 Sree Bhuvaneswary Temple is a famous temple located in along the Punular Moovattupuzha state highway in Pathanamthitta Districtin Kerala. It is located almost kilometers to the south-west of the famous Sabarimala temple. The temple has a majestic banyan tree, flanked by an Althara. This is even from a far off distance for any traveller on the main road. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Pillavaipu, Jaladhara, Pushapanjali, Mrithyunjahomam, Adithyanamaskaram, Therali, Unniappam etc are the major offerings here.
Legend of Sree Bhuvaneswary Temple Sree Bhuvaneswary Temple has a legend associated with it. As per the legend the idol of the main deity was installed by the majestic saint Khara. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. The idol id believed to be more than 1100 years old. Earlier the place where the temple stands now was covered with thick green forest. Saint Khara perfumed penance here and with his sincere devotion pleased Lord Shiva. He then installed three Shiva Lingas during an auspicious time at three different places. These were located at an equal distance from each other in the east-west direction. The Maha Shiva Linga was installed at Kalanjoor and the other two were installed at Peringanad and Arukalikkal. The thanthram of this temple is performed by Kullakkada Thamarassery Nambi Madhom. Architecture of Sree Bhuvaneswary Temple Sree Bhuvaneswary Temple has been beautifully designed and built. The temple has a Mandapam that is adorned with magnificent mural paintings. These beautiful paintings boast about the skills and talent of artists and artisans of ancient times. Inside the Mandapam there is an idol of Nataraja, the dancing manifestation of Lord Shiva, facing the east direction. A Gopuramis has also been built towards the west of this Mandapam. It is almost 60 feet in height and has artistically carved towering arches. The 18 ascending steps from the Gopuram lead to the sacred idols of Indiliyappan (Sastha) and the Mahasiva idol. These are the presiding deity of the Mahadeva temple. Sree Bhuvaneswary Temple also has two Dhwajas i.e. towering flag posts adjacent to each other. These are coated with copper and are rarely seen in other temples. The Mahasiva idol and the Sastha idols are installed facing each other in this temple. The real name of the temple is Sankarapurathu Mukkalvattom Devaswom, but is popularly known as Thrikkalanjoor Sree Mahadeva temple. The main deity of the temple Lord Shiva has been installed in the form of Linga idol. Apart from the main deity the temple also has other deities like Swayambhoo Sastha, Mannadi Bhagavathi, Mahaganapathi and other Updevathas or sub deities such as Bhoothathan, Rakshas, Yakshi and Nagaraja. The sanctum sanctorum or garbhagriha of Lord Mahadeva was constructed in a circular manner. The artistically decorated towering Gopurams on the east and west Nada and the Anakkottil (waiting area for elephants during the festival ceremony) are indeed worth seeing here. |
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