ALATHIYURHANUMAN TEMPLE, NEAR TIRUR, MALAPPURAM DISTRICT, KERALA STATE-Compiled
Dear friends, Today my posting is about the famous Alathiyur HanumanTemple, also known as Alathiyur Perumthrikkovil or Hanuman Kavu, locatedbetween the Ponnani River and the Bharathappuzha at Alathiyur near Tirur, inthe Malappuram district of Kerala state. Hope a divine reading Gopalakrishnan 13-05-2025 The Legend It is believed that Lord Rama gave instructions and advice to Hanumanhere before Hanuman went to Lanka in search of Sita. History Over the years, thecustodians of the temple were the Alathiyur village Nambudiri Clan, the King ofVettathunad, and the Samuthiri of Kozhikode. Architecture If one enters through the Eastern corridor, the first thingone will encounter is an Elephant enclosure. This relatively large Elephantenclosure was built not long ago. There is no Temple flagstaff, as there is noflag-hoisting festival in the temple. There are plans to install it. A large Altar has been built in front of the Rama deity. Thecentral Altar of the temple is here. Although the Altar is quite high, it isbuilt slightly lower so the deity can be seen from the outside. An image ofHanuman is also hung above it. A small door can be seen on the Southern side of the Altar. This doorfaces Hanuman's feet. It is built for those who cannot enter thetemple. There were reports thatthe former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Late J. Jayalalitha, was a devotee ofthis temple who made offerings seeking positive outcomes in litigationsinvolving her. Temple Premises andWalls The temple is located near Alathiyur village, facing the East. A number of shops canbe found right in front of the temple. The entranceto the temple is very narrow, posing difficulties for large vehicles to enterand exit. A parking facility is allotted on the north eastern side. To the north of the Gopuram is theTemple tank. This wide and beautiful tank is where the priest andthe devotees take baths before entering the temple. The Sanctum Sanctorum The temple's sanctum sanctorum (Srikovil in the vernacular)is in a large two-story square. Both the floors of the granite shrine are covered with Copper. Agolden dome shines above. Thereare three rooms inside the shrine. Among them, the Garbhagriha where thedeity is placed is at the Western end. Rama resides in a four-armed Vishnuidol, about five feet high, facing East. The idol is made of Black stone. However, it is coveredwith Panchaloha.Sudarshana Chakra Wheel is carried on the rear right hand, the Panchajanya onthe rear left hand, the Kaumodaki on the front left hand and a Lotus flower onthe front right hand. Itis conceived as Rama, who is lonely during his quest for Sita. Hence, there isno shrine for Sita here. The shrine of Hanuman is in another temple built on itsSouthern side. Hanuman is about three feet tall and standing with both handsfolded and facing the left. It is believed to be the form of listening toRama's instructions. Deities The idol of Hanuman is placed next to that of Rama. Hanuman is leaningforward as if to listen to Lord Rama's words, holding a stick in his hand. Although the main deity is Rama, theseventh avatar of Vishnu, Hanuman, believed to be an incarnation of Shiva and adevotee of Rama and a Chiranjivi, is as famous as the main deity in the temple. The temple of Lakshmana is a few meters away. It is believedthat Lakshmanastood aside so that Hanuman and Rama could talk privately. The temple of Lakshmana is on the Northern side. Here,Lakshmana is not just a deity but a deity of equal importance. Lakshmanaresides outside the Nalambalam on the premise of avoiding hearing the privateconversation between Rama and Hanuman. The deity of Lakshmana, the incarnationof Adisesha, is four-armed, facing the East, and housed in a small square coveredwith copper. A small prayer hall is also found in the front. There is a Ganesha shrine on the Southern side of Lakshmana'sshrine. At the back, one can alsosee the Naga shrines. An offering counter has also beenbuilt specifically for Lakshmana. Palpayasam itself is important here, too. Here, a structure has been built to commemorate Hanuman'sleap across the ocean to Lanka. At one end of this structure is a large blackstone symbolizing the sea. Devotees run along this ridge and jump over the black stone.Jumping in this temple is believed to bring good luck, health, longevity andwealth. Also reside in the temple as sub-deities of equal importance:Lakshmana, Ganesha, MahaVishnu, Durga, Bhadrakali, Ayyappan, and Naga deities. According to legend, the idol of Hanuman was consecrated 3000years ago (1000 AD) by Sage Vasishtha, one of the Saptarishis. A small shrine of Vishnu can be found right next to theOfferings Counter. It is believed that Vishnu, who used to be the main deity ofthe Irani temple in the nearby Kalpakancheri village, was brought here andinstalled here due to some local issues. Though it is an idol of Vishnu, thedeity is seen as Sri Krishna facing the West. Pooja Timings 5:00 AM: Nada Thurakkal 6:30 AM: First Pooja 9:00 AM: Prasadham Distribution 9:30 AM: Second