EVOORSRIKRISHNASWAMY TEMPLE, NEAR KAYAMKULAM, ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT , KERALA Dear friends,
Today my posting is about the Evoor Srikrishnaswamy temple nearKayamkulam and Haripad, in the Alappuzha District of Kerala .It is said to have originated fivemillennium ago following KhandavaDahanam. Temple in its current form is built by king Sree MoolamThirunal of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Hope a divine reading. Gopalakrishnan 11-09-2025 Introduction Evoor Major Srikrishnaswamy temple is a Krishna temple inEvoor near Kayamkulam and Haripad, in Alappuzha, Kerala. It is said to haveoriginated five millennium ago following Khandava Dahanam. Temple in itscurrent form is built by Moolam Thirunal. Mahabharata Legend Agni, after devouring clarified butter uninterrupted fortwelve years from Swetaki's Yagja, suffered a stomach ailment. Lord Brahmaadvised him to consume the Khandava forest. The forest was abode to Takshaka, the Naga leader andfriend of Indra. Whenever Agni tried to consume theforest Indra, with his thundershowers, stopped him. Agni turned to Arjuna and Krishna for assistance. Agni armedArjuna with the mighty bow Gandiva which rivalled Pinaka, the bow of Lord Shivahimself. When Arjuna andKrishna arrived at Khandava forest Kanva Maharishi approached them with arequest to spare his Arca moorthy (a four handed idol of Vishnu) Krishnagranted the request. Arjuna constructed a Sarakoodam to shelter Agni. Under theSarakoodam Agni consumed the forest and was cured of the ailment. Grateful, Agni, expressed his wishto install Arca moorthy in a new temple there to facilitate worship. As instructed by Sri Krishna, Arjuna fired an arrow todetermine an auspicious location for the proposed temple. The place where thearrow landed was used to construct the new temple. Evoor is a corrupt form of Eythoor (place where arrowwas shot). Krishna performed Prana-Pratishta and Arjuna performed thefirst pooja. Bhoothanathaswamy( KirathaMurthy form of Lord Shiva) and Yakshi Amma ( Devi Parvathy) were consecrated asthe Sub Deities. The remains of burned trees in the locality and names ofnearby places, Karippuzha (kari means char), Pathiyoor (corruption of KathiyaOor-place that burnt), Pandavarkavu, Mannarasala, Kannamangalam (Kanva-MangalamKanva's abode) agree with the account. History-Fire andReconstruction About one and a half century ago the temple burnt whenthe sanctum sanctorum caught fire. The idol was recovered from the burning temple. The thenKing Moolam Thirunal who was visiting Kashi had a vision in his dream askinghim to reconstruct the temple. He returned right away and constructed a newtemple. Soon, on his arrival from Kasi, the King re-built the presenttemple with palatial amenities such as security trenches atop the roof allaround and underground drainage network to drain the ‘abhisheka water’ from‘Sreekovil’ to the adjacent temple tank. The renowned ‘Tharananalloor Tantri‘ (whose ancestors werebrought to Kerala by Sri Parashurama) was appointed as the hereditary ‘Tantri ’or priest of this temple. To attain self-reliance, enormous wealth in the formof lands and other assets was granted by the Authority concerned to the temple.Moreover, extensive neighborhood facilities and all necessary infrastructurewere put in place for the temple. Architecture The architecture of the Evoor Major Sri Krishnaswamy Templein Kerala incorporates royal features such as security trenches on the roof andunderground drainage for abhisheka water, a testament to the reconstruction byMoolam Thirunal, the former king of Travancore, who also integrated royalfacilities. The construction also involved significant underground and drainagenetworks, directing water from the sanctum to the adjacent temple tank. Key ArchitecturalFeatures Royal Facilities: During the reconstruction by MoolamThirunal, who was a king of Travancore, security trenches were built atop theroof, along with an underground drainage system to manage the abhisheka water. Underground Drainage Network: