RE: [Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Organizing Mails

[Guest guest]

!! Sri Rama Jayam !!

 

 

Dear Group,

 

The flow of messages & new informations is adequately nourishing our database. My special congratulations to all dear devotees for their every small & big contributions to it. But, now it is high time when we should organize these informations/mails, as some devotees have already raised this issue sometime before. This is in particular very IMP when some body really wish search any of the previous mails & wish to quote any updated information based on the same. Sorting out the mails into respective folders will make the job easy.

 

Please suggest some good practices to make our database look simplified & structured.

 

Thanks.

 

Hare Krishna

Hare Rama

 

 

 

guruvayur [guruvayur ]On Behalf Of rajuthekkeveed50Saturday, May 14, 2005 12:36 PMguruvayur Subject: [Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] A brief history of Kallarakkal Temple - Koovappady.KALLARAKKAL MAHAVISHNU-MAHADEVA TEMPLE - A BRIEF ANNOTATION."Yatha Sivamaya Vishnuh Evam Vishnumayah SivahYathantharam na pasyami tathame swastirayushi." (Shiva in the form of Vishnu and Vishnu in the form Shiva - I bow down -. Vishnu is the heart of Shiva and Shiva is the heart of Vishnu as both are essentially one. As I do not perceive any difference between the two may my life be blessed and prolonged). About Kerala temples, Stella Kramrisch once wrote like this "Inthis beauteous, bountiful country, between sea and mountains, green in the density of high trees and fertile land, the temples - 2200 are in worship - are part of the scene". This may not be the sceneat present; but there are many more temples - small and big -important and unimportant which worshiped by a small group of devotees. Kallarakkal Temple is one of such. To an average Malayali, particularly to Nairs/Namboodiris and allied communities, the day begins with a bath in the temple tanks or a tank in their compound itself, and dash to the nearby temple with the wet MUNDU. The influence of Marxism and materialistic philosophy could not make much changes, indeed, the gods and goddesses in Kerala seem more real than elsewhere. Kallarakkal Temple is one of such temple which influenced the heart of the masses. Kallarakkal Temple Complex is one of the important religious and cultural centre for the people of Koovappady and surrounding areas. There is no prolific history available about the origin of this temple but a hear-saying-evidence passed through generations clearly indicates that it was well in existence during the time of Tipu Sultan's Malabar invasion. Angry soldiers of Sultan who were returning to Mysore after an unsuccessful mission to conquer TRAVANCORE said to have destroyed the original structure of Kallarakkal Temple. Hence we could presume that the same was built somewhere during the Seventeenth Century or even earlier. According to other version of the legend, the origin of this temple goes back to Adi Sankaracharya's period i.e. eighth century A.D.A couple, among the Brahmin community settled earlier in this place had no issue for a long time worshipped Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva with all their heart. The Lord appeared before them in a dream and blessed. In due course of time, a child was born to them. Overwhelming with the result of their prayer, the couple with the help of other important gramavasi's (villagers) had built up a temple, installed the idols of Lord Vishnu and Shiva on one compound with separate srikovils. They started worshiping as their ishtadevata. The earlier structure of the Srikovil was square shaped one made of Vettukallu (red bricks) without roof on it. This may be the reason to call the temple as "KALLARAKKAL KSHETRAM". During the later part of the twentieth century (say in 1960-61) some enthusiastic devotees, well wishers of the area came together and decided to form a committee for the purpose of saving the temple from its dilapidated conditions. After a long, hectic and hard work they could collect some fund through donations in cash and kind. Their efforts were materialized in building the present day concrete structure with square shaped and roofed sanctum-sanctorum (Srikovil) for both the deities. Karimpanakkal Bhagavati is said to be the other deity adorned here, whose small Srikovil is situated just outside the north-eastern corner. Incidentally there seems to be no sign of GANAPATI being offered worship here. As there were no ruins left behind to recognize the spot where the Bhagavati temple stood, the then constituted Temple Renevation Committee, in the year M.E. 1174 (i.e. 1988-89) held an Ashta Mangallya Prasnam in which it was revealed that a Devi Chaitanya appeared and a suitable Kovil be built in the North-Eastern corner of the compound wall. In the earlier prasna conducted during 1960s also the same devichaitanya were appeared. Due to lack of fund available at that time, the construction of Srikovil was postponed. Now the same was completed and Devi pratishta together with Kumbhabhishekam performed during the annual festival season i.e. on 14th April, 2001. Even though, it is a small temple without any architectural or cultural decorations as we normally seen in most Kerala temples, we find a splendid artistic work that created on the VISHNU IDOL endowed with the four lustrous arms carrying the conch, the discuss, the mace, the Lotus and made of Anjanakallu (Black Stone) to make on the spot feeling of his blessings on His devotees and save them from the evil effects of KALIYUGA. Now, a permanent arrangement has been made to elect the working committee by rotation, to look into the daily affairs of the temple and a total renovation programme being chalked out. With the ample support of the ardent devotees and general public, the temple authorities are able to conduct daily pooja and also annual festival in April every year. A list of various offerings, that displayed in the temple premises, will help the devotees to get a first hand knowledge of the same. ()oooooOOOOOooooo()Om Namo Narayanaya: