Thiruvanvandoor Mahavishnu Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Trivandrum International Airport is the nearest airport.

• By train

  The nearest railway station is in Chengannur.

• By road

  The village is joined to Main Central Road at two junctions, Kallissery and Pravin Coodu. Chengannur sits on the MC Road (State Highway 1), which runs to Thiruvananthapuram.

Rules to know

• Only the main priest, called Thantri, and the second priest, called Melshanthi, may enter the Sree Kovil, the inner shrine, as Kerala ritual requires.

Why devotees come here

Thiruvanvandoor Mahavishnu Temple is a Vishnu temple in Thiruvanvandoor, Alappuzha district, Kerala. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, and the deity is worshipped as Paambanaiappan. The temple is one of five ancient shrines in the Chengannur area that legend links to the Mahabharata.

The deity is worshipped as Paambanaiappan, and the name is linked to the Pamba river, which flows near the temple. Legend says the Pandavas each built one temple in the Chengannur area, and this one is credited to Nakula. The other shrines in the legend are Thrichittatt, Puliyur and Aranmula Parthasarathy, built by Yudhishthira, Bheema and Arjuna.

Earliest references to the temple appear in hymns by the Alvar saint Nammalvar, around 800 CE. Stone inscriptions in the temple date it to the Second Chera Empire, 800 to 1102 CE. The temple has a two-storeyed gopuram gateway tower, and the central shrine stands on an elevated platform reached by five steps.

Wood and stucco carvings on the roof and some pillars show scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The roof and pillars are worth a slow look.

Festivals

• AnnualTiruvaymoli festival

  Held in commemoration of Nammalvar, the saint poet of the 8th century, whose hymns first mention this temple.

• Annual, a 51-day festivalGajamela at the Sreekrishna idol festival

  The festival for the installation of the Sreekrishna idol ends with a parade of 21 caparisoned elephants.

Tips for your visit

• The upper floor of the gateway tower holds the Kottupura, a hall for drum beating during festivals.
• Pandanad, a village nearby, is believed to have been founded by the Pandavas during their exile.

Questions people ask