JANARDHANASWAMY TEMPLE VARKALA, TRIVANDRUM DISTRICT, KERALA-Compiled Dear friends,
Sri Janardhana Swamytemple is located at Varakala, in the Trivandrum District of Kerala and is a 2000-year-oldtemple dedicated to the worship of Lord Vishnu. The temple faces the Papanasambeach and the alluring sea wind adds to the spirituality of the temple. Todaymy posting is about this temple. Hope a divine reading, Gopalakrishnan 5-8-2025. Who is the God Janardhana? Janardana is a name of the Hindu god Vishnu, often used as anepithet or title. It signifies his role as the protector and maintainer of allliving beings. The name also appears in various scriptures and is associatedwith Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, and Rama, another avatar. Meaning:The name Janardana is derived from the Sanskrit words"jana" (people) and "ardana" (one who pleases orsatisfies). It can also be interpreted as "one who destroys the cycle ofbirth and death". Vishnu's Role: In Hindu scriptures, Janardana is one of the many names ofVishnu, who is revered as the preserver and protector of the universe. Krishna and Rama: The name Janardana is also used to refer to Krishna, who isan avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. Similarly, it can be associated with Rama,another important avatar of Vishnu. In Scriptures: The name Janardana appears in the Mahabharata, where Sanjayauses it to describe Vishnu's power. It also appears in the Bhagavad Gita, whereArjuna addresses Krishna as Janardana. Temples: There are temples dedicated to Janardana, such asthe Janardanaswamy Temple in Varkala, Kerala, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnuin his Janardana form. Festivals: The Janardanaswamy Temple in Varkala celebratesfestivals like Arattu, Ram Navami, and Vaikuntha Ekadashi, all of which arerelated to Vishnu. Speciality This temple is a good example of the Kerala architecture. Thetemple is situated on top of a small hill overlooking the sea. The presidingdeity appears to be standing facing east and his right hand is raised to his mouth as ifhe is about eat. Some say that the hand seems to be getting closer to theLord’s mouth and that if he eats that would be the end of the world. It is believed that praying at the temple and taking a bathat the nearby Papanasam beach will wash away one's sins. Varkala is alsoconsidered as the best place to do pitrukarma, which is why it is sometimesalso called "DakshinaKashi" (literally the "Kashi of the South"). It is also called "Gaya of the South". Varkala draws hundredsof pilgrims and visitors all year round. Legends Several myths, legends and stories are associated with theorigin and history of the temple. Most popular among them is the story relatedto Lord Brahma and Sage Narada. Oncelord Brahma descended to earth to perform a Yaga (fire sacrifice). He chose thepresent Varkala as the Yaga Bhoomi (place to perform the sacrifice). The striate of lignite and mineral watersfound in Varkala are attributed to this sacrifice. Engrossed with the ritual Brahma forgot hisdivine job of creation. Lord Vishnu became awareof this situation and came to Varkala to remind Lord Brahma about his duty.Lord Vishnu entered the Yagashala in the disguise of an old man. The Brahmins assisting Lord Brahma received the old man and gave himfood. But whatever he ate, his hunger was not satiated. Lord Brahma’sassistants went and told him about it. Realising that the old man is none otherthan Lord Vishnu Brahma came immediately to see him but was shocked to seeVishnu eating aabhojanam. Lord Brahma then prevented Lord Vishnu from eating it andtold him, “Lord, if you eat it, then the final deluge will swallow this world.“ Lord Vishnu then requested Lord Brahma to stop the Yaga and recommence hisjob of creation. One day Sage Narada followed by Lord Vishnu was walking inthe sky over Varkala. Lord Brahma who came there saluted Lord Vishnu. The nineprajapathis (Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Vasishtha,Prachetas or Daksha, Bhrigu (Narada is the tenth prajapathi, they are the tenlords first created by Brahma) were watching this. who were watching thisstarted laughing for theycouldn’t see Lord Vishnu. They thought that Lord Brahma was salutinghis own son Sage Narada. Then Lord Brahma corrected them. They feltsorry at having committed a sinful deed. Lord Brahma told them that the properplace to pray for their redemption would be shown to them by sage Narada. SageNarada threw his Valkalam (cloth made of deer’s skin) that he was wearingtowards the earth. The Valkalam landed in a place which was later called by thename Varkala. Later