MALAYINKEEZHUSRIKRISHNASWAMY TEMPLE-TRIVANDRUM-KERALA-COMPILED
Dear friends,
Around 15 kms away from Thiruvananthapuram city in Kerala, isthe quiet village
of Malayinkeezhu. Here stands a temple dedicated to LordKrishna that is popular
for its heritage structures, and exceptional ritualsand rites.
The temple was earlierkeeshedam of Tiruvalla Sri Vallabha temple. Now too the
chief priests are fromTiruvalla.
Women are still notpermitted inside the Nalambalam in thistemple. Now the
templeis under Travancore Devaswam board. About a year back KSRTC has
introducedSWIFT bus from East fort to Malayinkizu temple itself with frequent
service.
Hope a divine reading.
Gopalakrishnan 30-07-2025
Introduction
The temple is locatednear the Malayinkeezhu junction, located at the foot of
two hills calledMankunnumala and Elumelu, about 15 km east of
Thiruvananthapuram city, on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kattakkada route.
Legends
One of the legends is this: Vilvamangalam Swamiyar, a devoteeof Vishnu, had a
vision of Sri Krishna at Vilvamangalam. Krishna advised Swamiyar that theidol
of Sri Krishna worshipped by Satyaki in Dwarka was submerged in water andthat
he should take it out and install it properly. The next day,when Swamiyar went
to bathe in the river, he felt that his head had hit anidol. When he took it
out, he realized that it was a beautiful idol. Swamiyar built a temple
inThiruvalla to enshrine it. When the day of the enshrinement arrived,Swamiyar
had a dream. Thedream instructed him to enshrine the idol in a place called
Malayinkeezhu.That is how the idol was enshrined in Malayinkeezhu.
There are many legends about the idol in the Thiruvallatemple. The fact that
people still call the Malayinkeezhutemple enshrined as “Thiruvallazhappan”
indicates the centuries-old connectionbetween the two temples.
Sree PadmanabhaswamyTemple and the Malayin Keezhu
The legend of the world-famous ThiruvananthapuramPadmanabhaswamy Temple is
connected to Vilvamangalam Swamiyar (there is asimilar story about the Divakara
Muni of Thulu Nadu) who went in search of theAnanthan forest. The deity here is
"Ananthasayanam", where SreePadmanabhaswamy is enshrined on a serpent named
Ananthan. The name of the cityis derived from that. Historians believe that
Thiruvananthapuram was formed byadding 'Thiru' as a sign of respect to Anantha
(Anantha's name) + Puram ('city').
In the 9th century AD, the Vaishnava poet Nammalvar was thefirst to sing about
the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. The word'Thiruvananthapuram' is not found in
his poetry either. The text was written inthe late 13th or early 14th century.
Although the literary work"Ananthapuravarnana" also describes the city in
detail, the name'Thiruvananthapuram' is not mentioned. However, the name of
Malayinkeezhu is mentioned in theThiruvalla Sasana of the 11th century.
'Syanandura PuranaSamuchayam' is an ancient and historical work that talks
about the SreePadmanabha Swamy Temple. This Sanskrit work, believed to have
been written in1167 AD, describes the location of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy
Temple. It is saidthat the country located south of Malaya Parvat, west of
Paitha Mahakundam andeast of the oceans belongs to Sree Padmanabha.
Commentators say that Malaya Parvat is Malayinkeezhu.
Malayinkeezhum andGuruvayur
In many great temples, Lord Vishnu is worshipped as LordKrishna. The situation
ofGuruvayur temple and Malayankeezhu temple is the same. There are somefacts
that connect Malayankeezhu and Guruvayur.
According to the Puranic records, the Guruvayur temple idoland the Bhagavad
Gita are two contributions to the world after the Bharata War.Lord Krishna
foresaw what was going to happen to the idol that his familytraditionally
worshipped. He told the matter to the Devguru Brihaspati. Krishnasaid that
after his ascension to heaven, Dwarka would be submerged in the seaand that the
idol he was worshipping should be safely taken away and installedin a suitable
place so that it would not be washed away in the sea and that itwould become a
blessing for the devotees in the coming Kali Yuga. Krishnasuggested that he
should also seek the help of Lord Vayu for this. Just asKrishna had said,
Dwarka was taken to the sea after the Bharata War. It wasthen that Brihaspati
saw the idol of Krishna floating in the sea. He could notpick it up alone. So,
as Krishna had suggested, he sought the help of LordVayu. Devguru and Lord
Vayutogether picked up the idol and continued their journey in the sky in
search ofa suitable place to install it. It was then that they saw Shiva
andParvati dancing at a place. They landed there. They installed the idol.
