruchherai Saranathan temple, Tamil Nadu

Tiruchherai also known as Udaiyar Koil is a divya desam of Vishnu and here the main deity is known by the name  Saranathan and His consort Saranayaki.  This is the place where  river Kaveri prayed to God to obtain the stature of river Ganga.  Lord Vishnu blesses Kaveri here, along with His consorts, Sreedevi, Boodevi, Neela devi, and Saranayaki.  The idols are well sculpted are quite charming and  beautiful.

  The legend also mentions that during the great deluge, Brahma wanted to protect the Vedas by keeping them in a pot of clay but failed to make a lasting one. He could make one only at Tirucherai, at Sara kshetram  as per the directions of Lord Vishnu.  The temple has a separate sannidhi for Saranayaki.

There are also shrines for Lakshmi Narasimha and Rajagopalaswamy here.

Temple is situated 15 Kms from the town of Kumbhakonam.

How to reach-   Nearest airport is at Trichy. Kumbhakonam is well connected with rail and road.

As Kumbhakonam is a pilgrim town there are many hotels available in the town.

PHOTOS
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMlcxC5t_MRHtL5uVXnC7CoDMtoZHXxxeu-GNqe