Vadakunnathan Shiva temple, Thrissur - part one

Lord Shiva is the gentle yet all-powerful Lord. He is a simple God, with no desire for any luxury. He will gladly lie down to sleep on a thin tiger skin in the biting cold of the Himalayas. He doesn’t bother taming his matted locks of hair, indicating his rejection of an organized society. Ask Him what you want, and He will immediately give it to you.

I am lucky to visit the Lord Vadakunnathan at Thrissur during Shivarathri festivities. The ancient temple, which lies at the centre of the city, has been declared a protected monument by the Government. The temple premises cover about nine acres, according to veteran worshippers. It is one of the venues of the famous Pooram festival held in Thrissur annually. 

Since the temple is so huge, I will be posting it in two parts. Part one will cover the worship in the inside of the temple, and in part two, I will take you on a tour of the outside. The Vadakunnathan temple houses several Gods, Goddesses and sages, and it will take an average of an hour to complete a trip of the temple. 

Entry is only for Hindus, and there is a dress code in place. Women should wear either sari or salwar kameez, and younger children can wear skirts. Men should be bare-chested, and wear either formal trousers or mundu (dhoti). Lungis and jeans are strictly prohibited. 

We arrive at the temple at nine in the morning. Devotees should enter from the west entrance. Everybody must follow an elaborate and systematic worship route at the temple. A huge sign board in English and Malayalam has been placed near the entrance that details the route. I will create a separate post with the list for your convenience.  

As soon as we enter the main gate, the koothambalam or traditional theatre is straight ahead. The board that details the worship system is kept here. We enter the main temple and first pay our respects to Nandi, the Lord’s vehicle. As we proceed, there are two huge murals on the wall right outside the inner compound. On one side of the wall is the image of Vasuki, and on the adjacent wall is Nataraja. These murals are in typical Kerala style. Sadly, the wall is in bad shape, and the paintings are deteriorating.

We walk straight in to the sannidhanam of Lord Vadakunnathan. There is a namaskara mantapam right before the sanctum sanctorum. The Lord is worshipped here in a shivalinga.

Lord Vadakunnathan has a special feature. He is covered in ghee (clarified butter) from the abhishekams that have been performed. This ghee has solidified over the several hundred years and does not melt. The sanctum is well lit with oil lamps. Despite this close proximity to fire, the ghee has not melted. It remains solid. So much so, the linga is not visible anymore! The ghee linga is covered with crescent moons made of gold that are placed in a vertical line. The mounds of ghee are visible behind the crescents.

We stand admiring the Lord who appears to be seated in meditation. I have mentioned in my post on Paramekkavu Amma, Lord Vadakunnathan is revered as an old gentleman. I imagine the Lord as an old grandpa, with flowing white hair and beard (thanks to the ghee!), sitting cross legged on the floor, with his eyes closed, deep in meditation. This is not to say that the Lord does not hear our prayers! He is wise and all knowing.

Temple plan 

Image courtesy - Arjuncm3 via Wikimedia Commons

The worship protocol is as follows. We first bow before Vadakunnathan, and then proceed to worship Parvati Devi who is behind him. Devi and Vadakunnathan are placed back-to-back, facing opposite directions. We then turn to Lord Ganesha, who is a few feet away, facing the same direction as Parvati Devi. We move a little ahead and bow before Shankaranarayanan. We move ahead and bow before Sri Raman.

We retrace our steps now, and bow before Shankaranarayanan again. Next, we bow before Ganesha. Coming back, we pay our respects to Parvati Devi, and prostrate ourselves before Vadakunnathan again. 

Continuing the cycle, we bow before Ganesha, and then continue to Shankaranarayanan, and Sriraman. Then we come to Shankaranarayanan again, then back to Sriraman, and Shankaranarayanan. We come to Ganesha again, then Parvati Devi, and conclude the cycle by paying our respects to Lord Vadakunnathan. This concludes the worship at the inner temple. 

Tomorrow in part two, I will take you around the outer precincts of Vadakunnathan temple. Stay glued to your screens!  

Part 2