Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple

Kerala, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram

Dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathy, Paramekkavu Bhagavathy Temple is a renowned temple situated in Thrissur, Kerala where Goddess Durga is worshipped in Bhagavathy form. The temple is famous for the popular Thrissur Pooram festival. The temple complex is made of two shrines: Paramekkavu and Melekkavu where the principal deity is Goddess Bhagavathy. The idol of the Goddess Paramekkavu Bhagavathy was a wooden one (daru silpa). The newly carved wooden idol of Goddess with eight arms in sitting posture was consecrated in 1997. Other than the main shrines, there are shrines in the temple complex dedicated to Lord Ganapathy, Lord Veerabhadra (Lord Siva) and the idols of Brahmarakshas and Nagas are also installed and worshiped in the temple.

Legend

According to the legends, a head of the Nair family, who was an ardent follower of Goddess Bhagavathy visited the temple everyday. However, due to his old age, he was having difficulties in travelling. On his last visit, he prayed to the Goddess and on his way back the goddess seemed to have imbibed in his umbrella. Later, a temple was built on the premises where the man rested on his way and put down the umbrella.

Architecture

Temple architecture in Kerala is different from that of other regions in India. The temple roofs are steep and pointed, and covered with guttertiles. The shape of the roof is in accordance with the plan of the sanctum below. With a circular plan, one sees a conical roof, while with a square plan the roof is pyramidal. The roof is constructed with wood and is covered with guttertiles.The central sanctum of a temple is referred to as the Sree Kovil. It is surrounded by a cloistered prakara, pierced at one or more cardinal points with a gopuradwara. The cloistered prakaram has a namaskara mandapam located directly in front of the sanctum. This prakaram also houses subsidiary shrines.The temple walls are made with laterite stone masonry plastered in mud and lime. Murals are seen on several of these temple walls.

Darsan Info

04:00 AM – 11:00 AM and 04:00 PM – 08:00 PM daily

Darsan Dresscode

Wear neat and traditional wear and avoid shorts for men

Famous Festival

Thrissur Pooram festival, Navarathry, Makara Chowa, Shivarathri

Culture

Thrissur, the cradle of culture of Kerala is decorated with Vadakkunnathan Temple, from where the name derived. The old name was 'Thrishivaperur' derived from "Thiru Shiva Perur" or "Land of Lord Shiva". The Thrissur Pooram, celebrated during April–May is top on the list of cultural attraction of South India.