THIRUPULIYOOR| SRI MAAYAPIRAN PERUMAL TEMPLE | DIVYA DESAMS – 072-ALLEPPY DISTRICT-KERALA
Introduction Puliyur Mahavishnu Temple is a Divyadesam, the sacred abode of Lord Vishnusituated in Kerala that has been glorified in the Tamil hymns of the Azhwarsaints. Also known as the Thiruppuliyur Divya Desam, it is located in Puliyur, near Chengannur in the Alappuzhadistrict of Kerala state. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here as Maayapiran, and his consort, PorkodiNaachiyaar. This is an ancient temple and is believed to be one of the fiveshrines built by the Pandava princes in Kerala and hence, is connected with theMahabharata epic. Constructed in theKerala style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandham,the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuriesAD. As wrote earlier, the temple is one of the five ancient shrines in theChengannur area of Kerala, connected with the legend of Mahabharata, where thefive Pandavas are believed to have built one temple each; Thrichittatt MahaVishnu Temple by Yudhishthira, Puliyoor Mahavishnu Temple by Bheema, Aranmula ParthasarathyTemple by Arjuna, Thiruvanvandoor Mahavishnu Temple by Nakula andThrikodithanam Mahavishnu Temple by Sahadeva. Legends Once, Virukshadharbi,who was the son of Sibhi Chakravarthy, ruled an empire where there was floodand there was no proper vegetation and the wealth and the beauty of the entireempire felt decreasing. At that time,the king thought, if any danam is givento Sapta Rishis,it might increase the wealth and beauty of the Empire. He asked his palaceofficials to keep some gold inside the fruits and give them that, so that theywill accept. But, knowing the truth that some gold is placed inside the fruitthrough their Gnana Dhirusti, they did not accept the fruit . After the fruits which are given as Dhanam is being rejectedby the Sapta Rishis, Virukshadharbi got angry onall 7 Rishis and tried them to kill and as a result of this cruel mind, hestarted an Yaagm in which a lady knownas (Arakki – female demon) by named “Kiruthyai” arise and he ordered the demon to kill all the sapta Rishis. But, knowing this, the Emperumaan sent Indiran to destroy theKiruthyai Arakki and thereby protect Sapta Rishis. Likewise, Indran killed the demonand all the Sapta Rishis - Athri, Vasishtar, Kaasyapar, Gouthamar, Bharadwajar, Vishvamitra andJamadagni got the seva of this Maayapiraan along with porkodiNaachiyaar and through Indra, it is said that all these Saptarishis got theirMukti towards the Emperumaan. Later in this place templewas constructed and perumal is done the pradhistai by Bhima. During the Mahabharata war, Bhimaunderwent penance worshipping the lord here. Bheema was the powerful among thefive brothers and this temple is large indicating his huge appearance. Also the Gatha, the weapon used by Bheema isbelieved to be present in the temple.(this Gatha was recently placed in the frontof this temple with in a grill square) Earliestreferences(History) Earliest references to this temple appear in the poems andhymns composed by the greatest of Alvar saints - Nammalvar, in circa 800 AD. Stoneinscriptions in the temple date it back to the Second Chera Empire (800–1102AD). Thirumangai Azhwar has mentionedThirupuliyur in one of his verses in his Siriya Thirumadal). Architecture When look from outside, this temple is situated about eighteen steps from Ground level. The templeis built in Kerala style architecture, common in all temples in the SouthIndian state of Kerala in Eastern axis. The temple has no gateway tower and hasan arch from the mainroad. A rectangular wall around the temple, called Kshetra-Madil is pierced by the gateways, encloses all theshrines of the temple. The temple is squarein shape and after climbing the steps, we can enter the temple. TheDhvajasthambham (Kodi Maram) of copperplates is facing towards the East side and shining all the time. After entering into the temple and while traveling along the prakara, we canfind a separate Sannidhi for Bhuvaneshwari Amman. Outside the Gharbhagriham(where moolavar is installed ), we can find Dwara palakars, on either side, wecan also find a Ganapathy (LordGanesha) idol with small shrine in the prakaram. The copper flag post islocated axial to the temple tower leading to the central sanctum. Chuttambalamis the outer pavilion within the temple walls. The central shrine and theassociated hall is located in a rectangular structure called Nalambalam, whichhas pillared halls and corridors. Between the entrance of Nalambalam to the sanctum, there is a raisedsquare platform called Namaskara