Famous temples in Thrissur District
Here in this article I have given a short brief about the major temples in Thrissur district along with their features. Thrissur district, the cultural capital of Kerala can be rightly called as the land of temples, as there are many small and big temples throughout the district.
Thrissur district is the major district in Kerala which promotes various cultural and religious activities in the state. The famous festival of Kerala - Thrissur Pooram, happens in this district. All the people irrespective of the religion will be present to see the Thrissur Pooram. Below mentioned temples are top Hindu pilgrim places in Thrissur.Thiruvambadi Sree Krishna Temple
Thiruvambadi Sree Krishna Temple is located on Shoranur Road of Thrissur district. The main deity in this temple is Lord Sree Krishan but there is an equally important idol of goddess Vishnumaya as well. Another peculiarity of this temple is that it is one among the two rival groups for the famous festival Thrissur Pooram held every year. A colorful procession "Madathilvaravu" is conducted by the Thiruvambadi Sree Krishna Temple. This temple is around 1000 years old and is a famous Krishna temple in Kerala. Sree Krishna Jayanthi, Navaratri, Kalampattu, Vaikunda Ekadasi, Thiru Utsava, Sahasrakalasam, Prathishta Day etc are the main days observed at this temple. Thrimadhuram, Malar Nivedyam, Palabhshekam, Thrkkai Venna, Vakacharth, Nayppayasam, Sarkarapayasam, Vella Nivedyam, Nithya siveli, Ganapathy Homam etc are the main offerings.Paramekkavu Bhagavathy Temple
Paramekkavu Bhagavathy Temple is almost 1000 years old and is another largest temple in Kerala. This temple is situated close to Vadakkumnathan Siva Temple, another renowned temple in Thrissur. Paramekkavu Bhagavathy Temple is one of the two temples participating in Thrissur Pooram, the main festival happening in this district.
Vadakkumnathan Siva Temple
Vadakkumnathan Siva Temple situated near Thekkinkadu Maaidan in Thrissur district is one of the oldest and largest temples in Kerala. The term "Vadakku" means North and "Nathan" means Lord, hence Vadakkumnathan means the Lord who takes care of the northern region of the Kerala state. Thrissur district lies on the central part of Kerala towards the northern region. The main deity of this temple is Lord Siva. The renowned "Thrissur Pooram" is celebrated in the Thekkinkadu Maaidan. This temple truly depicts the ancient Kerala architecture.Kodungallur Bhagavati Temple
Kodungallur Bhagavati Temple is also known as Kurumba Bhagavati Temple. This temple is situated in Kodungallur of Thrissur district. The primary deity here is Godess Bhadrakali and the idol here is unique with her eight hands, holding the head of an Asura, a sword, an anklet (Chilambu), a bell and so on in each of her hands. "Kodungallur Bharani" is the most important festival associated with this temple. The main part of this festival is 'Kozhikkallu moodal', which means sacrificing cocks by cutting their neck and shedding their blood. This festival normally happens during the month of March and April. "Bharani Pattu" and "Kavu Theendal" are another important events during this festival. Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple
Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple is the most renowned temple in Kerala. The main deity in this temple is Lord Krishna. The idol of Guruvayoor temple is carved out of "Paathalanjana Sila", that itself makes it unique and sacred. Upadevas in this temple are Lord Ganapathy, Lord Sastha(Aiyappa) and Goddess Bhagavathy. This temple is often referred to as "Bhuloka Vaikunta".
This temple is under the administration of Guruvayoor Devawsom Board. Chembai Sangeetholsavam, a Carnatic music festival is held in Melpathoor Auditorium, Guruvayur every year by the Guruvayur Devaswom. Gajapooja and Aanayoottu are the main offerings of Gurvayur temple. Guruvayoor Kesavan(Late) is the famous among the elephants of Guruvayoor temple. Palpayasam, Neipayasam, Sarkarapayasam, Vella Nivedyam, Thirumadhuram, Ashtotharam Archana, Sahasra namam Archana, Ganapathy Archana, Sastha Archana, Go-pooja, Chuttuvilakku, Thulabharam etc are the other main vashipadu.Mammiyoor Sree Mahadeva Temple
Mammiyoor Sree Mahadeva Temple is situated approximately 200mtrs away from the renowned Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple. The main deity here is Lord Siva in the form of "Uma Maheswara". Lord Ganesha Shrine, Lord Muruga Shrine, Lord Ayyappa Shrine and Nagaraja and Nagarani Shrine are the other deities worshiped here. Maha Shivrathri in the month of Kumba (February - March) is the main festival here. Thsi temple is under the administration of Mammiyur Devaswom.Koodalmanikyam Temple
Koodalmanikyam Temple is the only temple in India, dedicated to worship Lord Bharata, the second brother of Lord Rama and the son of Dasaratha, emperor of Ayodhya and Kaikeyi as per the Hindu epic Ramayana. This temple is situated in Irinjalakuda of Thrissur district. The term "Koodalmanikyam" means "Sangameswara" in Sanskrit.
The Sanctum Sanctorum is round i shape and there is a six-foot Thaazhikakudam at the pinnacle, all these along with its architecture and carvings adds to the beauty of the temple. There is a Koothambalam, on the Southern courtyard where art forms like Koothu and Koodiyattom takes place. Koodalmanikyam Thiruutsavam (festival) takes place during the month of May. Thriprayar Shree Rama Temple
Thriprayar Shree Rama Temple is situated on the bank of the river Theevra (Purayar/Nandiyar), Thriprayar of Thrissur district, which is in between Guruvayur and Kodungallur. The primary deity in this temple is Lore Sree Rama in the form of "Chaturbhuja". The idol of Lord Rama here has four arms holding conch, disc, bow and garland respectively in each hand. The term "Chaturbhuja" means 'one who has four hands'. The two festivals celebrated in this temple every year are Ekadasi in the month of Vrischikam (November- December) and pooram in Meenam (March-April).
Job oriented
There are many more large size temples in Thrissur district, perhaps number of temples are more here compared to other districts. Sankaran kulangara, Thiruvullakavu, Oorakam, Chembukkavu, Nelluvaya, Thiruvilwamala and Aarattupuzha to name a few.