ATTUKAL BHAGAVATHY TEMPLE

ATTUKAL BHAGAVATHY TEMPLE

The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, one of the ancient temples of South India, is popularly described as Sabarimala of the Women, as women form the major portion of devotees. The Goddess in the temple of Attukal is worshipped as the Supreme Mother, creator of all living beings and the mighty preserver as well as destroyer of them all. The pilgrims from all over the country, who visit Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple and worship the Lord, do not consider their visits complete without the visit to the shrine of the supreme Mother Attukalamma. Vishnumaya took the incarnation of Bhagavathy to annihilate the evil and protect the good in the world in the present Era namely Kaliyuga. 

According to mythology, Attukal Bhagavathy is supposed to be the divinised form of Kannaki, the famous heroine of Chilapathikaram, written by Elenkovadikal, the Tamil Poet. The story goes that after the destruction of ancient city of Madurai, Kannaki left the city and reached Kerala via Kanyakumari and on the way to Kodungalloor took a sojourn at Attukal. Kannaki is supposed to be the incarnation of Parvathy, the consort of Paramasiva. The all powerful and benign Attukal Bhagavathy reigns eternally supreme at Attukal and nurses devotees as a mother does her children. Thousands of devotees from far and near flock to the Temple to bend before the Goddess with awe and reverence to prostrate and redress their affliction and agony. 

The Pongala Mahotsavam is the most important festival of Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. The offering of Pongala is a special temple practice prevalent in the southern part of Kerala and some parts of Tamilnadu. It is a ten-day programme commencing on the Karthika star of the Malayalam month of Makaram-Kumbham (February-March) and closing with the sacrificial offering known as Kuruthitharpanam at night. On the ninth day of the festival the world famous Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam takes place. The entire area of about 5 kilometre radius around temple with premises of houses of people of all caste, creed and religion, open fields, roads, commercial institutions, premises of Government offices etc. emerges as a consecrated ground for observing Pongala rituals for lakhs of women devotees assembling from different parts of Kerala and outside. The ceremony is exclusively confined to women folk and the enormous crowd, which gathers in Thiruvananthapuram on this auspicious day is reminiscent of the Kumbhamela Festival of North India.

HOW TO REACH ATTUKAL TEMPLE ?

ATTUKAL BHAGAVATHY TEMPLE TRUST
P.B. No. 5805, Manacaud P.O.,
Thiruvananthapuram - 695 009, Kerala, South India.
Phone: +91-471 - 2463130 (Off) 2456456 (Temple)
Fax : +91-471 - 2456457

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NALAMBALAM

NALAMBALAM

The four temples of central Kerala, thronged by Hindu devotees during the holy month of Karkitakam are centred round Ramapuram, within a distance of three kilometres. They are Ramapuram Sree Ramaswamy Temple, Koodappulam Sree Lakshmanaswamy Temple, Amanakara Sree Bharathaswamy Temple and Methiri Sree Sathrughnaswamy Temple. These temples together are called the Nalambalam.

The deities here are the four sons of King Dasaratha of Ramayana. Lord Ram, the eldest of them is the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu, who is the Supreme God of the Hindus. Bharata , second amongst them, is the avatar of the Panchajanya (Conch held by Vishnu) .Lakshmana is the avatar of the Adisesha, the serpent of infinite measures and on whom Lord Vishnu sleeps in the Ocean of Milk. Satrughna (the One who is destroyer of enemies) is the twin bother to Lakshamana and the youngest .He is the avatar of the Sudarshana chakra held by Lord Vishnu.

Visiting nalambalam is considered to be a sacred event during the Malayalam month Karkidakam. Nalambalam consists of temples of brothers Sri Rama, Bharatha, Lakshmana & Sathrughnan.

1.      

       Sree Ramaswamy Temple
 Ramapuram P.O
Kottayam Dt.
Ph : 0482-2263100

2.     Sree Lakshmanaswamy Temple
Koodappulam P.O 
Ramapuram 
Kottayam Dt.- 686576
Ph : 0482-2240540

3.     Sree Bharathaswamy Temple 
Amanakara P.O
Ramapuram 
Kottayam D
Ph : 0482-2264200

4.     Sree Sathrughnaswamy Temple.
Methiri P.O
Ramapuram 
Kottayam Dt.
Ph : 0482-2264235

NALAMBALAM-(THRISSUR)

