Thrikkakara Temple, Kochi

Introduction

Thrikkakara Temple is a Vishnu shrine dedicated to his Vamana Avatar. It is located in Thrikkakara, Kochi, in Kerala. Here the Lord is worshipped as Thrikkakarayappan or Thirukatkarai Appan. While it is claimed that it was Parashurama, himself an incarnation of Vishnu, who established this shrine, the temple, as such, is said to be more than 2000 years old. This is also regarded as a Divya Desam, a particularly holy abode of Vishnu, as the Azhwar saints have revered this Lord in their sacred Divyaprabhandam hymns. Onam, indisputably the greatest festival of Kerala, is said to have originated only at this place, and the temple remains the center of the Onam celebrations.

Temple Legends

The legend Bhagavata Purana speaks elaborately about the Vamana incarnation of Vishnu. Bali, the grandson of Prahlada, the great Vishnu devotee was a mighty Asura king, who was virtuous, benevolent, but arrogant. He invaded the heavenly kingdom of the Devas and brought it under his control. To mitigate the plight of the Devas, Vishnu assumed the form of Vamana, a dwarf or a young boy, went to the place where Bali was performing a great sacrifice carrying a wooden umbrella and sought from him the land measurable by just 3 paces of his small foot. It was a strange request, but Bali agreed readily to grant the bright-looking young man, what he wanted, even overruling his Guru Sukracharya’s objection. Immediately, Vamana began growing in size, soon assumed the gigantic form of Trivikrama, and measured the heaven and earth with 2 paces of his massive foot. Left with no option for giving him the land for the third step, Bali offered his head, on which the Lord placed his foot, and pushed the demon down to the netherworld. Thus, while Vamana got back the heavens for the Devas, he also acknowledged the generosity and honesty of Bali, crowned him the king of the world below and made him a Chiranjeevi, an immortal. So blessed by the Lord, Bali became Mahabali. Thrikkakara is said to be the capital of Mahabali, and this incident is believed to have happened where the temple stands today.

As per another legend, once a rich man was getting very less yield from his plantain field. He then offered a set of plantations with piety and faith to the Lord, and subsequently, his field started yielding golden plantains. And this is said to have become the ‘Nentiram Pazham,’ a banana variety famous in Kerala.

The Architecture of Thrikkakara Temple, Kochi

The temple complex lies in a vast area in picturesque surroundings. In the main shrine or the sanctum sanctorum, Vamana can be worshipped as Thrikkakarayappan or Thirukatkarai Appan, about to place his foot on King Mahabali’s head. Deities like Gopalakrishna, Bhagavati, Yakshi, Naga, and Brahmarakshasa, and Sarpa Kavu find their place in the temple. A Shiva shrine also forms part of the complex, which houses the images of Durga, Ganesha, and Karthikeya, apart from Lord Shiva. The walls of the inner complex are adorned with thousands of traditional lamps, called Chuttu Vilakku, the ‘surroundings lights.’ There are two temple tanks. The one near the sanctum is meant only for the priests, while waters are drawn for the ceremonial Aaraattu bath of the idol during the Onam festival, from the other tank that lies just outside the temple. The temple also has halls or stages for cultural performances and Onam festivities. There are records in the temple to show that the Onam festival was held here as early as 861 CE.

Temple Festivals

Thrikkakara is considered as Mahabali’s place, and Onam is a festival closely associated with the king. Hence it is no surprise that the Thrikkakara Temple remains the nerve center of the Onam celebrations, held for 10 days during the Malayalam month Chingam (August-September). Even in the Onam festivities observed in other places, an image representing Vamana is installed with the name Thrikkakarayappan, and worship is offered to him. The Onam celebrations in this temple include decorations, processions, performances of arts and culture, and feasts.

Benefits of worshipping Lord Thrikkakarayappan

It is believed that this Lord can bless devotees with prosperity and abundance and that people who worship him regularly can experience immense all-round growth in their lives.