An extensive undergroundnetwork was established to channel the water used for the ritualistic bathingof the deity (abhisheka) from the sreekovil (sanctum) to a nearby temple tank. Integration with the Landscape: The temple complex wasdesigned with functionality in mind, integrating the drainage system tofacilitate traditional rituals without compromising the structural integrity. Temple Complex Structure: The temple is a sizable complex,housing the main deity of Sri Krishna. Historical Significance: While the temple has ancient roots,its current structure is largely a result of Moolam Thirunal's reconstructionefforts, which aimed to create a robust and functional temple complex. In essence, the architectural style of the Evoor temple is ablend of ancient tradition with practical royal designs, particularly visiblein its innovative use of underground drainage systems and defensive features Deities Chief Deity -Evoor Bhagavan's Deity is theunique Prayoga Chakra Prathishta. The idol is in the four-armed Vishnu formwith Panchajanya Shankha, Sudarshana Chakra and butter in three hands and thefourth arm held on hip. The deity is furious form and Raktha-pushpanjali is aspecial offering here which is unavailable in Vishnu temples elsewhere. May be due to Lord Krishnainstalled , this lord Vishnu temple is nowadays called Lord Krishna temple. Sub deities Evoor Sri Krishna Swamy temple, one of the importantVaishnava Temple which is believed to be built in ‘Dwapara Yuga’, has only‘upadeva’(sub-deity) namely Sreebhoothanatha Swamy. ‘Bhoothanathaswamy’ (‘Kiratha Murthy’ form of LordSiva) together with ‘Yakshi Amma’ (Devi Parvathy) were consecratedas the Sub -Deities. The ancient trees roofing them are the survivors ofKhandava-forest. It is pertinent to mention that Shiva as sub-deity in a VaishanavaTemple is rarest and only seen in Evoor Temple. It is placed at the North-Eastportion of the main temple.Near to Sreebhoothanatha Swamy, Yakshiamma is a disguised form of DeviParvathy. Legend of Sribhoothananthaswamy Arjuna was praying in the Khandava Forest for the boon(s),and to test him Shiva-Parvathy appeared before Arjunan as primitive folks. AsArjun could not identify Shiva-Parvathy, he fought with Lord Shiva. The arrowsof Arjuna became leaves and flowers on the body of Shiva and later on Arjunarealised that the primitive folks were none other than Shiva-Parvathy. Toremind us in this Kali Kalam that “Lord Shiva is the body of Panchabhootha”, hestill blesses the devotees as Upadeva- Sreebhoothanatha Swamy at Evoor Temple. Poojas Morning Palliyunathal - 04:45 AM Nada Thurappu - 04:50 AM Nirmalyam - 05:00 AM Usha Pooja - 07:00 AM Pantheeradi Pooja - 08:00 AM Kalabha Charthu - 10:30 AM Ucha Pooja - 11:00 AM Nadayadappu - 11:30 AM Evening Nada Thurappu - 05:00 PM Deeparadhana - 06:30 PM Athazha Pooja - 07:30 PM Nadayadappu - 08:00 PM Sreebali: 3 times Special Poojakal(Festival time): Navakam, Anchupooja,Sreebhoothabali, Ultsavabali Festivals Makara Ulsava-Ulsava inEvoor temple starts on first day of makara and continues for ten days. The ulsavam beginswith the hosting of Garuda printed flag. The ulsava of days 7, 8, and 9 aresponsored by three karas one at a time. On the ninth day there is Kala-kettu(decorated effigies of Bulls). The ulsava culminates with Aaraattu (holy bath)after that the flag is lowered and the deity proceeds to Pallikkuruppu (HolySleep). The yearly ‘Araattu’(ceremonial bath) of Evoor Krishnaswamy is being held in this temple’stank. “Utsavam” is for the restoration of divine “Chaithanyam” ofDeity, by performing necessary purification and energization rituals.Culturally, it consists of various processions, illumination, fireworks,art-forms, etc. Evoor “Utsavam” lasts for ten days. Beginning is on the firstday of ‘Makaram’ (January). It ends after the “Aaaraattu” (Holy Bath). All tendays, the place wears a festive look, streets dressed up with arches, festoons,etc. Every building is tastefully decorated with lights, plantain trunks,bunches of coconut and areca nuts. It starts