Thriprayar : - (22 Kms from Thrissur) Famous temple dedicated to Lord Shri Rama. The important festival here is the Thriprayar Ekadasi held for three days in Vrischikam (Nov-Dec). Offering timings - 4.30 am to 12.30 pm, 4.30 pm to 8 pm. Phone 91 487 -2391375

2. Irinjalakuda Koodalmanickam Temple: - (21 Kms from Thrissur). This ancient and historic is dedicated to Bharatha the Brother of Sri Rama. The colour full 11 day annual festival in Medom (April-May) with pageant of 13 caparisoned elephants. This marks the end of temple festival season in Kerala. Offering timings 3 am to 11.30 am & 5 pm to 8.30 pm Phone- 95 480 2822631

3. Payemmel Temple: - (40 Kms from Thrissur near Aripalam- Irinjalakuda) this ancient and historic is dedicated to Shathrugna the Brother of Sri Rama. It is considered to be the only one temple dedicated Shathrugna.

4. Moozhikulam Temple:- Situated near Angamaly in Ernakulam District. Dedicated to Lord Lekshmana, bother of Lord Sri Rama.

GANGSTER MALAYALAM MOVIE REVIEW

GANGSTER MALAYALAM MOVIE REVIEW

Aashiq Abu tried really hard in 'Gangster', the most expected movie of the year. With his history as an innovative director, Ashiq thought that whatever he puts out in the table will be swallowed by the audience. Thus we have 'Gangster, 'a mafia movie with a lot of guns, blood, and revenge. But that pretty much sums up the whole film. With an awesome animated prologue, it was a  storm  kept waiting by the director, which but never happen.

The movie tells about Illyas khan, a powerful mafia leader in Bombay, a man of resilience and grit with a son Akbar Ali khan. Don Philip, Illyas khan's arch enemy, one who covets his fabled gold reserves offers him the good old power struggle .

Don Philip sends in assassins to deal with Illyas, who is killed along with his family except Akbar. He is saved by Hajjikka, Illya's loyal right hand  played by TG Ravi. And when Akbar turns 16, he pays a visit to the people who killed his family. With his father's gold reserves and a crime syndicate of Mani Menon (Kunjan) and UncleSam (John Paul), Akbar establishes himself in the city of Mangalore taking control of its port.

Things go well for some time and no shots are fired until the arrival of Anto (ShekharMenon), Uncle Sam's grandson. (err... or is it godson?). well; anyway, things get ugly from here. Anto is a chemist by profession and runs a pharmaceutical company under the fade of which he conducts his crime businesses. Anto's grand plan is to import contaminated vaccines from abroad and sell them at a high price in the Indian market,  which Akbar resists citing it as  drug business (hey, do we smell a bit of Mario Puzzo's Godfather here?)

And there! You have all the pieces fall in place for a grand mafia war.

Akbar is hard hit at first. His wife Sana (Nyla Usha) is killed in a bomb blast which was intended for Akbar who also gets injured. Then a series of setbacks follow. Akbar's people get killed, Akbar is betrayed by his own men and just as Akbar himself was about to be killed,Hajikka comes to his rescue. He takes Akbar to his home and there he slowly regains his strength. And the rest is that pretty predictable affair now even with Russian mafia kings in the offer.

The problem with the movie is that it doesn't unleash even a dust wind, let alone a 'STORM'!

As for the acting angle, most have done justice to their respective characters. ShekharMenon'sAnto, the drug addict and sexual pervert gives a chill in the spine. The female roles of the movie are handled by NylaUsha and Aparna Gopinath. The former plays Akbar's bride and the latter is a pimp for Anto; a supplier of girls to satisfy Anto'ssaddist pleasures. But they are almost invisible in the movie. Kunjan appears totally different from his previous roles. John Paul has done the role of Uncle Sam with a subtle elegance. Akbar's second in command, Michael is played by HareeshPeradi. Vidhura, the good cop bad cop, is played by DileeshPothan.

One disappointing thing in the movie is the lack of punch dialogues from Akbar's part. We can bet that he shot more bullets than words in this movie! Though there is nothing remotely 'new' in the movie, what sets it apart is the music. The superb BGM by Deepak Dev, beginning from the titles, is a great relief for the audience. There is only one song in the movie and an apt and relaxing one. It is a short respite from the bloody killings and violence that makes up the movie.

The glamour and style of mammootty deserve a word. The German jacket, the specs and ruffled hair with streaks of grey lets him take on the aura of a real gangster. Plus the black Range Rover, Akbar's ride, adds to the spices. Art direction by Ajay Challisery is superb.

