About Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple:
Thirunavaya Temple, an ancient Hindu temple, is located at Thirunavaya,12 km South of Tirur in Malappuram district of Kerala state, India. From ancient times Thirunavaya was known throughout India as a center of excellence for Vedic teachings, with Veda Paadda Saalas (Thirunnavaya Otthanmmar Maddom) for teaching the Vedas, Sasthras, Tantric Mantras, performing of rituals and preaching under learned scholars. (Recently these were shifted to Cheru Thirunnavaya, a center on the South bank of Bharathapuzha).
The Vaishnava sect of Hindus has 108 Thiruppathis (most holy temples) and eleven of them are now in Kerala and Thirunavaya is one among them. It was on the sandy ridges and outskirts of Bharatapuzha that the glorious magnum event MAMANKAM was conducted once in every 12 years.
This temple was constructed about 5000 years back. Though it had undergone periodical renovations, the last and major renovation with the reconstruction of Sanctum Sanctorum was done by the legendary PERUMTHACHAN under the direction of the Vettath Raja about 1300 years back. The reconstruction had the typical ‘ Perumthachan touch ‘ making the rays of the rising sun fall on the idol on every Medam First (in Utharaayana period, ie in April) and on Kanni First,(in Dakshinayana period ie, in October).
Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple Timings:
Morning: 5.00 AM to 11.30 PM
Evening: 5.00 PM to 7.30 PM
Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple Rituals:
Morning:
Temple open at 5.00 am with the sounding of the ceremonial conch to awaken the Lord
Morning rituals Nirmalyadarsanam’ (seeing the Lord in the previous day’s attire and ornaments)
Abhishekam (bathing/ablutions)
Malarnivedyam (offering of flowers)
Alankaram (makeup or a theme in which the idol will appear)
Usha Pooja (morning rituals)
Nivedya Pooja (morning rituals with offerings)
Seeveli (taking the idol out of the sanctum sanctorum)
Navakabhishekam (ablutions with nine pots of water)
Pantheeradi Pooja (pooja done when the shadow cast by the sun is 12 footsteps long)
Nivedyam (offering)
Utcha Pooja
Utchaseeveli (taking the idol out at noon)
Temple will be closed at 11.30 AM.
Evening:
At 5.00 pm the portals again open.
Deeparaadhana (lighting of the ceremonial lamps and adoration)
Nivedyam (offerings)
Aththazha Pooja (ritual at the time of supper)
Aththazha Seeveli (taking the idol out after supper)
Thrippuka (filling the sanctum sanctorum with the smoke from burning 8 holy aromatic materials after removing the costumes and ornaments from the body of the idol).
At 7.30 pm the portals are closed.
On certain days, starting from the 1st of Malayalam month ‘Vruschikam’, ‘Panchgavyabhishekam’ (‘Panchagavyam’ five products of the cow, viz., cow dung, cow urine, cow milk, curd, and ghee) will be done up to 41 days (called as the ‘Mandala Kaalam’) During November-December. In addition to Panchagavyabhishekam, on the 41st day ‘kalabha abhishekam’, also will be done. On ‘Ekaadasi’ (11th day after the no moon day in Malayalam Month Kumbham), ie., February – March, and on the day of the consecration of the temple and during the Annual Festival days in the Malayalam month Medam (April) this Panchagavyabhishekam will be done. Besides all these, on the days of ‘Udayasthamana pooja’ also this Panchagavyabhishekam is conducted.
Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple History:
The nine spiritually enlightened sons of ‘Hrishabha’, the King of Ayodhya, known as ‘Navayogis’ (Nine ascetics), were constant travelers. During their sojourn, they reached the confluence of the rivers ‘Bagmathi’ and ‘Gantaki’ from where the eldest son, Kavi, got a Salagrama of Vishnu. Salagramas are stones found in the Gantaki river basin in Nepal, with special marks like a spiral, chakras, thread, etc. formed on them and considered as sacred with the presence of God Vishnu. “Install this Salagrama at the holiest place for the welfare of mankind”, Kavi heard an ‘asareeri’ ( the divine prompting voice).
Kavi traveled all over India in search of the befitting place for the installation of the salagrama and placed it on the north bank of Bharatappuzha at Thirunavaya, where Vishnu himself, whom the salagrama represented, had stayed during a ‘Yaga’ conducted by Brahma on the South Bank. Kavi left the place complacent that his duty was over, but the salagrama sank into the earth. Then his seven brothers brought other salagramas of Vishnu and repeated the process and these also sank deep into the earth.
At last, the youngest of the brothers, Karabhajanan, came to the same place and knew of the futile attempts of his brothers. He knew that this happened because the proper rituals that should have been performed at the time of the installation were not performed. He installed the Salagrama, as Mukunda bestowing ‘Moksha’ to the departed souls with all necessary rituals. This time the installation was successful. Later these nine brothers (Navayogis) came to this place and performed a ‘Yaga’ (or ‘Yajna’, meaning ‘ritual of sacrifice’) for the appeasement of the gods and the welfare of the people. The place was thus known as ‘Tirunavayogi’, in memory of the nine brothers, and the word transformed, as time passed, to the present form ‘Thirunavaya’.