Mandapa which has a pyramidal roof. Thevarapura,the kitchen used to cook offerings to the deity, is located on the left ofNamaskara Mandapa from the entrance. Balithara is an altar used for makingritualistic offerings to demi-gods and the festive deities. The central shrinecalled Sreekovil houses the image of the presiding deity. It is on an elevatedplatform with a single door reached through five steps. As per Kerala rituals,only the main priest called Thantri and the second priest called Melsanthialone can enter the Sree Kovil. The central shrine has a circular plan with the base built of granite,superstructure built of laterite and conical roof made of copper plates supported from inside by a wooden structure.The temple has shrines of Dakshinamurthy,Krishna, Bhagavathy and Ayyappa. The Vimanam, the roof over thesanctum, is called Purushasukta Vimanam as the seven sages, the Saptarishis,performed penance. Chief Deity The Moolavar is Maayapiran, who is found in NindraThirukkolam, is around 3 to 4 feet in height and in front of the Moolavar sannidhi,a beautiful mandapam in which lot of pillars are found with sculptures. Poojas The daily poojas performed at the Thirupuliyur MahavishnuTemple, also known as the Maayapiran Temple, include the awakening ceremony andmorning and evening worship. The temple follows the traditional rituals of Kerala temples, where dailyprayers, or Nithya poojas, are performed in three sessions: dawn, noon, andsunset. Daily pooja schedule A typical daily schedule at the temple includes the followingceremonies: Palliyunarthal (Awakening): The day begins early in themorning with the ceremonial awakening of the deity. Usha Pooja: The morning worship, including offerings of milkand nivedyam (food offerings). Ucha Pooja: The midday worship, which involves a largeroffering of rice. Deeparadhana: The evening worship, which includes lightinglamps accompanied by ceremonial music. Offerings Prasada: Cooked vegetarian food (like rice, curries, andsweets) is offered to the deity and then distributed to devotees. Garlic,onion, and mushroom are sometimes excluded. My note- Whether thispractice is still there other than offering cooked raw rice asNivedyam could not be verified. Flowers and Lamps: Flowers, water, incense, and lamps areoffered during puja ceremonies. Food Offerings: Specific food items like fruits are commonofferings. Legendary Offerings: In some contexts, the offerings are tiedto the temple's specific legends, such as the offerings of fruits and flowersmade to Lord Vishnu Athazha Pooja: The final worship of the day before thesanctum is closed. Seeveli: This ritual involves carrying the idol on anelephant in a procession around the temple, a significant daily event in somemajor Kerala temples. Festivals and specialpoojas The temple performs several special poojas and celebratesfestivals throughout the year: Monthly Thiruvonam Star: A special festival, or utsavam, isheld on the day of the Thiruvonam star each month. Janmashtami: Lord Krishna's birthday is celebrated in theTamil month of Avani. Annual Festival: A ten-day annual festival is celebrated inthe Malayalam month of Medam (April/May). Arattu Festival: This festival is celebrated during the Tamilmonth of Margazhi. Kavadiattam: This special ritual is performedduring the Tamil month of Thai. Pradoshams: These prayers are especiallyimportant for Lord Shiva's shrine within the temple complex and are celebratedwith devotion Temple Timings The temple is open from 4 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8 pm Benefits ofworshipping Puliyur Mahavishnu Maayapiran can remove illusions, provide knowledge andskills, help overcome impediments, bestow happiness, and take one towardssalvation. People also worship him for protection and all-round welfare. How to reach PuliyurMahavishnu Temple By Air-The nearest airport is Trivandrum, about 120kilometers from the shrine. By Rail-Chengannur railway junction is very near the temple.This is an important junction, which connects with all other cities and townsacross Kerala. By Road-This temple issituated 7 KMs away from Chengannur inthe west. We can reach this Kshetram by getting down in chengannur railwaystation which is on the railway lane between Trivandrum and kottayam.Chengannur to Mavelikkara route the temple is situated. Address and phonenumber Thirupuliyur Mahavishnu temple, Chengannur Kollakadavu Road,Puliyoor, Kerala 689510 Phone: 098251 08774 Compiled and posted by R.Gopalakrishnan on 17-10-2025 -- 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/351133199.2518548.1760656514257%40mail.yahoo.com.
