Ponmeri Maha Siva Temple,Darshan Information

Vadakkan Pattukal or the Ballads of Malabar says that a Namboodiri, an ardent Siva devotee, once felt the divine presence at the place and installed a small shrine for Lord Siva in linga form. Over the years, Ponmeri Shiva Temple became much famous, inviting the attention of the Kadathanatt Raja. Jealous of the popularity of the temple, the King decided to take over the administration of the same. The Namboodiri family knew that their reluctance to part with the idol could only lead to the punishment of beheading on charges of opposing the Royal move. So they dumped all the wealth in an unmarked well and the entire family committed suicide. The temple later came under the control of Kolathiri kingdom when Kadathanad was annexed to it. The temple was renovated when the control came back to Kadathanad many decades later. The temple also braved the campaign of Tipu Sultan

Location Kerala, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram

Legend

The legend says that Lord Siva, after the disappearance of Goddess Sati in the yaga at King Daksha's palace, became furious. From his matted hair (jada) were created Goddess Bhadrakali and Veerabhadra. This is believed to have happened at Akkara Kottiyoor Temple and that Siva appeared before the Nambodiri who installed the Ponmeri temple after that. Another legend says that while the King was renovating the temple, the carpenters were finding it hard to fix the top beam of the sreekovil. It is said that Lord Siva appeared as a Brahmin asking for food and in return he fixed the roof at Brahma moohurtham. There are also legends related to the campaign of Tipu Sultan. The invading army destroyed the sub-shrines and was about to attack the sreekovil when the sweeper of the temple, who was at the akathe-balivatom, prayed loudly to the Lord. Then, it is said, a fireball came out from inside the sanctum sanctorum and chased the invaders away. This incident earned the deity the name 'Thee-oothi-appan', which later evolved to 'Theeyanoorappan'.

Architecture

The sreekovil of Ponmeri Shiva Temple is squarish and the sopanam has got six direct steps. The base is made of granite and the entire sreekovil features exquisite wood carvings. The roof is covered with copper sheets. Sub-shrine of Lord Ganapati is attached to the Sreekovil. The chuttambalam was renovated 200 years ago. There are seven sub-shrines outside the chuttambalam. The namaskara mandapam is similar to the one at Sree Krishna Temple, Guruvayoor. Besides Navagruhas, dwaadasa motifs and bhoothas, the wooden carvings depict the stories from Kiraatham, Kaama-dahanam and Parvathy Parinayam.

Culture

The history of Kozhikode is related to the battles of local chieftains and also that of valour and honour. It also braved the invasions of attacks from outside, unlike the southern parts of the State.This makes the region resilient with an interesting mix of cultures.

Darsan Info

Ponmeri Shiva Temple is open from 4 AM to 11 AM and from 5 PM to 8 PM.

Darsan Dresscode

At Ponmeri Shiva Temple , Kerala traditional wear is preferred.

Famous Festival

Januaray/February : Annual Festival

Februrary/March : Sivaratri

Temple Rituals

The peculiarity of Ponmeri Shiva Temple is the presence of 'Trimurti'- Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. In addition to the Shiva, deities Vishnu, Brahma, Ganapati, Bhagavathi, Shankaranarayana, Adithya (Surya), Boothathevar (God of Spirits), Ayyappa, Murugan and Krishna are also installed in the temple complex. Ponmeri Siva is fondly called 'Thiyyannur Appa', following the incident related to Tipu's invasion.