SREESEETHARAMASWAMY TEMPLE,PUSHPAGIRI,TRICHUR,KERALA-COMPILED Dear friends,
The Sree Seetharamaswamy Temple, Pushpagiri, established on11-06-1899, is situated Northwest of the mighty Vadakkunnathan Temple. Today myposting is about this temple. Hope a divine reading. Gopalakrishnan 23-07-2025. Introduction The Seetharamaswamy Temple, Pushpagiri enshrines LordSeetharaman within the ‘Srikovil’ that boasts a stunning ‘Gajaprashta’ spirethat is not commonly seen in Kerala temple architecture. Apart from Sita Rama enshrined in the main sanctum facing west, Hanuman,Lakshmana, Ganapati, Sri Parvati, Shiva, and Subrahmanya, Dharma Sastha andNavagrahas are also enshrined in the temple. There is also a Shivatemple a little away from the sanctum sanctorum but within this temple'spremises. Theeminence of various prestigious temples in the town of Thrissur is a directreflection of the spiritual evolution of its inhabitants. The temple is now managed by the Temple Managing Committeeconsisting of Sri. T.S.Kalyanaraman, Sri. T.A. Balaraman, Sri. T.R. Rajagopalan (Sr. Advocate), Sr.T.S. Ramakrishnan (Executive Trustee). Kalyana Mandapa –Wedding Hall The Seetharamaswamy Temple also has its own ‘Kalyana Mandapa’-an air-conditioned wedding hall that can seat up to 500 people at a timecomplete with a dining hall. The Mandapa also has 10 AC rooms attached. History of the Temple An ardent devotee of Vadakkunnathan, T.R. Ramachandra Iyer usedto pay his respects to the Lord at theVadakkunnathan temple every day, especially to attend the final darshan called'Thrippuka'. He would often be found spending extra time at the Sri RamMandapa, offering his prayers and chanting his slokas. It was during this timethat Sri T.R. RamachandraIyer was inspired to chant the Ramayana. The daily prayer to LordRam and his everyday practice of chanting the Ramayana, brought about immensedevotion towards Rama in his heart, making him a fervent devotee of Lord Ram. This evolution in his spiritualbeing brought about the desire to build a temple dedicated to Lord Ram andGoddess Sita within this neighbourhood. Sri T.R. Ramachandra Iyer then went on to seek permission andblessings from the Rama Mandapa at Vadakkunnathan. In response, it is believedthat Lord Rama walked away with him that day, in turn giving him his blessingsto make his desires come true. Hecould purchase the land from Cochin king and establish the temple. The Seetharamaswamy Temple, Pushpagiri was established in theMalayalam month of ‘Edavam’ on the ‘Punartham’ star, dedicated to LordSeetharaman, who is the ‘Prathishta’ at the centre of this holy temple. The Ram & Sita idols have beencarved to perfection from ‘Anjanashila’ (a soft stone granite – veryrarely found) by specially trained craftsmen from Tirunelveli, where Sita Devisits to the left of Lord Rama. Festivals Sri Ramanavami is aten-day festivalcelebrated at the temple every year. Apart from that, the SeetharamaswamyTemple also hosts a multitude of festivities and functions like Vasantholsavam, Navaratri, VisheshalPuja, Veda Chanting and more. Furthermore, the temple also conducts Visheshal Puja for Sri Rama onEkadashi, for Ganapati on Chathurthi, for Lord Subrahmanyan on Shashti and forParvati and Shiva on ‘Pradosham’ days. For the occasion of ‘Thaipooyam’, the temple conducts 11days of ‘Rudrabhishekam’ and a procession on ‘Mayilvahanam’. Another importantfestival celebrated is the ‘PrathishtaDinam’ - day of dedication - on the ‘Punardham’ star every year of the‘Edavam’ month of the Malayalam calendar. Offerings Although there are numerous offerings at the SeetharamanTemple every day, the‘Kalabhabhishekam’ holds the highest prominence. A multitude ofdevotees offer the ‘Kalabhabhishekam’ to the Lord to be blessed with offspring,wealth, and fulfilment of other desires. The ‘vada-mala’ offering to Lord Hanuman is veryfamous! The Golden Temple The Seetharamaswamy Temple has ‘Thazhika Kudam’ for Lord Ramaas well as Lord Siva. In 2010, during the ‘Kumbhabhishekam’ - the‘Dwajasthambham’ was covered in pure gold. The Seetharamaswamy Temple,Pushpagiri is the only one in Kerala to have a pure gold chariot. Now, thefrontier of the ‘Sreekovils’ of Lord Rama, Lord Siva and Lord Ayyappa are alsoset to be covered in pure gold. The Tallest HanumanStatue Now, the Seetharamaswamy Temple, Pushpagiri also boasts thetallest Hanuman Statue situated in front of the temple, facing the PushpagiriAgraharam. This classicalmasterpiece is carved from a single stone and the Hanuman statue is 55 feettall. The temple now hosts a mesmerising light and sound show everySunday for the devotees wherein the entire Ramayana tale is depicted via