Thrippalur Mahadeva Temple, Palakkad Dist., Kerala

We are literally flying through the new four-lane track on NH47 from Thrissur to Palakkad as if we are at par with the pace of light! The whole world is running, isn’t' it? Why should we hold back? Soon after crossing the flyover near Thrippalur, Alathur, we realized we missed the turn! That important turn which should have taken us to our destination. This should exactly be the reason why the men of wisdom preferred the path of peace and tranquility rather than of pace and thrill! We slowed down, went back, took the right turn to the right place for which we had started this journey.

Thrippalur Mahadeva Temple - view from the East

Thrippalur - A simple hamlet in Alathur Panchayath of Palakkad along the border of Palakkad and Thrissur districts. Surrounded by the subdued taluks of Nenmara, Kuzhalmannam, Pazhayannur and Kollengode it reflects a life light-years away from the luxuries of city horizon. A couple of kilometers into the village, we saw our destination of the day at a distance - Thrippalur Mahadeva Temple. The view through the rich green paddy fields was serene. Gayatri river is flowing calmly down, alongside the temple - a journey for a larger cause of humanity. Near the entrance, we observe heaps of festival waste at a corner - the unfortunate truth of post-plastic era. Fortunately, inside of the temple remains untroubled by all these.

The temple has three main deities - Lord Siva, Krishna and Narasimha. Lord Siva here is believed to be self-manifested and later consecrated by Lord Parasurama. The sanctum of Lord Siva is two-storied with intricate carvings reflecting its antiquity. Sanctum of Lord Krishna is two-storied and Lord Narasimha is circular (vatta-sreekovil). All three deities are facing towards the West. The inner prakara of the temple is paved with time-polished granite stones all around. The little space well packed and its ambience gives it an ancient feel.

On the east side of the temple, the wall inside has a kind of old paintings which on close observation feels to be made by a devotee of Thrippalur Mahadeva. With our limited knowledge, we felt it to be around a century old. However, whoever did it seems to have done good research about the temple and its legends. Though we asked the local people about it, they hardly knew about its origin or whereabouts. Out of curiosity - can anyone help us with more details?

The paintings on the wall

The temple has sub-deities of Ganapathi, Subramanya, Ayyappa and Nagas. The tantra of the temple is with Andaladi and Kaimukku. Deepavali Vaavu is the main festival in this temple. Though it is difficult to trace back the history of this temple, it is believed that is was once under the control of Palakkad Kings. The temple has a large pond outside the Western gate. It is believed to be made to calm down the power of Lord Siva in this temple. A similar concept was found in Thiruvaloor temple as well.

Temple Pond - Just a look calms us down!

On our way out we observed a banner requesting donations for the planned renovations. Renovation as we have observed in many temples is a dicey thing - unless it is done with utmost care to preserve the antiquity. Irrespective of whether change and renovation is for good or bad, may it come in, if at all, without bringing any change to the serenity of this village - for this village is already complete in its own terms.