Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Koodal Manikkam temple- Irinjalakuda, Kerala.

Koodal Manikkam temple, Irinjalakuda is dedicated to Lord Bharatha , Lord Sree Rama's brother. Here the deity,Bharata is also known as Lord Sangameshwara. This is the only temple in India dedicated to Lord Bharata. This temple is situated at a distance of 22 Kms from the Sree Rama temple, Triprayar. and forms parts of the Nalambala darisanam. 

The temple structure and its sprawling grounds are of exceptional beauty and one can see a huge  Koothambalam on the Southern side where the famous performing arts koodiyattam and koothu are conducted.  The porches on East and west side are huge and tall. It can accommodate up to 21 elephants during the temple festivals. The main towers on the East and West  are simple but they stand tall and magnificent. There are 2 ponds inside the temple and meenuttu , feeding fish is famous here too.

There is a dress code for men and women here for those who wish to go to inner most part of the temple to worship the God. 
For Men- Dhoti and angavastram and for women - sarees. 
Chudihars and pants, shirts  are not allowed. 

This is supposed to be a 9th century temple. More details can be found at this http://www.hindudevotionalblog.com/2009/05/koodalmanikyam-temple-irinjalakuda.html.

How to reach-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.

Pictures in this link 
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOwKGUdtveuAcj2GZRtvwbQ0VhReojWXL743XbZ






50 comments:

P.N. Subramanian said...

Now you are very close to my native place. Your photographs are great. Incidentally this temple was originally a Jain shrine which got converted. It is said that there is no idol of Ganesa here.

Arti said...

Wonderful.. so good to see the temple well kept amid all the greenery. Very beautiful pictures. I was particularly intrigued by the weighing scale. Is it used during festivals?

Insignia said...

The temple looks neat and serene. Seems to be conservative, not even churidhar!!

Mridula said...

Lovely pictures, I have not been to Kerala yet.

KParthasarathi said...

Dedicated to Bharata means what?Is there a shrine for Bharata or did he worship Lord Sangameshwara?The temple seems very spacious with large halls.Is there a sannithi for the consort of presidinbg diety as we find in Tamil nad temples?Nice pictures.Thanks

chitra said...

PNS, I never knew it was a Jain shrine. Absence of Ganesha is also news to me.thanks for the info.

chitra said...

Arti, the balance is used for a ritual called thulabaram, I have mentioned that in my last post.Devotees sitting in one pan make offerings of sugar, jaggery, coins etc equal to their weight to the Lord. Shall post a picture of that soon.

chitra said...

Insignia, even Guruvayur temple is allowing is Chudidhar these days but here it is a big No.

chitra said...

Mridula, make one trip. you would love it..

chitra said...

KP
I have mentioned clearly Bharata is also known as Sangameshwara.But the deity appears like Vishnu .No shrine for Thayar here. It is said that Bharata is awaiting Rama's arrival and is in a happy mood.

R Niranjan Das said...

I have been wanting to visit this temple for the past 4-5 years. Always gets cancelled or postponed. Thanks for this wonderful post. Inspires me again. :)

http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2012/04/conserve-wildlife.html

chitra said...

Niranjan, hope you are able to visit soon.thanks

Shri said...

Beautiful Chitra! visited it long time back.
I believe, this is one of the temples, which harks back to the Jain history in Kerala. Many such temples with 'standing' figures exist. The Thiruvilwamala Sree Rama temple near Ottapalam is another example.

Advance Vishu greetings.:-)

Teamgsquare said...

Wow , nice temple and lovely pictures ...

chitra said...

Shri.
I came to know today only this temple was a Jain shrine.thanks for the input abt. Ottapalam temple also. If I go that side would remember to visit that also.
Vishu Greetings to you also.

chitra said...

TGS
thanks a lot for the appreciation.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

As always wonderful photos, you never fail to amaze me with how good they are. Today I've learnt two new words - koodiyattam (thanks for the explanation) and angavastram which Google informs me is a piece of cloth worn by men during religious festivals, is this a correct summary? I only ask as it is not unheard of for Google to get it wrong.

chitra said...

PW,
thanks.
Angavastam is a traditional costume but it actually means a cloth that is used for covering the torso.
This is used during festivals, visiting temples and while performing religious ceremonies. Pic 17 has a person wearing the angavastram.

Shri said...

Thanks Chitra; was hampered by several things. Will write to you in a couple of weeks!

Ramakrishnan said...

A lovely temple in Irinjalakuda !

ashok said...

beautiful temple..iam seeing for the first time.Thanks C

chitra said...

Ramakrishnan, thank you. Have you visited this?

chitra said...

Ashok
thanks dear Ashok.

StarTraci said...

Lovely. The dress code is very interesting. Is that due to the age/history (9th century) or is that common for the inner temples?

:-)
Traci

chitra said...

Star Traci
Some temples are very conservative and follow these rules but not all.

Martina said...

This place looks so quiet! A place for people to rest and find breathing space. Have a lovely week Chitra!

R. Ramesh said...

thanks chitraji 4 those consoling words..and sorry for late reply.just returned to sharjah..am really touched..will stay connected:)

chitra said...

Thanks Martina,
Nice to see you.Shall see you soon.

sm said...

beautiful pics

chitra said...

thanks sm.

chitra said...

Ramesh, I understand. take care.

StarTraci said...

Thanks for the clarification.
:-)
Traci

ജയരാജ്‌മുരുക്കുംപുഴ said...

manoharamayittundu...... aashamsakal...... blogil puthiya post...... NEW GENERATION CINEMA ENNAAL...... vayikkane...........

Shobha Kamath said...

Great pics ! I visited Kerala once and would love to visit again to see the temples.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Stopping by to say hello and wish you well.

chitra said...

Shobha, thanks a lot.

chitra said...

PW, welcome. Love your visits.

chitra said...

jayaraj thanks. shall do for sure.

Rhapsody Phoenix said...

Namaste.....
Thanks for sharing, the photographs are wonderful. One question, i saw the sign about what not to wear, then what wear is premitted?

chitra said...

Rhapsody,
Only traditional costumes, sari is allowed and Dhoti are allowed.Sorry for the delay in replying as I was away.

sm said...

beautiful pics

chitra said...

thanks SM

R. Ramesh said...

u r doing a gr8 job chitra ji..proud of u..

chitra said...

thanks Ramesh.

Sridharan said...

Superb..!

chitra said...

Sridharan, thanks

parvathi said...

Hai..will u tell me what is the dress code at thiruvilwamala sree ramakshethram

Unknown said...

Nice temple.........jay sree ram

chitra said...

Parvathi- I haven't visited Tiruvilwamala..so cannot tell ..But most of the Kerala temples,men can enter the main shrine only in Veshti and angavastram..for ladies sari or chudidar.. ( some temples do not allow pants)

chitra said...

Smiju-thanks