Thiruvilwamala Vilwadrinatha Temple, Palakkad, Kerala
Thiruvilwamala Vilwadrinatha Temple is a temple for Lord Vishnu. It is located nearly 30 kms from Pallakad town amidst numerous small hills. It is considered as a Rama, Lakshmana temple. Bharathapuzha is 3 kms away from this temple.
There are two shrines for Lord Vishnu with Chakra, Conch, lotus and mace – one faces east and other facing west.
The one facing east is considered as Lord Rama. But it has the serpent Anantha above with Sridevi and Bhoodevi on both sides. It is said to have been installed by Sage Amalaka. He is said to have performed intense tapas by eating only Gooseberry (Amla) fruits and praying to the Lord.
The one facing east is considered as Lord Lakshmana. It is said to have been installed by Sage Parasurama as an expiation for his sin of killing Khatriyas. Both the vigrahas are made from a special variety of stone called “Pathalanjana Sila”.
Why this temple is considered as a Rama/Lakshmana temple is not clear. There are inscriptions of sages Nara/ Narayana on the ceiling of the temple entrance.
This temple is also considered a Shiva temple and the deity is also treated as Sankaranarayanan. There are vilwa trees sorrounding this temple and it is said that a golden vilwa tree lies beneath the hill.On special days associated with Lord Shiva, like Mahashivaratri, Pradosha vrata and Mondays, many people visit Thiruvilwamala Temple.
There is a shrine for Mahaganathi and Lord Hanuman. On climbing a set of down steps, there is a Lord Iyappa temple. What is unique is that Lord Ayppa is seen with Lord Shiva and Parvathi in the same shrine. There is also a shrine for Brahmarakshas. There is also Naga devata temple nearby.The legend related to this temple is from a text, called “Sri Vilwadri Mahatmya” which 18 chapters, which describes the origins of this age-old temple.
There is also the Parakkottukavu Bhadrakali temple 1 kms from the Rama temple.
This temple is a perfect place for mediation amidst the rocks, tall trees and the overall calm atmosphere. The main festival is during Guruvayur Ekadasi and Seeveli with elephants is conducted during this temple for 41 days mornings and evenings.Punarjani Guha is open only during Guruvayur Ekadasi for general public.
Stay:
A simple no-frills Dewaswom guest house with rooms are available. There is small vegetarian restaurant outside the temple.