RAKTHAKANDASWAMY TEMPLE, OMALLUR, PATHANAMTHITTA DISTRICT KERALA- COMPILED
Dear friends, Today my posting is about the famous Rakthakanda Swamy(LordDharma Sastha) Temple, Omallur, Pathanamthitta District, Kerala. The temple is about 11 KMs from mynative place Pandalam, on the way to Pathanamthitta, the statehighway towards Sabarimala.Malayalamcine actor Mohanlal is native of Omallur. Hope a divine reading. Gopalakrishnan 10-07-2025 Introduction Omallur Rakthakanta Swamy Temple is a great temple located inOmallur , four kilometres northwest of Pathanamthitta city , in Pathanamthittadistrict, Kerala . The main deity of this temple , known as Rakthakanta , isabout 1200 years old. Ganapati , Mahavishnu, Shiva and Devi are enshrined in the four sub-temple ,and Nagaraja, Murthy, and Vasurimala are also enshrined outside. This great temple is famous for its black stone Nadaswaramand black stone chain . Nadaswaram isstill used on special occasions. The temple holds a flag hoisting festival thatlasts for ten days on the day of Utram in the month of Metam . In addition,Mandalakalam and Panguni Utram are among the important annual festivals. Thetemple is supervised by a trust led by locals and under the administration ofTravancore Devaswam board. Legends The legend of thetemple is related to the village named Kalleli near to the konni Town. From thekalleli, the main deity was thrown to the river achankovil by the local peopledue to their failure in the game Choothu(chess) (a traditional game played by the Keralapeople) The deity took the form of a lotus flower and flowed through the Achankovilriver. A lady was from karayathu Nair Tharavadu was taking bath withher child in the river ghat at OzhuvathuDevi temple. The child got attracted to the lotusflower taking bath with mother in the river ghat at Ozhuvathu Devi temple. Mother took it and placed in the empty bowl in which she took headcleaning preparation). But after bath she could not lift the bowl. News spreadabout the incident. A Deva prasna wasconducted by chieftains and found it is Deva Chaitanya of sastha andinstalled in the Devi temple. Devi gavemaximum place to Sastha in her temple . The temple is a pilgrim centre on the way to Sabarimala from differentplaces. The temple is dedicated to Lord Dharma Shastha in the form of SreeRakthakanda Swamy. The temple is one among the most renowned Shastha Temples inKerala. Legend in detail The original place of worship of Rakthakanta Swami was at aplace called Aratakandanmoozhi in Kalleli village. Today, Kalleli is a ward inAruvappulam grama panchayat in Pathanamthitta district. Kalleli is located onekilometer away from Aruvappulam. In the 8th century, a gambling-obsessed chieftain began tolose money at gambling. The chieftain, a womanizer and alcoholic, prayed to thevillage god, Lord Raktakandan, and made offerings, but to no avail. That's when he became disgusted with the temple, and hestopped all help to the temple, blaming Raktakanta Swami for all the problemsin the village. With the destruction of the village temple, the villageinfluence faded and people began to quarrel with each other and wander downevil paths. The problems in the village were getting worse with eachpassing day. The villagers, who mistakenly believed that Rakthakanta Swamy wasthe cause of all the troubles in the village, decided to demolish the templeand fix things so that another one could be built in its place. Then everyone together uprooted the idol of the Lord andthrew it into the river. The spirit of the idol flowed through the river in theshape of a lotus flower and landed atthe quay of the Uzhuvath Devi temple in the nearby village of Nallur. At that time, a child and his mother, who were bathing in theriver, happened to see it, and at the child's insistence, the mother took theflower from the river and placed it on a bowl for the time being, deciding to pick itup on the way home. After bathing, when the child tried to pick up the bowl , shefelt that the flower had become firmly stuck to the bowl and step. This news spread throughout the country, and when the peopleof Nallur Kavu asked the gods, it was revealed that this was Rakthakanta Swami,and that the goddess Uzhuvamhad given the Swami shelter. Although the Swami was installed at the place specified inthe subsequent Devaprasna, facing east, the next day when the processioncontinued, it was found that the deity was facing west. It isbelieved that this was due to his decision not to see the easterners who hadabandoned him. Subsequently, the temple was renovated and rebuilt in the samemanner. Slightly differentlegend The legend behind the establishment of the temple is asfollows: Once Lord Brahma and Lord Maha Vishnu decided to find out the sourceand end of Sivalinga. Lord Brahma took the form of a swan and travelled upwardsand Lord Maha Vishnu, as varaha, downwards. Even after many years of flightthey could not reach their endpoints. Lord Brahma however claimed that he hadreached the top and produced a flower of screw pine as proof. Recognizing that Lord Brahma was not telling the truth, Lord Siva removedone of his heads. Lord Vishnu gathered theslashed head without letting it fall on the earth and consecrated it atKallalil, a village near to Omalloor. Many years later a competition was held at Kallalil villageby two rival groups. The routed group took the statue and tossed it into theAchankovil River. The life-force of the statue took the form of a flower and aboy who was taking bath in the river with his mother caught hold of it. Then the Lord shown Himself beforethem and told to build a temple there for him. History Known as "Omallur Temple" traces its history to the8th century AD. The Golden Flag Staff that is currently seen in the templetoday was erected in the year 