Thrikkunnapuzha Sri Dharma Sastha Temple Alppuzha Kerala

Thrikkunnapuzha Sri Dharma Sastha Temple Alppuzha Kerala

The main deity is Dharma Sastha. His wife and son are also there along with him. The idol of Sastha is of 21 inch height. Wife is positioned write to him and the son is positioned in between both as behind. According to archaeological experts such idols are not noticed anywhere else in the world. In the north-east of the temple compound there is a shrine for Sri Subramanya Swamy. Sub-deities too have a prominent position here. Vishnu, Ganapathy, Durga, Yakshi, Nagayakshi and Nagaraja are the sub-deities. The temple has over 5000 years of glory. This shrine is also known as Padinjare Pathinettampadi.Offering of Balipindam (food offering to the departed soul) in the auspicious month of Karkidakam (July/August) is a great event here. Thousands of people from various parts of Kerala assemble for this ritual. To appease and extract favours from the deity a number of rituals employed. Kalakabhishekam (adorning of sandalwood paste), Appam (favourite food to the deity), Mahaganapathy Homam (bonefire homage to Ganapathy), Bhagavathy Seva (propitiation to Ganapathy), Archana (floral rituals), Panchamrutham (ritual offering of sweet mix made of 5 types of fruits and sweet ingredients) and Dhara (pouring of milk or ghee on the image of the deity) are the rituals.A 10-day annual festival in the month of Vrishikam (October/November) is a great draw. Thrikkunnapuzha is the north-west part of Alappuzha district, Renowned as Sreemoolavasam, this coastal area found in the kerala history. Thrikkunnapuzha is one of the gateway to the inland water ways of Alappey ,Cruise through small canals , villages and small water lodged town-ships to enjoy the scenic beauty and to get a glimpse of the unspoiled rural life of Kerala ,This palace where narrow canals, rivers, lakes lagoons and land meet are aptly called “ backwaters” It is the land of fishermen. Thrikkunnapuzha beach is very famous for "Karkidaka Vavu Bali".The beach of thrikkunnapuzha is very rich in mineral sand called 'black sand.. “Thrkkunnappuzha Sri DharmaSastha Temple” is one of the famous temples in Alappuzha District History Thrikkunnapuzha is the north-west part of Alappuzha district. Renowned as Sreemoolavasam, this coastal area found in the kerala history. An ancient port city and a busy port is believed to have been flourishing there in the ancient days. Some ancient manuscript reveals that this port city situated 5-6Kms away from the present Sastha Templewhich is now eroded by the sea. Well known historian Sree Ilamkulam Kunjan Pillai in his famous book ‘keralolpathi’ describead about this place. The Chinese explorer Huan Sang gives a note that, among the inhabitants here the ‘Pali aryas’ were dominant and they established a monastery with holy idles of SreeBudha. The ancient Sreemoola vasa nagaram was destroyed by the huge tidal waves from the Arabian Sea. Yet another story is in vogue about the existence of the old city. Parasurama the sixth incarnation of lord Mahavishnu, as he ventured to take vengeance against all the kshatriyas here was not fortunate enough to keep away from the anger of Parasurama. He killed them one by one and invaded their domains. Later he decided to divide the place in to 64 parts and give it to Brahmins. One among the 64 part was Sreemoolavasam or Sreemoolapadam. As his mind filled with sorrow that he had killed thousands of innocent people he decided to confess. He setup 64 temples and placed it with idles of Lord Siva, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Sasthav. After centuries the temple were eroded by the tidal waves. As the sea receded the idle of Sastha and debris of the temple were recovered and was believed to have been  kept by the residents. Hundreds of years ago Keralam  had been ruled by the emperor ‘Cheraman  Perumal’. He established places at Thrikkakkara, Kodungallur, and Kollam for administrative purpose, and deputed his representatives there. As he was an ardent follower of Lord Budha he decided to divide the dynasty among his sons and went for a holy journey. As he was traveling with his  servants and budha monks through Ashtamudi  kayal and Kayamkulam kayal he happened to see a river flowing to north. He continued to travel through the river. As he traveled more he reached a place were he happened to see a beautiful lawn and in the middle of which a big Thiru Konna (a tree blooming only in the vishu ) He stopped his boat and decided to take rest there. People in large number crowded there to see Perumal and tell there grievance. The brought to notice, the Sastha idle which they got from sea and the debris of the ancient temple. Acknowledging their request Perumal build a new temple and sanctified the idle of Sastha there. ‘Thirukkonna puzha’ called by Perumal was unified to ‘Thrikkunnapuzha’ as year passed, and the temple was renowed as ‘Thrikkunnapuzha Sri Dharma Sastha Temple’. It was nearly 3Km to the west of the present temple.

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