Thiruvambady Krishna temple, Thrissur

Continuing the pilgrimage in Thrissur, your friendly bee is now headed to the temple of little Krishna known as Thiruvambady Kannan. The temple is located in Punkunnam near the Punkunnam railway station.

Thiruvambady temple is at the dead end of a straight road. The road splits to two different ways at the threshold of the temple. Take a right at this road to head to the Vadakunnathan Shiva temple, and left if you want to go to Shornur. If you are lucky, you can catch a glance of the little Lord from the road. There is a deepasthambam right in front, but if stand at the correct angle, you will be able to see the Lord. 

The temple is opened for the day at 4.30 a.m. Devotees can witness the vagacharthu or the oil bath at 5.00 a.m. The baby Lord is gently massaged with special oils and a traditional herbal cleansing lotion. He is then washed with water and milk before being fed butter and malar or puffed rice. The temple closes at 11.00 a.m. after the uccha pooja or the noon prayers. It opens again at 4.00 p.m. and remains open till 8.00 p.m. when the Lord is put to bed. We get there by eight in the morning. As we step in, the vazhipadu counter is to our left, where we can buy coupons for offerings. The temple offices are to the right of the entrance. 

Go straight in to the smiling murthy of baby Krishna, who stands in nothing more than a komanam, or a small cloth that covers his loins. The black stone murthy is decorated with a pair of flat and round gold earrings on either side, a flat gold circular pendant on his neck, and a flat gold round ornament on his forehead. His right hand holds a small gold flute, and his feet have little gold anklets. A gold aranyanam adorns his waist. (The purpose of an aranyanam is to protect the wearer from the evil gaze. Mostly tied around the waist of small children, it can range from black or red threads to gold chains made for this purpose.). Garlands of tulasi and lotus blooms are draped around him, with care taken not to burden his small shoulders (or block the murthy from the devotees’ sight). Small venchamarams (fans) made from peacock feathers are placed behind him. A few loose peacock feathers are also placed near him. 

I stand worshipping this beautiful sight, lit by the glow of the oil lamps both inside and outside the sanctum. Two metal frames are placed parallel to each other in the small area in front of the sanctum to organize the crowd and prevent crowding directly in front of the murthy. I circumambulate the small shrine, and move to pay my respects to Bhagavathy, who is worshipped in a shrine on the left of Kannan. The Goddess is an incarnation of Kodungallur Amma, and is also represented as a little girl. The Goddess is a stone murthy, covered in a gold sheath. We place our offerings in both hundis before the respective deities, and step out to worship the other deities in the temple. 

There is a small back gate that leads us to the set of temples behind Kannan’s and Bhagavathy’s shrines. Outside, a priest is handing out prasadam for the day. We gratefully accept the payasam, and step aside to swallow it. A tap stands a few feet away, where we wash our hands. 

There is a small open corridor of sorts where you can buy souvenirs like pictures of Thiruvambady Kannan, Paramekkavu Bhagavathy, Vadakunnathan, and Guruvayoorappan. I spot one of little Guruvayoorappan playing with Kurooramma, the famous lady to whom the Lord is said to have given darshan in the form of a little boy. 

We enter the area that houses other deities. To the left, just as you enter, is a small store where you can buy offerings like coconuts for Ganesha, and flowers, bananas, and incense sticks. We buy a few coconuts and break them at the small stone kept for this purpose. 

This stone is kept a few feet in front of the pot-bellied Ganesha, who happily accepts the offerings made to him. To our left, slightly beyond the space for breaking coconuts sits Lord Subramanya, facing the direction of Lord Ganesha. 

We do a pradakshinam to Subramanya and pay our respects to Vigneshwara, do a pradakshinam and move ahead. A lady sits at a side threading flowers into garlands for the Lord. Traditionally, in Kerala, a community of people called ‘ambalavasis’ or temple dwellers have the exclusive privilege to make garlands, grind sandal paste, wash the holy utensils, and similar tasks for the deity. Chakiyar, Warrier, Pisharody, Marar and Nangiar are some of the common surnames used by ambalavasis. Nangiars, Chakiyars and Marars are traditionally associated with temple arts like Chakiarkoothu and percussion.

We bow before Lord Anjaneya whose shrine is facing Ganesha; and step out. We re-enter the main temple precincts and greet Lord Dharmashastha. We walk on and reach the exit. I turn around to greet the Lord once more before we leave. The heart is truly filled with joy after meeting this sweet little Krishna, who is in the form of a toddler! I shall leave you here friends, and till I take you to the next devalayam, stay devout, and stay safe!