Sree Rama temple- Thriprayar,Kerala

Sree Rama temple, is  situated on the banks of river Thriprayar which is in Trichur district. This is a 11th century temple. Guruvayur temple is just 23kms from this place.  This temple stands tall on the banks of the river and one can enjoy the  scenic beauty around.

 A golden statue of Lord Rama is enshrined in sanctum sanctorum. The idol possesses 4 hands each carrying a conch, disc, bow and garland respectively. There are also  idols of Boodevi and Sreedevi on either side of the deity . Dakshina Murthy is also worshipped here on the Southern side . It is believed that deity here has some of the aspects of Siva and Brahma too. Hence the deity is said to be a manifestation of Trimurtis. There are sub shrines for Goshala Krishnan and Ayyapa  in the outer circumambulation path. Devotees visiting the temple, as a ritual , feed fish in the river with soaked rice, called as meenutu, to  seek blessings of God.

 The temple sanctum is circular and the roof is conical. There are exquisite paintings, and carvings on wooden panels from  Ramayana epic on the walls of this temple. Ganesha is worshipped in a  small shrine within the inner walls of the temple. An unseen manifestation of Hanuman is worshipped  in the mandapam near the sanctum .

There are also temples dedicated to Rama's brothers Lakshmana, Bharatha and Shatrughna nearby and devotees take a pilgrimage of these 4 temples on a single day in the month of  karkkidagam , the last  month of Malayalam calender. It is known as nalambala darishanam and gaining popularity these days. These temples are in Irinajalakuda , dedicated to Bharatha- Moozhikulam - Lakshmana, and Payyamel - Shatrughna. I shall be posting on these temples one by one

To read more about this  temple  click here.

How to reach- One can approach this temple either from Ernakulam or Thrissur.Both towns have excellent accommodation facilties as well as bus services to this place.
Check photos below.
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMS2W84VNyQvh32833sfzgIyfP3hn8NDjJADn9i

Thenkasi, Kasi Viswanathar temple- Tirunelveli disrict - Tamil Nadu

 If Benares is Kasi of North , it is Tenkasi,   Kasi of South where Lord Siva resides to bless His devotees on the banks of river Chitraru. Worshipping Lord here is considered to be equal to that of worshipping him in Benares.

This temple has a  magnificent  tower that stands 180 feet tall and is visible from kilometres away. This temple is in Tiruvenlveli district of Tamilnadu and is 5 kms from the tourist spot Coutrallam which is famous for its waterfalls having medicinal properties.

The huge coutryard in front of the temple has lush green grass and in the background of the temple we see the Podighai hills full of herbs and medicinal plants. A  mandapam, leads one inside the main temple. Inside the sanctum resides the main deity Kasi Viswanathar , a huge  Sivalingam of exceptional grace and beauty.This is a swayambhu Lingam. The well decked up Lingam  would mesmerise any one . It is total surrender we feel when we are in front of  the Lord of the Universe.  The tranquillity inside renders supreme happiness. Siva's consort  here is known as Ulgammal. The Amman shrine is to the left of the Siva's shrine. There are shrines for Vinayagar and  for Subramanya in the inner prakaram of the temple. Each pillar is adorned with excellent sculptures of Gods and Godesses and of Pandya kings who were patrons of the temple.

The legend is that a Pandya king wished to go the North Kasi to worship Siva there. But Lord appeared to him in his dream and asked him to build a temple to avoid the long journey . He was advised to follow a group of ants and next day he did so and found a swayambhulingam . It is believed that this is the Lingam what we see in the temple now.

How to reach

Tirunelveli is the biggest rail head nearby own nearby which has good  hotel facilities. Tenkasi also has a railway station. This is a small town and is at a distance  of 50 kms. from Tirunelveli.

Pictures in this link
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPO5XlJLcxmeQPGAgpF7-BDptAGIlJGPu2pPUCr