1952 AD. Architecture The Temple has a Golden Flag Staff erected in the year 1952AD. Omallur Temple has many interesting stone carvings. Sanctum walls, pillarsall are covered with brass metal plates with beautiful carvings. Even the outerwalls of temple where chuttuvilakku are fitted is covered with brass plates. Chief Deity: Rakthakanda Swamy; (Sastha) The deity was installed facing East, but next day, deityitself changed facing to west. On this account Easten side of the entrance is kept closed in this temple. The primarydeity worshipped in the Sree Rakthakanda Swami Temple is Lord Sastha , reveredby devotees from across the region and beyond. Lord Sastha is believed to bethe son of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu in the form of Mohini. Other Deities Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganesha, Devi, Yakshi and Naga Devatas. Poojas Pooja (worship) is performed on the sankalpa (concept) thatthe deity is Lord Sastha. Poojas are conducted to all other deities- Lord Siva,Goddess Bhagavathi, Lord Ganapathy, Saptha Mathas (Seven holy mothers),Nagaraja, Naga Yakshi are the parivara deities. The temple follows a strict set of rituals that includesearly morning and evening pujas, special abhishekam (ritualistic bathing of thedeity), and the offering of flowers, oil lamps, and incense. Daily three Seevelies are conducted. Festivals The Temple is famous for its annual festival of 10 days inthe month of Medom of Malayalam Era. The 10-day festival is celebrated by 10Karayogams (village communities) in and around Omallur. During the festivaldays, there is a customary Arattu procession to the river Achankovil. More than10 elephants decorated with Nettipattom (a decorated cover on the forehead)will be a speciality of this Arattu. On all festival days Arattu is conducted to the deity. Thenumber of elephants increases from 1-10 , each day, one more elephant is addedduring festival. Mandala Mahotsavam Mandala Mahotsavam is a significant festival celebrated inmany Ayyappa temples, including the Sree Rakthakanda Swami Temple inPathanamthitta. It typically spans 41 days and marks the beginning of thepilgrimage season to Sabarimala, the abode of Lord Ayyappa. Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri, also known as the Great Night of Lord Shiva,is one of the most significant festivals celebrated at the Sree RakthakandaSwami Temple. Devotees observe fasts and stay awake throughout the night,engaging in prayers, meditation, and chanting of hymns in reverence to LordShiva.\ Panguni uthram and prathishta dinam are other importantfestival days Specialty It is a pilgrim centre on the way to Sabarimala fromPandalam, the birthplace of Sree Ayyappan. The temple has a nadaswaram made of granite.It is played only on the 9th day of the annual festival. It has alsoa granite chain.It has also a brassUmbrella carried during annual festivals behind deity. Another specialty is the number of marriages that takes placein the temple. OmallurTemple stands second to Guruvayoor when it comes to the number of marriagesconducted per day. Devotees seek thetemple for The Sree Rakthakanda Swami Temple holds great significanceamong devotees who observe strict penance and follow traditional rituals to fulfiltheir vows. It is believed that worshipping at this temple brings blessings,protection, and prosperity to devotees. Main Offerings At the Omallur Sree Rakthakantaswamy Temple, common offeringsinclude flowers, oil lamps, and incense. A popular offering is Raktha Pushpanjali, where redflowers are offered to the deity, symbolizing strength and the removal ofobstacles. Devotees also offer prayers and participate in rituals like abhishekam (ritual bathing of thedeity). Here's a more detailed breakdown: Flowers, Oil Lamps, and Incense: These are standard offerings in Hindu temples, and Omallur isno exception. Raktha Pushpanjali:This is a specific offering of red flowers, believed toinvoke the deity's fierce form for protection and strength. Abhishekam: This ritualistic bathing of the deity is a significant partof temple worship. Other Offerings: While not explicitly mentioned, it's likely that devoteesalso offer fruits, sweets, and other items considered auspicious. Prayers and Rituals: Devotees participate in various prayers and rituals,including arati (waving of lights) and bhajans (devotional songs). Address: Rakthakanda swamy temple, Omalloor, Pathanamthitta, Kerala689647 Temple times Open ⋅ 5 AM to 9 am ⋅ Reopens 5 pm closes 8PM. Location Omallur is 4 km southfrom the district headquarters Pathanamthitta and 11 km from MC Road (Kottayam- Trivandrum route). Name Omallur The first name of the country was Nal Ur, which means goodplace. It later evolved into Nallur. The patron deity of the country wasUzhuvath Devi. Later, when the Dharma Shasthava Rakthakanta Swami came, thecountry started being called "Om.Nallur". That name later evolvedinto Omallur. Cattle fair Omallur, a small village located 5 kms south ofPathanamthitta town, is famous for Rakthakantha Swamy Temple also known as theOmallur Ambalam. A cattle fair called Vayalvanibham is held here annually for10 days in the Malayalam month of Meenam (March-April) that is attended by alarge number of people from different parts of the world. The fair highlightsthe diverse agricultural and animal products of the district. How To Reach By Air: Trivandrum International Airport is the nearestairport situated at 105KM from the temple. By Road: Pathanamthitta KSRTC bus station is 4.2KM from thetemple. By Rail: Chengannur Railway Station is 25.2KM from thetemple. Contact Address: Sree Rakthakanda Swami Temple, Omalloor, Pathanamthitta Omallur -- 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/871580622.209673.1752147601707%40mail.yahoo.com.