with “Kotiyettam ” (Flag Hoisting)by the Tantri. The events of first five days are sponsored jointly byTravancore Devaswom board and specific groups of devotees. Three ‘Karas’(villages) namely Evoor South, Evoor North and Evoor North-West conduct theevents of days 7 , 8 and 9 respectively. Each ‘Kara’ competes with others tomake own “ Utsavam” the best. The Utsavam ends on the tenth day with a lot ofrituals. Evoor Vishu Darshanam conducting every year by"ANUSTANAM" in the first day of Malayalam month 'Medam'. The VishuDarsanam today is a result of a revelation to a member of Karazhma family. Hedreamt that a small boy, with coins in a bronze vessel, came out from theSanctum of the temple and distributes the coins to the devotees. On describingthe dream to his father who was the eldest in the family, the member got toknow some more such experiences Kathakali is a stylizedclassical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes,detailed gestures and well-defined Velakali is originatedfrom the martial arts in Kerala. Velakali is considered as a leisure art. It is performed bymen in many Krishna temples in south Kerala. Both are performed on Festivaldays Other Festivals Associatedwith Evoor Temple are Evoor Vishu Darshanam, Aiyalyam Makam, Shankaranthi Vallam Kali, TiruvonamUlsavam, Ashtami Rohini, Kuchela dinam, etc . Anushtanam Anushtanam launched on04th ay 1997 has established itself in the cultural map of Kerala with host of performances ofKoodiyattom, Kathakali, Chakyarkoothu and Concerts, in addition to seminars onthe various aspects of different art forms. Anushtanam proposes toinstitute Evoor Sankara Rama Iyer awardevery year for a performing artist, forhis contibutions in this field. Also planing to institute another award for anup-coming artisit in this field. Sreekrishna Geetha Samithi Established on 1120 - malayalam year, take care the libraryon Hindu religious books. Conducting religious study centre-Geetha Classes anddiscussion on every Sunday, Akhanda Nama Japam –on 1st of Every MalayalamMonth. Recitation of Bhagavatham- Every Rohini Star day of Malayalam Months.Malayalam Month Chingam-Ashtami Rohini-Saptaham Yajnjam, Procession fromRamapuram Goddess’ Temple and Kathakali. Also conducting Vaisakha Ekadasi andDaily Vedanta study Evoor SapthahayenjaSamithi Established on 1992. Conducting Sreemad Sapthahayenjam whichcomes to and end on Mandalakala Samapanam (41) Sreekrishna NarayaneeyaSamithi Conducting the study and parayanam of Narayaneeyam in thetemple. Coordinating the Moola Bhagavatha Sapthahaynjam in the month of Thulammalayalam year. Also conducting narayaneeya parayanavum in other important daysin temple. Annadana Samithi Established on 1995, this organisation arranging the kanjisaday to the childrens of mathapadashala(school for studying religiousthoughts). Now they established an dconducting kanjisadya every sunday. Vishnu Vinayaka Aana PremiSangam Recently formed an organisation, they conducting 'Gajamela'in the time of temple annual festival. Offerings Chathushatha Nivedyam-Thrikkaivenna Trimaduram-Aaalvilakku Thelikkal Bhagavatha Parayanam-Vallasadya Udayasthamana Pooja-Pushpabhishekam Lakshmi Narayana pooja-Akandanama Japama Paalpayasam-Pushpanjali Muzhukkappu and Chuttuvilakku Kathakali-Kaalakettu Vishnu Pooja-Thulabharam Vishnu Sahasranama Archana For Sree Bhuthanathan Dhara -Vettila and Pappadam Parathal Neeranjanam-Vellanivedyam Avilpanthirazhi- For Yekshiyamma Varapodi, Therali Nivedyam and Thettimala How to reach thetemple Evoor temple is situated near the Cheppad Railway station Itis on the coastal railway route. You can get down at Cheppad Junction and go byan auto-rickshaw to Evoor temple. Nearest bus stations are Kayamkulam (7km north) and Harippad(5km south). Address: Evoor, East of, Cheppad Railway Station Rd, Kerala 690507. Phone:1800 425 4747 Administration The temple is under the administration of Travancore DevaswamBoard. -- 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/1361804959.1680592.1757598762488%40mail.yahoo.com.