Lord Vishnu made a pond there using his Chakra (wheel) atthe request of Narada for the Prajapathis who wanted it to do the atonement. ThePrajapathis did thapas there and were pardoned for their sins. The Janardhana (Janardhanais another name of Lord Vishnu) temple is believed to have been built by thedevas. But thistemple became dilapidated and was later reconstructed by a Pandya king. The king was once affectedby a ghost. He went on a pilgrimage but couldn’t cure himself from the sway ofthe evil spirit. When he came to the present day Varkala, he saw the remnants of a dilapidated temple by the side the sea. Heprayed to God promising he would rebuild the temple there. Next day hehad a dream in which he was told to go to the sea and stand near thedilapidated temple. Nearby hewould see huge number of flowers floating in the sea, if he searches there hewould get an idol. The present Janardhana idol was recovered from thesea by him. He built the temple and laid down the rules for maintenance of thetemple. The idol of Janardhana has Aabhojana in its right hand.People believe that this hand is rising slowly toward his mouth. The day thatthe idol Janardhanaswami eats the aabhojana the Kaliyuga will be over and theworld will face the great deluge. History Though the original date of construction of the temple is notavailable, there are some inscriptions which indicate that the renovation ofthe temple had been carried out at different periods of history. One of the inscriptions says thatthe temple was renovated by Umayamma Rani, who ruled this region in the later17th century. An ancient inscription dated 1252 has also been found on the temple premises. Itis seen engraved on the lower part of the mandapa before the temple. Tall granite posts and heavy brass bells hungfrom ceilings too evoke interest in a connoisseur. The oil trays cut in thegranite posts hold lighted wicks during evenings and it is a treat to the eyes. Architecture Varkala Janardhana Swamy Temple is popular not only as apilgrim centre but it also allures everyone with its architecturalsplendour. The temple faces Papanasambeach and the proximity to the sea adds to its spiritual as well as aestheticaura. A flight of broadsteps lead to the Janardhana temple and on the way, you will be greeted by ahigh entrance arch with tiled roof. An old banyan tree stands on thetemple ground and idols of several serpent gods and goddesses are alsoinstalled here. Nagapushpam plant is also there, and one can see the flowers appearing like hood ofsnakes. Brightly painted idols of Hanuman, Garuda, Lord Shiva and others greet you once you are about toenter the sanctorum. The main shrine Lord Janardhana (Vishnu) has four arms inwhich are placed shanghu (the holy conch shell) chakra (wheel), gada (mace) and one hand towards mouth. The temple has many attractive features and it has a circularsanctum sanctorum surmounted by a conical dome of copper sheets. The mandapa orpavilion is square in shape and it has wooden carvings of Navagrahas (nineplanets) on the ceiling. There is a hall in which the bali peetha is situatedand this too is an important feature of the temple architecture. The temple is a fine example of Kerala art and architecture.Aspects of the temple—including the circular "sanctum sanctorum"surmounted by a conical dome of copper sheets, the square mandapa with woodencarvings of Navagrahas on the ceiling and copper-plated roof, the quadrangularenclosures (prakaram) around them, and a hall containing a Bali Pitha in frontof the inner temple—are characteristic features of Kerala architecture and thehighly embellished temples of South India My note- Now one can reach the western gate throughbus/auto/car. A few steps are to be get down to reach the temple Chief Deity The presiding deity of this temple, Janardanaswamy, is foundstanding and facing east. His right hand performs "Aachamanam" and israised towards his mouth; as per legend, the world will come to an end when hishand reaches his mouth. It is believed this will happen at the end of the KaliYuga. The main idol has a striking appearance with four arms having all theattributes of Vishnu. Main deity Lord Janardhana is locally known asVarkaleswara . The idol is always dressed in sandals and flowers, either in theform of Janardana, Narasimha, Venugopala, or Mohini. Sub deities The temple sits on a tableland adjoining the sea and isreached by a long flight of stairs. The entrance to the inner shrine is flankedby the idols of Hanuman andGaruda on either side. In the main shrine is the idol ofJanardana with Sridevi and Bhudevi. There are small temples of