thelaser show with a background score of the Hanuman Chalisa. The entire show isset to run for ten minutes. Founder It was a renowned Madras High Court Judge - Brahmasri DiwanBahadur T.R. Ramachandra Iyer who led the process of building, designing, anddedicating the Seetharamaswamy Temple to Lord Seetharaman. He was a resident ofNaikkanal, Thrissur, and would often enjoy taking strolls around the ThrissurRound, in the company of his colleagues, to visit new places. On one of hissuch strolls, hecame across the area known as Pushpagiri by chance. Back then, Pushpagiri wasan abandoned land infested with weeds and plants, where there was little humanactivity. T.R. Ramachandra Iyer then decided to clean up this area,level it and build his desired temple along with a neighbouring ‘gramam’ orvillage that would later go on to become the Pushpagiri Gramam where ThrissurBrahmins reside today. He went on to establish the temple, a school, a mill,the gramam and also a house for himself on this land. Address of the temple Pushpagiri Agraharam, Harinagar, Punkunnam, Thrissur, Kerala 680002, Phone-0487-2386260 Donations Contact Us0487-2386260 [email protected] Temple timings Seetha Rama temple Temple Opens5.15 AM Jalabhishekam5.30 AM Palabhishekam for Hanuman5.45 AM Ganapathi Homam6.00 AM Palabhishekam7:30 AM Alankaram7.45 AM Sahasranama Archana8.15 AM Nivedyam8.45 AM Deeparadhana10.00 AM On Kalabham Days Palabhishekam 9.15 AM Kalashabhishekam9.30 AM Nivedyam9.45 AM Deeparadhana10.30 AM Evening Pooja Timings Temple Opens5.30 PM Deeparadhana 6.15 PM Nivedyam 7.15 PM Deeparadhana 8.00 PM and Temple Closes Shiva Temple Temple Opens 5.15 AM Palabhishekam5.30AM Dhara6.30 AM Nivedyapooja8.30 AM Deeparadhana8.45 AM Temple Closes 10.00 AM On Kalabham Days Pooja9.00 AM Kalabhabhishekam9.10 AM Temple Closes10.30 AM Temple Opens5.15 PMDeeparadhana6.30 PM Nivedyam7.00 PM Thrippuka Deeparadhana7.15 PM Temple Closes 8.00 PM Some Offerings and charges Sree Seetharamswamy Temple Kalabham (Including Siva Temple) 9,500.00 Kalbham (Ram, Seetha, Lakshman, Hanuman) 7,500.00 Kalabham (Ram, Seetha) 5,000.00 Nithyapooja 500.00 Vadamaala(Hanuman) 400.00 Dheepasthampam Theliyikkal 250.00 Chandanakaapu (Ram, Seetha) 250.00 Ushapooja 150.00 Vaahanapooja 101.00 Vellikavacham (Ram, Seetha, Lakshman, Hanuman) 100.00 Paalpayasam 90.00Neypaayasam 80.00 Ganapathihomam 60.00 Maayapodi (Hanuman) 60.00Navagrahapooja 35.00 Avilnivedyam 35.00 Siva Temple Kalabham 2,000.00 PradhoshaRudhrabhishekam 400.00 Palpayasam 90.00Neypayassam 80.00 Nagapooja 50.00 Dhara 15.00 Sastha Temple Paalpayasam 90.00Naipayasam 80.00 Maha Kumbhabhishekam The last Maha Kumbhabhishekam of the Sree SeetharamaramaswamyTemple was performed on Thursday, 27th April, 2023. The Karpoorathiri Neevakarana Kalasam at theSree Shiva Temple was also performed on Thursday, 27th April, 2023. In Connection with the Maha Kumbhabhishekam, thebelow-mentioned renovations were also carried out at the temple. Gold covering on the front sides of Sreekovils – SeetharamaSwamy, Shiva & Shastha Temple New Sreekovil of Shiva Temple & renovation of frontmandapam Widening of the Pradakshina vazhi to 6 feet width Remodelling of the Sreekovils of Utsava Vigrahams &Navagraha Temple New Sreekovil for Sree Krishna Shrine Paving new stones inside the temple Mural paintings on the side walls and in the Sree Ram TempleSreekovil Remodelling of Sree Anjaneyar, Sree Lakshmana SwamySreekovils and Remodelling Thidapalli. Worship methods Even though the Hindu worship methods owe their origin to ourVedas and sastras and are therefore expected to be uniform throughout thecountry, there are variations in the details among the different languages andcultures. Among them, one finds a happy union of two cultures Malayalam and Tamil in the SeetharamaswamyTemple, Pushpagiri during the Sri Rama Navami Festival - lasting 10days. To start with, the Utsavamurthi's perambulation is animportant part of any festival, which is common to both cultures. So, theUtsava 'Vigraha' of Sri Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman are taken around onall the days of the festival. The difference in this temple is the cultural 'marriage'. Asper the Kerala style, theUtsavamurthi in the form of ‘Chakra' is round the outer 'prakara', aftermounting on a decorated tusker - known as 'Seeveli'. The Tamil styleaddition to this is the 'Ratha' (Chariot or car) on which is mounted the fourdays of 'Vigraha' duly decorated and the Ratha is taken round - a form ofworship not common in Kerala. Even in the musical accompaniments to thisprocession, the element of blending is visible - the Panchavadyam (Thimila,Mattala, Thalam, and