Thirunavaya,. the Abode of the Celestials !

Yesterday I went to Thirunavaya, in Malappuram,Kerala. It lies 8 kms south of Tirur.
to do shrardham for my mother. It was a greatThe famous Nava Mukunda Temple lies on the
experience.bank the of the second largest river in Kerala, the
Thirunavaya is the abode of the gods and itBharatapuzha. It is believed to be 6000 years old.
impresses one with its breathtaking naturalThe sanctum sanctorum is adorned by great
beauty. On the banks of Nila or Bharatapuzha, asculptures which defiy imagination. You can see
203 km long river, the second longest afterthe mythological Ten Incarnations of Vishnu along
Periyar, we have three glorious temples, dedicatedwith the story of Lord Shiva in his tribal avatar,
to the Creative, Preservative and Destructiveblessing Arjuna with the Pasupatha Arrow.
aspects of Time Eternal !A place of immense historical importance, this is
Hindus do srardham or bali ( rites to the departedthe ancient land of Mamankam, where the rulers
) , that is respect those who have gone to theused to assemble once, in every 12 years. One of
astral plane.them used to be elected as the Emperor of
We respected the dead ancestors and prayed forKerala. There was a great Trade Fair held at this
forgiveness for the offences, knowingly orvenue. Traders used to come in ships and barges
unknowingly, done to them. I am my brother didand this festival was celebrated with great pomp
it for almost forty minutes, on the banks of theand pageantry.
sacred Bharatpuzha.This temple has a ten day annual festival starting
Bharatapuzha comes from the Western Ghatswith Kodiyettam and ending in Arattu. Lakhs of
and flows through Kerala and drains itself into thepeople visit this temple during the festival.
Arabian Sea. It irrigates thousands of acres.The famous Vedic Othanmar Madhom, is on the
Above is a video about the lotus cultivation inbank of Bharatapuzha, near the Lord Shiva
Thirunavaya. ( This temple deity, Lord Vishnu,temple. This institute was a center of Aryanisation
was the Tutelary Deity of the Zamorin, who thenthorough Vedic Knowledge and Sanskrit and
was the ruler of Kerala. He was worried aboutThirunavaya is believed to be the main center,
the idols which were lost in the Bharatapuzhawhere Parasurama,one of the Ten Incarnations of
River. Astrologers advised him to garland LordLord Vishnu, brought and settled Brahmin scholars.
Vishnu with the lotus flower and hence lotus isHow to reach Thirunavaya
cultivated on 250 acres. The lotus thus obtainedIt is well connected to all the districts of Kerala
goes not only to this Nava Mukunda temple butand can be reached
to temples like Guruvayur also).By Air
Millions come here because of the natural beauty,The Calicut Airport, one of the busiest and best
the greenish landscape architecture done bydesigned, is just 26 kms from Thirunavaya
Nature and the proximity of the three templesBy Road
dedicated to Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and LordAll districts of neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Kerala
Vishnu.are connected to Tirunavaya by an efficient
Historical Backgroundsystem of roads. The National Highway 17 is the
Thirunavaya is a must see destination in Tourismmost notable.