Sree Vaayillakkunnilappan Temple

Kerala, Palghat, Thiruvananthapuram

Located at Palakkad, Sree Vaayillakkunnilappan Temple is one of the famous temples in Kerala. The temple complex is a combination of Lord Siva (Arddha Nareeswara Temple) and Lord Vishnu, along with Bhagavathy Temple. So it is assumed that the Siva Temple or the Vaayillakkunnilappan Temple dates before the Bhagavathi temple. The name of the place vayillyamkunnu is related to 'Vayillyam kunnil appan' of the 'parayi petta panthirukulam'.

Legend

The legend of Vaayillakkunillappan temple is related to the Parayipetta Pantherukulam (The Twelve tribes borne out of Parayi, an untouchable) story. The story is that Vararuchi, the court poet of Vikramaditya of Ujjaini, set out on a travel across mainland in search of a question that the King posted to him about Ramayana. Though he could find the answer, he also learnt that he was destined to marry a Parayi, an untouchable. So he convinced the King to float the girl child on a plantain-trunk with a kuthuvilakku (hand-lamp) stuck to it. But as fate would have it, Vararuchi met the woman later on and impressed by her intelligence, married her. After this, Vararuchi sets out on a trip with his wife across the land again. Whenever the woman gave birth to a baby, he would ask whether the baby has got a mouth. On saying yes, he would reply the god has given him a mouth, god would feed him. So the woman lied that the 12th baby did not have a mouth and was allowed to keep him. But to her shock, the mother realized that the baby lost its mouth and was forced to leave him on the hill where they were resting. As the parents moved on, the baby transformed into an idol with the sankalpa of 'Ardhdha nareeswara'.

Architecture

The Ardhanareeswara Temple, along with Bhagavathi temple (which is just 100 m away) and Sree Melethrukovil Vishnu Temple are installed in a plot of 20.5 acres. The structure consists of Sreekovil, mandapam, chuttambalam with agramandapam, deepasthambhams, agrasala and sub-shrines

Darsan Info

Vaayillakkunillappan temple is open from 5 AM to 9 AM and from 5 PM to 7:30 PM.

Darsan Dresscode

Kerala traditional wear is preferred at Sree Vaayillakunnilappan Temple.

Travel Support

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Pooja Samagri

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Famous Festival

Feb \ March:- Pooram

Culture

Palakkad has a glorious tradition of art and culture, especially in music. The region gave birth to many acclaimed musicians including Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar and writers like OV Vijayan. Its proximity to Tamil Nadu has infused a blend of cultures, but it has got a distinct character.

Temple Rituals

TheVaayillakkunillappan temple lost some of its idols over a period of time. During the invasions from outside armies, the idols were uprooted and thrown into tanks. Even though they were later retrieved, the idol of Sree Ayyappa is missing. Only a sankalpa prathishta exists now.