The camera angles by Alby  are good for a gangster movie. A special word of applause should go to the stunt director. The climax of the film sees some of the best executed fight sequences. The knife fight at the end is unprecedented in Malayalam movie. Abilash and Ahmed Siddiqui who have written the shaky screenplay should have seen to it that they at least shorten the 'Yawning time', if not eradicate it!

Still, this movie could be a great ride only for those who like gangster movies.

Ratting = 2/5

Source - indiaglitz.com

PRAISE THE LORD MALAYALAM MOVIE REVIEW

PRAISE THE LORD MALAYALAM MOVIE REVIEW

The original story of Paul Zakharia -Praise the Lord'  had every interesting satirical elements which, if tried skilfully ,could be converted into an enjoyable film. The scriptwriter of the new film based on the same story, T P Devaraj almost managed to do that , using many of the original lines and concepts, without affecting the simplicity of the  narrative structure of the film. But the debutante director Shibu Gangadharan fails to use it the best of the extremes, which has made the new Mammootty film 'Praise the Lord' a just above average one.
 
As per the popular novelette, Mammootty is presented as Joy, the rich planter living a happy go lucky life  with his beautiful wife Ancy and two small school going kids. Apart from some  rare outings with his close friends- Adv Sunny and Harikrishnan, Joy spend much of his time at home with his family. He share an interesting bond with his wife, who is actually his source of energy in all situations. Into this calm atmosphere comes in two lovers- Samkutty , a firm believer in God and Aani, a spoilt modern girl who are in a hurry to enjoy an unmarried adventurous life before  get married. As they doesn't have the approval of their families, they find it a heaven in the house of  Joy who accidentally is assigned the duty to protect them for some days. Joy and Ancy , who are for the first time seeing a loving young couple at their vicinity, takes every step to hide them and get them united, but the lovers have something else in mind.
            
The movie definitely has its moments, much of which are centred around joy, Ancy and their home. The movie has at times a roller coaster , bumpy ride with a lack of perfection visible all through. Even the director is not able to manage his actors judiciously or sapiently guide the flow of the narratives, the flaws that will become pivotal in its commercial run.
          
Mammootty as a simpleton planter looks fine and the role  is an easy walk for a star of his stature. Reenu Mathews is good  and lovable and makes a fine pair with Mammootty. The onscreen chemistry of  them are something that works well in the movie. But the biggest miscast comes in the form of Ahamed Siddhique as Samkutty. With a wooden face, many of his lines intended to make you laugh ends up as serious notes and the actor fails to convert much of the scenes as engaging ones. His preachy tone  and lamenting over his father too appear more serious than it was expected to, damaging many sequences in the second half.  His pair Akansha Puri is a pretty face , just manages to be in the role. The other seniors including Mukesh, Indrans and Shajon are impressive.
                            
There are three songs in the film which props up form no where, much of them are of no use in the narratives. The poor visualisations also makes them terrible to bear, though all the songs including 'Innalayolum ' and 'Sharonvaniyil...'are hummable and musically rich. The BGM by Bijipal is strictly average. The technical sides are average with the cameraman Pradeep Nair  and editor Xian Sreekanth doing nothing exceptional to save the scenes.
                          
In the final analysis, if the director could have handled the delicate plot with a little more conviction and passion' Praise the lord ' could have ended up as a much better fare . As of now, the literary backup and some good moments definitely helps it to remain an average entertainer.

Ratting - 2.8/5

Source - indiaglitz.com

ERUMELY TEMPLE - AYYAPPAN

ERUMELY TEMPLE - AYYAPPAN

Erumely is the name extract from "erumakolli" (Killed the buffalo). Myth tells that Lord Sree Ayyappa Swami killed "Mahishi", sister of Mahishasur in this place on the way to collect tiger milk. Mahish means buffalo and "Eruma" in malayalam and hence the name extract "erumakolli". All Hindus who are going for Sabarimala Pilgrimage visit this place. There are two temples in this town of Lord Ayyappa and Famous Petta Thullal is there in November, December & January months. Erumely Nainar Masjid is situated opposite to Erumely Cheriya Ambalam. Ayyaapan devotes visits Vavar Swamy at Nainar Masjid before visiting Ayyappa Swami. Vavar is considered as the companion of Ayyappa. Devotes believe that Vavar swami is at the masjid. Devotes goes to Cheriya Ambalam from masjid. Then they will go to the Valiya Ambalam. The visit to Vavar Swamy and Valiyambalam is done in the form a dance known as Pettathulal. This is done by coloring self, holding wooden bows and arrows. The myth is that during the killing of Mahishi, the local tribals had helped Ayyapa Swamy and post the killing, they danced in joy. Pettathulal represents the joy amongst the people.At the end of the ayyappa season there is festival called Pettathullal where people from Ambalapuzha and Aalangattu will perform this. Ambalapuzha goes first and they will move to the Valiyambalam as usual. The Aalangattu will start this after the 'Krishnaparunth' and star is seen.

