Chengannur Mahadeva Temple

Introduction to the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple

The Chengannur Mahadeva Temple is an ancient temple located at Chengannur, Alappuzha district, Kerala. It is a unique temple known for its special rituals and excellent architectural designs. The Chengannur Mahadeva Temple is also known as Gateway to Sabarimala.

Legend of the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple

There are many exciting stories about the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple. According to a legend, once Vishnu, Brahma, Sages, Devas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, and all other heavenly beings went to Mount Himalayas to attend the auspicious marriage of Shiva and Parvati. The Trimurti requested Sage Agastya to sit on Shonadri to prevent the earth from plunging to the northern side due to the weight of all the guests who had come for the marriage ceremony. Though sage Agastya agreed to their request, he expressed concern about missing the chance to view the auspicious marriage.

After the marriage, Shiva and Parvati went to meet Agastya at Shonadri. As Parvati had started menstruating, she could not go back. So, she remained there till the period of menstruation was over. The place where Sage Agastya meditated is called Shonadri in Sanskrit. It is Chenkunnu (Red Hill) in Malayalam. Later, it became Chen Kunnu Uru (Uru refers to a place). Hence, the place became Chengannur.

The Architecture of the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple

The Chengannur Mahadeva Temple is a classic example of Kerala temple architecture. This temple is famous for its excellent woodwork and fabulous mural paintings. It sprawls over six acres of land. Perumthachan, a great Kerala architect, designed the temple in the 18th century. Most of the temple's woodwork and artworks were ruined during a fire. Vanghipuzha Thampuran renovated the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple after the fire accident, except for the Koothambalam. As it was uniquely designed and constructed by Perumthachan, it could not be restored to its original position. However, the temple still houses many amazing murals and paintings.

The Chengannur Mahadeva Temple has a two-tier Rajagopuram, Dhwaja Sthambham (flag post) and Deepa Sthambham. Some of the pillars in the temple have stucco carvings depicting several stories from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. A beautiful Koothambalam (temple theater), stunning Mandapams and a mesmerizing Mukha Mandapam with exquisite woodwork are seen in the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple. A Chuttambalam is also seen within the temple walls. Kshetra-Madhilukal, a rectangular wall around the temple, encloses all the shrines in the temple. Mahadev, a form of Shiva, is the presiding deity of the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple.

The temple's sanctum (Sree Kovil) is circular in shape. The Shiva Lingam faces east, and his consort, Parvati, faces west. The gold-plated Shiva Lingam has the image of Shiva-Shakti (Ardhanareeswara). The Shiva Lingam is said to be self-manifested (Swayambu). The idol of Parvati is made with an alloy of five metals (Panchaloha). The sanctum is on an elevated platform with a single door, and priests can reach it through a flight of five steps. The images of guardian deities, Dwarpalakas, are on either side of the sanctum doors.

Ganapati, Shasta (Ayyappan), Chandikeswarar, Neelagreevan, Ganga, and Nagar have separate shrines.

The Travancore kings are the main contributors to the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple.

Festivals in the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple

The Chengannur Mahadeva Temple celebrates a unique festival called 'Thripootha Arattu' based on an interesting belief. It symbolizes fertility and is closely connected with the menstruation ceremony. The Chengannur Mahadeva Temple is considered to be a Shakti Peetam because of the menstruation symptoms observed periodically in the idol of Parvati here. The temple celebrates this unique festival with great fervor.

The temple also conducts a 28-day annual festival called 'Varshikotsavam' during December and January. Shivratri and Chitra Pournami are also celebrated with great zeal here. Thulasamkrama Neyyattu is the Ghee Abhishekam festival of the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple. The temple conducts this ceremony every 1st day of Thulam month (October to November). On this occasion, the priests shower 36 Paras of ghee on the Shiva Lingam. Para is a measuring vessel in Malayalam.