Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple- Kerela
In the land of
deer, Manoor stands a mandir
Where
Vyasa muni and the Pandavas
Bowed to Bhagwan Shiva
Somewhere in Kottayam in 1542 AD
The aalyam was reconstructed
The Dravidian mural paintings
As proof of the timeline on walls
Inside and outside the main entrance
In a typical structure, familiar in the region
The Mahadevar mandir boasts of owning
Seven and a half golden elephants
Said to be donated by the Travancore Maharaja
Taken out once a year during the Arattu festival
On the Thiruathira day
Golden words of bhakti were woven here
By none other than the great Adi Sankaracharya
The philosopher and spiritual leader,
Who gave us Soundarya Lahari
By writing the pious words in this mandir.
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Sources:
https://www.rvatemples.com/listings/ettumanoor-mahadevar-temple/
https://www.templepurohit.com/hindu-temple/ettumanoor-mahadeva-temple/
https://www.keralatourism.org/temples/kottayam/ettumanoor-mahadeva
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#FreeHinduTemples
Oh, totally different architecture than the temples in your previous posts!
ReplyDeleteLove this one too ;)
Quilting Patchwork & Appliqué
Thank you, Frederique. :)
DeleteYes, the temples in Kerala state have a different architecture. It's amazing how the styles change based on the region and rulers.
Lovely poem Rekha! It felt as if the whole temple was in front of me. What is 7 and 1/2 elephants though?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Meena.
DeleteThe king of Travancore gifted 8 golden elephants to the temple. 7 of them were 2 feet high and the 8th was just 1 foot high. So people started calling them 7 & 1/2 elephants. These golden elephants are taken out once every year during the annual festival.
Soundarya lahiri was written there ? Interesting ! Kerala mural paintings have gained a lot of popularity in art classes these days
ReplyDeletehttps://pagesfromjayashree.blogspot.com/2021/04/e-for-express.html?m=1
Yeah, apparently. I got to know only when researching for the blog. :)
DeleteIt looks like an interesting place with so much history. Weekends In Maine
ReplyDeleteThank you. It sure is. :)
DeleteSeven and a half gold elephants.. I wonder what's the significance of that half in it
ReplyDeleteThe king of Travancore gifted 8 golden elephants to the temple. 7 of them were 2 feet high and the 8th was just 1 foot high. So people started calling them 7 & 1/2 elephants.
DeleteEven I wondered why he had to give one smaller elephant.