Sree Visalakshi Sametha Sree Viswanatha Swami Temple
Location : Kalpathy
About The Temple :
The Visalakshi Sametha Viswanatha Swami Temple is compared to the Kasi Viswanatha Swami temple as the main deity here is Lord Siva and the Temple is on the banks of river Nila, a tributary of Bharathapuzha, just as Kasi is on the banks of river Ganges. The location of the temple and its steps leading to the river brings to the mind of a visitor the scene of the Banarus temples on the banks of river Ganges. .Thus the Kalpathy temple is rightly called the half Banarus.An inscription on a stone infront of the Siva temple proclaims that it was built in the Malayalam Year 600 (1425) by Sree lttikombi Achan Raja of Palakkad. The tamil brahmins who migrated to Kerala in the fourteenth century were given land by the then Raja ofPalakkad and they settled down on the banks of river Kalpathy and villages grew around this temple. The east – facing temple located in the heart of the agraharam has an imposing Dhwajasthambam 40 feet high, with nandi behind.
In the inner prakara there is a shrine for the goddess on the right and for Suryanarayana on the left. Coming round the moolavar – a Kshnaiga lingam – one sees small niches for Lord Subramania flanked by Valli and Devayani and Kalabairava. A Kanaka Sabhai on the right side of the inner prakara houses, the bronze idol of Lord Nataraja The main festival is Kalpathy Car Festival. The festival begins with the Rathams of the Viswanath Swami Temples setting out on gramapradhakshina in the morning. The festival, the biggest in Malabar (the northern part of Kerala) is celebrated in the last week of tamil month of Aippasi and concludes on the last day of the month. This coincides with the festivals celebrated in Mayavaram in Tanjore District of Tamil N adu. Special feature of the Kalpathy Car Festival is that the lower castes have right to take the deity’s from the rathams in Viswanantha Swami temple on arrival at the base to the portrays Qf the temple, then an Abhishekam is performed according to the vedic rites. The six giant wheeled chariot drawn by the devotees and elephants through the streets of the agraharam during the festival is a unique sight blended with grace and divinity. Legens has it that a person belonging to Sri Ittikombi Achan family lineage entered the Sanctorum for worship, became one with the Lord, never to appear again. The memory of this, a Cherppu (religious rite) is performed in the month of December on Vishakam star day. The administration of the temples is in the hands of the descendantsof the family Valiyakonikkal Edom. The present trustee is Sri V.K.Susheel Kumar. In order to enhance the spiritual strength of the Lord which benefits the prosperity of the land and its people an Asthtabandha Maha Kumbabhishekam will be performed in the temple by the last of2006. The devotees are expected to participate in the Asthtabandha Maha Kumbabhishekam spiritually and physically. The temple administration board requests the financial support from the devotees for this great and holy rite.
Kalapathy Sree Visalakshi Sametha Sree Viswanatha Swami Temple, Kalpathy, Palakkad – 678003, Ph : 0491 2578544
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