Shiva, Ganesha, Shastha, and Naga devata in this temple. In the south-western corner and on the north-eastern side ofthe outer enclosure are theshrines of Sasta and Shiva with Nandi. Poojas Four poojas are conducted each day. The temple's chief priestis a Tulu Brahmin, who should not be a native of theplace where the temple exists. Festivals Every year during the months of March – April, the Arattufestival is celebrated in at the temple. The festival commemorates with a flaghoisting and ends with the procession of grandly decorated elephants throughthe streets. Other than this the usual festivals which are celebrated in honourof the Lord Vishnu such as Ram Navami and Vaikunta Ekadashi are also celebratedhere. Ashtami Rohini, the birthday of Krishna in the month ofChingam (August–September), is celebrated as a festival here. Every year, in the Malayalam month of Meenam (March–April), aten-day Arattu festival is celebrated at the Janardanaswamy Temple in Kerala'sbeach town of Varkala. The festival starts with a Kodiyettam flag hoistingceremony, and ends with a procession of five decorated elephants through thestreets. During the fourth and fifth days of the festival, the celebrationsinclude all-night performances such as traditional Kathakali dancing. Thearattu (holy bath) of the deity is conducted on Uttaram day in the Arabian Seabehind the temple. Apart from this festival, the days of the appearance ofVishnu's avatars (e.g.: Rama Navami, Ashtami Rohini, Narasimha Jayanti),Karkidaka vavu (Amavasya day in the month of Karkidakam, which comes in July orAugust), and Vaikuntha Ekadashi are also celebrated in the temple. The days ofThiruvonam star, Ekadashi, and Thursdays are also considered important, sinceaccording to popular custom, these days are dedicated to Vishnu. My note- A fewrepetition of festivals is there. Re- writing takes a lot of time. Pl excuse me. Ritual/ Function Karkidaka vavu too isan important function and the priests of this temple help the devotees performhomage to their ancestors during that day. People believe that ancestorsworshipped in this temple will be pleased. Possibly because of this, theJanardana is also called 'Pitru Mokshakan'. My note- Not only on Karkitavavu day, on all Amavasya days andnormal days priests are available in thebeach nowadays to conduct Balikarma of the devotees coming there. Literature Varkala, a seaside suburban town of Thiruvananthapuram, isalso known as Janardanapuram or Udayamarthandapuram or Balit, and is a sacredpilgrim centre. The Varkala Janardanaswamy Temple is among the 108Abhimana Kshethrams, a group of Vaishnavite shrines that are considered amongthe foremost existing Vishnu Temples, and are repeatedly mentioned in extantancient texts like the Puranas and Itihasas. The Bhagavata Purana andthe Mahabharata mention that Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna, visitedthis shrine during his pilgrimage to the Kanyakumari Temple and other templesin the south. Temple Pond There is a pool called `Chakra Theertha’ on the northern partof the temple which is about 240 ft in circumference. The Dutch Bell There is a huge bell placed in this temple on which it ismarked as 1757 (probably theyear in which it was cast). The story behind this bell goes like his. Itis said that the bell was offered to the temple as an oblation. While sailingto Europe a Dutch shiprefused to move as it passed by the temple. Hearingthe chiming of the bell from the temple the captain of the ship promised tooffer the bell in his ship as an oblation to Janardhana swamy if he allows theship to continue its journey. Soon a wind came and moved the ship and the crew safely tothe next port. The captain returned and kept his promise. The names inscribed in the bell are'Peter von Belson' and 'Michelle Evarald'. Timings The temple functions between 4.00 am to 12.00 pm and from5.00 pm to 8.00 pm Dress Code No specific dress code is recommended for a visit to thistemple. Still, costumes covering upper arms and legs are suggested as a mark ofrespect to the temple customs. The temple remains open from 4 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. to8 p.m. Address of Temple phonenumber Address: Janardhana swamy temple, Varkala, ThiruvananthapuramDistrict, Kerala 695141, · Phone: +91-4712607575 · 0471 -2321132 Location The temple is situated about 10.9 km west of Kallambalam onNH 66 near the sea, 25 km north of Thiruvananthapuram city, 2 km from VarkalaRailway Station and 14 km northwest of Attingal municipality. -- 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/1945161012.1423807.1754403785384%40mail.yahoo.com.