Kombu and Kuzhal, besides chendai) preceding the Tamilversion of Nagaswaram and 'Tavil in the Carnatic Music style. Brahmotsavam Flag Hoisting The festival is heralded by the flag hoisting function, 9days ahead of Sree Ramanavami. The cherished ambition of all persons living inevery corner of the globe is to participate in the function. Some people eventime their annual or biennial holiday trip to this event. Attendance at thisfunction symbolises dedicated participation on all the days of the festival. Utsava Details The daily Puja starts around 5 am. Vedic Scholars of allVedas are invited for the occasion and recite Vedas daily in the Mandapam.Special Abhishekam and procession within the Prakara follow. After the secondDeeparadhana at around 11 am, all the devotees are given a festival meal in theadjoining Uttuppara' (dining hall). Immediately thereafter, special decorationof the ‘Utsava Vigraha’ commences, and some of the residents and boys havedeveloped a fine expertise in this art. Special flowers are ordered for eachday and different types of decorations are carried out each day; for instance,the Lord will incarnate as 'Balakrishna' with a butter pot on the 6th day. Thenormally standing Sree Rama will take the 'Anantha Sayanam' posture on the 7thday! The Utsavamurti of exquisite beauty will shine with redoubled splendour ineach of these forms, particularly with the floral and ornamental decorations,to which is added the special lighting effect (carried out by the keen villageelectrician). On the 7th day, the boys have an extravagant time, when theyspray yellow water on all the participants - a mini- ''Holi', which comesaround the same time. The entire decoration is carried out by a band ofresidents - no age bar-including many school-going, enthusiastic boys. Golden chariot The golden chariot is 'Steered' and ‘powered' by these boycommanders. At around 5 pm, the decoration is over, and the Lord with SreeSita, Lakshmana and Hanuman board the chariot. (The time of start may vary ondifferent days). After being taken around the temple prakara, the Lord goesaround the streets of Pushpagiri. The 'chakram', mounted on the decoratedelephant, accompanies. Each household pays its obeisance to the Lord at theirdoorstep, with their offerings and a 'Harati'. The boys get some welcome rewardfor their hard work in this hot season-the fruits, 'Panakam' & ‘Sambaram’offerings from each house are shared among them. The rear side of the chariotis a covered seat for a free ride by the tiny tots. By the time the Lordreturns to the temple, it will be around 11 pm. Then a simple Deeparadhana,with Veda and music recital, is conducted, followed by the distribution of hotand sumptuous ‘sundal' and ‘vada' which can easily substitute the dinner. On the day prior to the Sree Rama Navami, three chariots aretaken out, and the lord and Sree Sita mounted on Hanuman and Annapakshi'respectively. Sree Rama Navami Day The fervour reaches its peak on the Sreerama Navami day. Themorning starts with 'para' by the elephants, that is, the devotees get a chanceto contribute their share, at their doorstep, in the form of the traditionalmeasure of paddy known as 'para'. The morning procession on the chariot insidethe 'Prakara' is accompanied by five decorated elephants and chakram. The fullcomplement of silk umbrellas, peacock feather fans, 'Chamaram', 'Chandai Melam'etc. makes one wonder if it is a mini 'pooram'. Thereafter, elaborateAbhishekas are performed to the main deity and the Utsava 'Vigraha'. By thetime the Pujas are over and Deeparadhana is performed, it will be about 2 pm.The Lord then boards the grand car. This car needs special mention. It is atribute to wood sculpture and also engineering. Even those days the car hasbeen mounted on steel axles, with a proper steering arrangement (which is neverfound in Tamil Nadu cars - a reason for the Herculean effort required to turnthose cars) and even a brake system! The master carpenter has depicted thewhole of Ramayana, as also the other Avataras. Even today it is maintainedexcellently. The temple car starts around 5 pm. Three elephants with theirdazzling headgears follow the car, to the accompaniment of ‘panchavadyam’ andChendai. But the ‘panchavadyam’ groups and the tuskers stop at many points enroute and entertain the spellbound onlookers with their thrilling performance,thereby extending the procession to about 4 hours. At night The beauty of the car is redoubled by an imaginative lightingsystem and so, with the Lord in command, the car presents a heavenly sight. Itis seen to be believed. By thecal teach me village limit, a brier crackersession ensues, without