LOCATION

Erumely is on the Kanjirappalli - Pathanamthitta Route. A small river, Koratty(originally known as Manimala river), marks the entrance of Erumely town. Erumely is a small town in Kottayam District and Kanjirappally Taluk. It's situated very near to highrange

HOW TO REACH?

Erumely can be reached through Mundakkayam, Kanjirappaly, or Ranni. People coming from Kottayam can be reached through Kanjirappaly.People from highrange can access Erumely through Mundakkayam or Kanjirappally. Pathanamthitta and Trivandrum people can come through Ranni. NH220 National Highway passes 10 km near to Erumely through 26th mile, which makes it reachable easily. Nearest Rail Heads: Kottayam, Chengannur, Changanachery Nearest Airport : Cochin

Eerumely pettakettu is one of the famous celebration over there.

ERUMELY TEMPLE LOCATION-ERUMELY TEMPLE DISTANCE FROM TAMILNADU-ERUMELY TEMPLE HISTORY-ERUMELY TEMPLE ROOT MAP-ERUMELY TEMPLE IMAGE GALLERY-ERUMELY TEMPLE DETAILS-ERUMELY TEMPLE ROOT FROM TAMILNADU-ERUMELY TEMPLE ROOT FROM MADURAI-ERUMELY TEMPLE ROOT FROM CHENNAI-ERUMELY TEMPLE DISTANCE FROM CHENNAI-ERUMELY TEMPLE DISTANCE FROM TAMILNADU-ERUMELY TEMPLE LOCATION AND DEATAILS

ETTUMANOOR TEMPLE KOTTAYAM

ETTUMANOOR TEMPLE KOTTAYAM

Ettumanoor Mahadeva temple is an ancient Shiva temple in Kottayam, Kerala, India. It has brought glory and fame to the place. Myths have it that the Pandavas and the sage Vyasa had worshipped at this temple. The name of the place has its origin from the word 'manoor', which means the land of deer.

The present temple building, with its gopuram and the fortress around it, was reconstructed in 717 ME (1542 AD). There are Dravidian mural paintings on the walls inside and outside of the main entrance. The fresco of Pradosha Nritham (Dance of Shiva) is one of the finest Wall painting in India. There is a golden flag staff inside the temple. On the top of it is the idol of a bull surrounded by small bells and metal leaves of the banyan tree and in terms of architecture this temples stands out to be an ultimate testimant for the vishwakarma Sthapathis, for their engineering skills. The temple roofs are covered with copper sheets and it has 14 ornamental tops. Bhagavati, Sastha, Ganapathy and Yakshi are installed here as subordinate deities. It is believed that the great philosopher, Sankaracharya wrote 'Soundaraya Lahari' staying in the temple.

The history of origin of ETTUMANOORAPPAN is from Kattampakk, a small village in Kottayam district.

Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple hosts the arattu festival celebrated on a grand scale on the Thiruvathira day in February–March every year. Lot of people come to this temple on the 8th and 10th day of the festival when seven and half elephants (in Malayalam: ezharaponnaana) made of gold (nearly 13 Kgms) will be held in public view. This statue was donated to the temple by a travancore maharaja. The temple, one of the wealthiest Devaswoms in Kerala, has many valuable possessions.

The Thulabharam is one of the important rituals of this temple. People make offerings to God for favours received. On balance, the child or man for whom offerings were promised to God, is weighed against offerings ranging from gold to fruits.

THIRUNAKKARA TEMPLE KOTTAYAM

THIRUNAKKARA TEMPLE KOTTAYAM

The Thirunakkara Temple situated in the heart of Kottayam city is one of the most revered Siva temples in central Kerala. The elevated area where the temple is situated was once called 'Nakkara Kunnu' which in due course, because of the presence of the sacred shrine, came to known as 'Thirunakkara' means 'sacred Nakkara.'