This temple, ‘The Navamukunda Temple’ is one of the oldest Vishnu temples in Kerala. It dates back to the last period of the ‘Dwaapara Yuga’.The main daily offerings for worship are Ney Vilakku (lamp lighted with ghee), Thaamara maala ( Lotus garlands) and Paal paayasam (Porridge/Dessert or Kheer made of rice cooked in sweetened milk). For unhindered availability of lotus flowers, one of the Maharajas of Travancore had constructed a vast pond of lotus plants nearby and donated it to this temple.
The temple and the surrounding region were under the rule of ‘Cheraman Perumals’ and later under ‘Vettathu Rajas’ who owed allegiance to Perumals. After the demise of the last Vettathu Raja in 1793 AD, The British East India Company who, by this time became the rulers of this region, handed over this temple to Kozhikode Samoothiri Raja (the King Zamorin of Calicut) for its administration as ‘Ooraalan’.
Other Deities in Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple:
Aadi Ganesa:
Indradyumnan, a Pandya King, was a great devotee of Vishnu. When he became aged, he entrusted the administration to his sons and went to the Malayadri Mountains for ‘Tapas’ (self-purifying austerity and penance in lonely place). During his meditation there, he did not know the arrival of ‘Agastya Muni’ who, in uncontrolled anger, cursed Indradyumnan and turned him into an elephant.
Later on, when Indradyumnan begged him for delivery from the curse, Agastya Muni condescended and said that Indradyumnan has to wander in the forest as elephant and after many years Vishnu would appear and would deliver him from the curse. When Indradyumnan, the elephant, reached Navamukunda temple, he stayed there worshipping Vishnu every day after taking bath in Bharathapuzha. One day during his bathing in the river Indradyumnan was attacked by a crocodile which was actually a ‘Gandharvan’ named Huhu who had been turned into a crocodile by the curse of a ‘muni’ (ascetic). Indradyumnan prayed Navamukunda to save him and Vishnu appeared on the spot and killed the crocodile with the Sudarsana Chakra and allowed Indradyumna to be seated on his right. Later the ‘Chaitanya’ (divine effulgence) of Lord Ganesa was recognized and Ganesa was installed in the South-West corner of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Sree Mahalakshmi:
Aadi Ganesa who was a devotee of Vishnu used to get up early in the morning and pluck lotus flowers from a pond nearby and offer them to Navamukunda every day. On an ‘Akshayathritheeya day’, he did not get any flower, as somebody else had plucked them before his arrival to Pond. He wept before Navamukundan. Navamukundan appeared and told that his wife Sree Mahalakshmi, who had seen what Aadi Ganesa was doing and how much affection Ganesa was getting in return from her husband, wanted to do the same to get as much affection as Aadi Ganesa was getting.
As Aadi Ganesa continued pleading with Navamukunda for allowing him to carry on plucking of lotus flowers, Navamukunda seated Sree Mahalakshmi on his left so that she may no longer leave to pluck lotus flowers. It is believed that the idol was actually of Mahalakshmi in the form of ‘Dhanalakshmi’- the goddess of wealth- who blessed the people of the region with plenty of wealth and prosperity. Later on, Sree Sankaracharya came to the temple and prayed on his knees, not knowing exactly where the other eight Salagramas were lying beneath the earth. Some locals derided him about this. He understood that it was because of the cultural decay that resulted from too much wealth that made them behave like this. So he struck at the right hand of Mahalakshmi and made it as ‘Abhaya Mudra’. Gradually, people believe, the fiscal powers of the region declined.
Temples near Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple:
Triprangode Maha Deva Temple
Alathiyur Perum Thrikkovil (Hanuman kavu)
Trikkandiyur Maha Deva Temple
Sree Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple Dress Code:
For Men: Dhoti or Mundu without shirts or banyan
For Women’s: Saree and Pavada are allowed. (Salvar sets and modern dresses are not allowed)
Note:
How to reach Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple:
By Road:
Thirunavaya is 10 km from Tirur. Buses, auto-rickshaws and taxis are available almost all the time to reach the temple.
By Rail:
The nearest rail station is Thirunavaya Railway station 2 km from the temple.
By Air:
Calicut International Airport is the nearest airport 45 km from the temple.
Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple Contact Details:
Thirunavaya Devaswom
Thirunavaya Nava Mukunda Temple,
Thirunavaya PO,
Malappuram District,
Kerala – 676 301.
Phone : 0494 – 2603747, 91 – 9446631453
E-mail : navamukundatemple@gmail.com, info@thirunavayatemple.org