which no Kerala temple function is complete. By thetime the Lord returns to the temple, it will be around midnight. Thereafter theLord is brought to the Namaskara Mandapam after a quick round of the temple,and a detailed Deeparadhana is done. The last event, namely, the much-awaited‘prasadam’ distribution will cross into the early hours of the next day - about1.30 am. Arattu Next day, the Arattu takes place. Bathing the Lord (Chakram)is done in a pond opposite the temple. The boys take this opportunity to jumpinto the tank in joy - a chance that they only will not get on other days to doso within the enclosure. Then the devotees with the chakram, take rounds of thetemple. The next event is the lowering of the temple flag, which is doneceremoniously in the pleasure of the Lord. This is necessarily attended by allthe residents of the village, who attended the hoisting. Sita Kalyanam At night 'Sita Kalyanam' is performed in a religious mode.The 'bride' Sita is exquisitely decorated with special ornaments and flowers.If one observes the details of decoration, he will feel as if a mother orsister of a bride is decorating her for the marriage ‘muhurtham’. All thecustomary events 'oonjal', Mangalya Dharanam, homam etc. complete with thebride 'Seeru' (sweets etc) finds a place. Anjaneya Utsavam The next day, a special ‘abhishekam’ is performed,particularly for Anjaneya Swami. In the evening, after Lord Anjanaya is takenround the temple and the village. The festivities will be on a subdued scale -befitting humility of the Ramadoota – the humility of which he was theincarnation. Outstanding features ofthis festival A few points are noteworthy in the way the festival isorganised. Some basic traits of temple worship in the Hindu culture are trulytranslated into practice in this temple. One basic tenet of Hinduism is thatthe whole community should involve itself in the temple functions. Everyoneshould participate to his ability, both physically and financially; everyone isequal in the eyes of the Lord, either in respect of His blessings or in regardto the ‘prasadam’ or feast. Everyone should participate daily. A few featuresstand out as below All the residents of the village present themselves daily forsome or all events of the day.Each contributes to his ability in monetary termsand physical labour.An atmosphere of a marriage function prevails - with thedifference, that it is conducted by everyone. Some boys and even elders spend all their time these days inthe temple and eat only what is given in the temple. Almost all days are 'Sponsored' by able devotees who competeto get a chance. That is, all expenses for the day. For daily meal serving, nopersons are engaged. The entire community comes to help, irrespective of age,gender or profession.Graded jobs are assigned to them, to suit their age and ability. The lessexperienced graduate into this ‘Vocation', starting with serving water. Themost experienced turn to 'Payasam' Serving - since it needs cajoling to makethe devotees drink to their heart's content. The daily processions andeven the Big Car are pulled only by the residents.Even the 'Kolam' competition is organised in whichall the ladies and girls show their talent while decorating their house infront of the Lord's arrival. At the end of the festival, the place looks like a marriagewhich concludes the marriage function. The 'chendai', the Nagaswaram, VedaGhosham, and the bell of the Big Car in movement - all echo in the villagers'ears, who look forward to the next festival - which is far away. A small reward comes soon - the Vasanthotsavam providing a feast to the ears -in May/June. Concerts by renowned musicians are organised in the temple. Vasanthothsavam is a vibrant and colorful festival celebratedannually in the southern state of Kerala, India. The festival marks the arrivalof spring and the onset of the harvest season. It is a time of joy andcelebration, where people come together to dance, sing, and enjoy traditional culturalperformances. At the Sree Seetharamaswamy Temple’s Vasanthothsavam, you canwitness the beautiful and intricate flower arrangements, and an unmatchedenthusiasm in the air. The festival is a perfect showcase of Kerala's richcultural heritage and its deep-rooted traditions. Donations o make donations, please refer to the bank account detailsbelow.Temple Bank Account Sree Seetharamaswamy Devaswom Account Number : 000400100000012 IFSC : DLXB0000004 Swift Code : DLXBINBB Bank : Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd, Pushpagiri Branch, Thrissur -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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