       The Temple was constructed five centuries ago by one of the native kings called the 'Thekkumkoor Raja' who ruled from Thalikkotta, west of the present city.

The Thirunakkara Sree Mahadevar Temple situated in the heart of Kottayam city is one of the most revered Siva temples in central Kerala. The elevated area where the temple is situated was once called 'Nakkara Kunnu' which in due course, because of the presence of the sacred shrine, came to known as 'Thirunakkara' means 'sacred Nakkara.'

       The Temple was constructed five centuries ago by one of the native kings called the 'Thekkumkoor Raja' who ruled from Thalikkotta, west of the present city. As the Temple was constructed on the basis of a divine dream shown to the King by the Lord Vadakkunnathan (link to Origin of the Temple) it bears many a resemblance to the Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur.

                 Lord Siva, the presiding deity, is not a ferocious God, but too calm and gentle that devotees feel at ease to worship and pray. The spontaneously emerged Siva Linga is about six inches height and to the left of it stands a small idol of Goddess Parvathy as well.

CONTACT ADDRESS

Thirunakkara Sree Mahadeva Temple  (  Travancore Devaswom Board )

Kottayam

Kerala

INDIA.

Contact No : 0481 2583898  ,  9995823777

Email : info@thirunakkaratemple.org

MALLIYOOR TEMPLE KERALA

MALLIYOOR TEMPLE KERALA

The Malliyoor Maha Ganapathy Temple is believed to have come into existence much before the Perumals exercised their sway over the southern peninsula. The pre-Perumal historical records have many references to the importance of this place of worship.

The story goes that a deeply devout and saintly Brahmin brought the idol over here from an unidentified and unspecified pilgrim centre some where in the North, centuries back. The family-deities Anthimahakalan and Yakshi worshipped by the once-powerful administrators of the temple also find a place inside the temple complex. The temple is jointly administrated by two families, the Aryappally mana and Vadakkedam Mana. In course of time the two families were merged to Malliyoor and the Temple when went through a period of misfortune and penury, the Malliyoor family bearing a brunt of it. But they worshipped Lord Ganapathy with unwavering devotion even when the temple was without a root over the sanctum sanctorum and the family having a hand to mouth extensive.

For quite some time in the past there was no structure except the sanctum sanctorum. A thatched shed served as the temple kitchen. But when that was eaten away by the elements the priest concerned cooked rice in his home kitchen and brought it to the temple as offering. This arrangement too later crumbled along with the priest's own adobe. For about seven years after that, the temple was opened only once in a month to light the lamp and offer cooked rice to the deity.

Once again a small house came up for the priest on a piece of plot donated by Brahmasri Kaithamattom Nampoothiri. Finally, the priestly family managed to have a hand-to-mouth existence, but the temple continued to be in its dilapidated state.

In 1136 Brahmasri Sanakaran Nampoothiry's father passed away. In the following months of his penance and abstinence, the renovation of the temple was taken up under the supervision of 'Uamplakkad' Nampoothiry, as per the architectural specifications of Palakkad Krishna Varier. The sanctum sanctorum thus got a roof. A fairly wide structure came up around the sanctum sanctorum. A kitchen, pantry and a short wall enclosing all these was soon completed. Then the work languished. These frequent interruptions might be indicative of a divine message. Astrologers were called in. It was found that Durga was demanding a place for herself in the temple. So a separate abode was erected for Durga Devi. Propitiatory and other traditional rituals were performed in the following days.

The pious Sankaran Nambpoothiri then prostrated himself at the feet of supreme deity of grace and bounty, Sree Guruvayoorappan. He started to recite the holy text, 'Sree Maha Bhagavatham' in front of Ganesha and offering to his Lord. His intense prayer and the total supplication resulted in the infusion of the spirit of Mahavishnu into the idol of Ganesha. It was the finding of astrology.

The deity here is conceptualised as Beeja Ganapathi, the trunk twisted rightward and carries on its tip a lemon, the hands hold an axe, a rope, a horn and a laddu, cradling little Sree Krishna in his lap. The Vaishnava spirit permeates the entire atmosphere.

How to reach temple?

Kottayam to Malliyoor : 23 KM Eranakulam to Malliyoor: 56 KM Thiruvananthapuram to Malliyoor: 157 KM Netumbaasseri Airport to Malliyoor: 72 Km