Since Devguru and Vayu wereinstalled together, that place was named
'Guruvayur'.
The world-famous book 'Bhagavad Gita', which wasobtained through the
Mahabharatha War,was first translated into an Indian language in the
Malayinkeezhu templegrounds. Before the father of the language, the writer,
Malayinkeezhu Madhavan,translated the Bhagavad Gita into Malayalam.
The importance of this temple andthe area can be inferred from the fact that
the great poet MalayinkeezhuMadhavan said a century ago that the writing of the
book was done according tothe will of Sri Krishna Swami, who reigns in the land
of Malayinkeezhu,which is as inexhaustible as Indragiri. One thing is clearfrom
all this. Malayinkeezhu temple was once famous like Sri Padmanabha Swamitemple
or Guruvayur.The land and the monasteries for it may have been lost over
time.However, this temple is recorded in the Mathilakam records, including
therecords.
History
The renowned scholarSooranadu Kunjanpillai has opined that the Malayinkeezhu
Sree Krishna SwamyTemple is as old as the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple.
Historical records reveal that thisis not an exaggeration at all.
There is a reference toMalayinkeezhu in the pattayam related to the Thiruvalla
Vishnu Temple. The date of this pattayam isbelieved to be the latter half of
the eleventh century. This document isinscribed on a copper plate. Thiruvalla
P. Unnikrishnan Nair, who has doneresearch on this, has recorded that the
language in it, which is eighteen incheslong and three and a quarter inches
wide, is ancient Malayalam and the scriptis Vattezhuthu. In it, Malayinkeezhu
(the bottom of the mountain) is“Malaiyilkeezhu”. The donations, materials, land
tenure, and conditions to bereceived by the Thiruvalla temple are all in the
Cheppedu(Copper platewritings). However, since many of the Cheppedus have been
lost, there is noinformation about the temple in it. Meanwhile, there is a
mention ofMalayinkeezhu on the side of a plate. The important thing is the
amount ofpaddy to be received from Malayinkeezhu. One thing is clear from this,
the Malayinkeezhu temple wasalso one of the Keezhutu temples belonging to the
Thiruvalla Vishnu temple. Thedescendants of the Pottis of Thiruvalla
Pathillathu owned the lion's share of the property in theMalayinkeezhu area.
There was also a monastery in Malayinkeezhubelonging to Peringara Moovidam, the
chief of the Thiruvalla Pathillakars. Thismonastery was located on the eastern
side of the road, near the temple sanctum,southeast of the Malayinkeezhu temple.
Historians have theorized that the Kolla Varsham began inA.D. 824. It is
assumedthat even before that, the Namboodiris of Thiruvalla village had
migrated toareas including Malayinkeezhu and that the reason for this was the
connectionbetween the two temples.
Malayinkeezhu temple mayhave been as famous as the Thiruvalla temple at that
time. Legends say that there is aconnection between the deities here.
There is evidence that during the reign of Maharaja AnizhamThirunal Marthanda
Varma, who took over the rule of Travancore in 1729 anddedicated the kingdom to
Sree Padmanabhaswamy, musicians were brought from theMalayinkeezhu temple to
the Padmanabhaswamy temple.
Apart from this,Maharajas up to Sree Moolam Thirunal (1885-1924) and Diwans
including Sir. T.Madhavrao have been associated with this temple. Perhaps, it
is the poems ofKuttikunju thankachi that make the Malayinkeezhu temple more
famous.
Kuttikunju Thankachi (1820 – 1904), the daughter of IriyammanThambi, the author
of the immortal songs, lived near the northern gate of theSree Padmanabhaswamy
temple and preferred Malayinkeezhu Krishna to the Ambadi Krishna there.That is
why she visited the Malayinkeezhu temple and wrote poems about Krishnathere.
In summary the temple is believed to have been establishedduring the 10th
century AD and has undergone many renovations and expansionsover the centuries.
My note- I read a commentby Mr Rajaram, when I write about a temple, he goes
through the History first.I think sufficient historical details are given
above.
Architecture
The temple is knownfor its traditional Kerala-style architecture. This style
is characterized byits distinctive features like sloping roofs, intricate
woodwork, and a focus onnatural light and ventilation.
Key Architectural Features:
Kerala Style:The temple adheres to the traditional Keralaarchitectural style,
which emphasizes a harmonious blend with the naturalenvironment.
Sloping Roofs:A prominent feature of Kerala temples, thesloping roofs are
designed to withstand heavy rainfall and provide shade.