pooja. Temple closes at 11:00 am Temple will be closed between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm Temple opens at 5:00 pm temple closes at 7:30 pm. EveningDeeparadhana. Offerings Aval (Puffed rice) is the main offering in this temple. Offeringsof Nivedyams to these deities are considered very special. Many devotees offerthese Nivedyams to achieve their desired goals. They are provided in quantitiessuch as 1 Nazhi, 50 Nazhi, or 100 Nazhi (Nazhi, which is approximately 312millilitres, is a measurement unit used in ancient Kerala to measure volume). The Offerings/Donation collection office is located on theSouth eastern side. The main offerings to the deities are Palpayasam to Rama and Aval toHanuman. Special offerings at the temple include kadali plantain, whichare favoured by Hanuman. Festivals The main annual event here is the festival held on the days corresponding with the Starsof Pooradam, Uthradam and Thiruvonam in the month of Thulamcorresponding to mid-October to mid-November. The month of Karkidakam, corresponding to mid-July and mid-August,popularly called the Ramayanamonth, is usually crowded. The weekdays of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdayare also important as they are considered auspicious for Hanuman. Other festive occasions are Anjaneya sangethotsavam, SriRamanavami, Sri Hanuman Jayanti, Aadi Amavasya, Onam, Vishu, ThiruvonaMahotsavam Devotees come to thetemple It is believed thatHanuman at Alathiyur not only removes all the sorrows and fears of the devoteesbut also fulfils their wishes. Peepal tree A small Peepal tree can be seen before the tank. According to Hinduism, Brahmaresides at the top of the sacred tree, Vishnu in the middle and Shiva at thebottom. It is believed that circumambulation of thetree seven times a day in the morning gives health and wellness. Alathiyur A Cluster fig tree can also be found in the vicinity. It isbelieved that the place got its name as Alathiyur (a combination of the vernacular namesof these trees, namely, 'Aal'(ആൽ) and 'Athi' (അത്തി) respectively, and the term 'Oor' (ഊർ) meaning a village). They are two ofthe famous four trees (Nalpamaram or നാല്പാമരം) extensively used in Ayurvedicpreparations. A two-story ramshackle tower built on the Eastern side looksdecayed due to age. My note- I could watch from the video seenyesterday that re construction of the temple is on the eve. Granite Pedestal While making circumambulation of Lord Vishnu, one can see a small sand mound in the southwest and a granite pedestalto jump upon. It depicts Hanuman's journey to Lanka. Running towards it and jumping on the stone platform without stepping onis considered good for overcoming obstacles in life. Therefore, many devotees perform this, which attracts thedevotees who come to the temple. There are no noteworthy sights on the Westernside. Murals The sanctum sanctorum is decorated with exquisite murals andsculptures. These are apparently not very old. Mainly, scenarios taken fromRamayana are used here, such as Rama's birth, Sita Svayamvara, Jatayu Moksha,Hanuman in Kadalivanam, etc., are important among them. But the mostimportant of these is an image of Bhadrakali with eight arms. There is a story behind thispicture, according to which, once upon a time, the Bhagavati temple at thegreat Kapalathinkal near here had the same Priest. When it was difficult tomanage both places at the same time, he requested Bhagavati to be alwayspresent. That is how the presence of Bhadrakali came to be here. Abode of Hanuman The temple of Sri Hanuman is adjacent to the main Temple ofSree Rama. Sree Hanuman has his head tilted to left (to Rama's Adobe), to hearhis master’s words. Sree Rama is confiding in Hanuman the cue-word ( AbhignanaVaakyam ) that would enable him to gain the confidence of Sita. Hanuman has amace in his hand. The numerous Gods bestowed their enormous power on SreeHanuman. He is all set to accomplish his mission, which is seeking thewhereabouts of Sita. Here he is the personification of divine strength,confidence, concentration of purpose, Bhakti, and above all humility. He is thesymbol of supreme self-sacrifice. He seems to be assuring Sree Rama: "Yourwish is my command". Devotees of Hanuman throng to this temple to maketheir wishes and be heard by the mighty Hanuman. As the situation in Ramayana, Lakshmana is away from Rama andHanuman so that he can't be hearing the cue-word. Location and transport The nearest railway station is Tirur about 7 km away from here. The nearestairport is at Kozhikode. Temple Timings : 5 AM to 10 PM and from 5 PM to 8 PM. Administration The temple is administered by a Trust under the Malabar Devaswom Board,with the Samuthiri royalty as the Chief Trustee. This is believed to be the most important temple amongthe temples under the administration of the Malabar Devaswom Board. Temple Address and phone number Alathiyoor Perumthrikkovil (Hanuman Kavu) Devaswom, P.O.Poilissery, Tirur, Malappuram 676 102. Phone - 0494 243 0666 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/380783451.1144890.1747114764607%40mail.yahoo.com.