Intricate Woodwork:The temple incorporates intricate carvingsand woodwork,
showcasing the craftsmanship of the region.
Natural Light and Ventilation:The design allows for amplenatural light and
ventilation, creating a serene and comfortable atmosphere.
Square Foundation:Like many Hindu temples, the temple islikely built on a
square foundation, a common element in Hindu templearchitecture.
Specialty of thetemple
Even today,Malayinkeezhu Sree Krishna is the idol of worship for the old people
ofThiruvananthapuram city. Relatives say that it was at the Malayinkeezhu
temple that theancestors of the interior areas like Nedumangad, Vithura, and
others used togive the first milk of a cow when it gave birth and gave the
calves as a gift.That was a time when there was no bus service. Locals
rememberthat former President V.V. Giri used to visit the temple when he was
thegovernor. If you look at it this way, the Malayinkeezhu temple oncestood at
the pinnacle of fame and was a pilgrimage centre for Vaishnavadevotees in
southern Kerala.
Deities
Chief deity is Lord Krishna who is worshipped in the form ofa child
(Balakrishna).
Sub Deities in the temple are Shiva, Shasta,Nagar, Bhootthan,
Ganapati,Bhagavathi and Brahmarakshas are enshrined insidethe temple walls and
Yakshiamma is enshrined outside.
Bhoothathan is the fierce deity of the Ellumalai mountain atthe foot of the
Malayinkeezhu. He is also known as the Ellutheri Bhoothathan.No separate
sub-temple has been built for this deity. A circular stone has beenerected at
ground level outside the sacrificial area on the south side of thetemple, in
the image of this deity. On the day of the Palli Vettai, when thehunting hounds
call for the hunters, they callonly twice loudly. It is believed that the
Bhoothathan cannot hearthe third call.
Pooja timings
Nirmalya darshanam: 4.00 am Vilakkuveyppu: 4.40 am
Malar Nivedyam :5.00 am UshaPooja: 6.15 am
Etihad Puja: 7.15 am SreeBali: 7.30 am
Ganapathy Homam: 7.30 am UchaPooja : 10.45 am
Uchasiveli: 11.00 am Nadaadakkal: 11.00 am
Evening
Opening: 5.00 pm Vilakkuveyppu:6.30 pm
Achazhapooja: 8.00 pm
Some importantofferings
Ganapati Homam 40rupees
Ashtadravya Ganapati Homam 300rupees
Muzhakapp (including sub-devas) Rs. 605
Kalabhabhishekam Rs.450 (the offering person must bring the items
Palabhishekam Rs. 75(material must be produced)
Udayasthamana Puja (The offeror should bring the necessaryitems and other
things) Rs. 5000
Other Offerings like sahashranamarchana, ashtotharam,vidyagopalam,
mruthyunjayam are also done.
Festivals
The temple is known for its annual festival, which iscelebrated during the
Malayalam month of Meenam (March-April). The festival isa ten-day-long
celebration and features various cultural programs and rituals.The highlight of
the festival is the Arattu procession, in which the idol ofLord Krishna is
taken out in a procession and immersed in the nearby river. The annual festival
ofMalayinkeezhu Sree Krishna Swamy Temple is celebrated for eight days in
theMalayalam month of Meenam (mid-March – mid-April). Other festivals like
Sreekrishna jayanathi, Vishu etc are also celebrated.
Ladies not allowedinside Nalambalam.
Once a lady in spite of prohibition entered the Nalambalam.She was a krishna
bhaktha. Afterwards she was not seen. She got absorbed in todeity.
Address of the temple
Sree Krishna Swami Temple, Nellikkadu, Malayinkeezhu P.O,
Trivandrum - 695571,Phone: 093870 81741
Administration
The Malayinkeezhu Sree Krishnaswamy Temple, part of theNeyyattinkara Group of
the Travancore Devaswom Board.
Temple timings
4 AM to 11 AM 5 PM to 8PM
How to reach thetemple
By air: The nearest airport to Malayinkeezhu Sree KrishnaSwamy Temple is
Trivandrum International Airport, which is located about 20kilometers away.
From the airport, you can hire a taxi or take a bus to reachthe temple.
By train: The nearest railway station is theThiruvananthapuram Central Railway
Station, which is located about 17kilometers away from the temple. From the
railway station, you can take a taxior a bus to reach the temple.
By bus: Malayinkeezhu is well connected by buses from nearbytowns and cities.
You can take a bus from Thiruvananthapuram or any othernearby town to reach the
temple.
Once you reach Malayinkeezhu, you can easily find the templeas it is located in
the centre of the village. You can also ask the locals fordirections to the
temple.
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