Ettumanoor Temple

The Ettumanoor Shiva Temple is an excellent example of the extensive usage of beautiful and expertly created murals in the temples of Kerala. The themes of these murals are stills from the Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata and the Upanishads and Puranas. Located 12 km north of the city of Kottayam, this shrine attracts devotees and connoisseurs of art alike. The glorious temple architecture of Kerala can be identified as a striking aspect of this temple. The majestic conical gopuram or copper plated roof of the sanctum commands respect and obeisance and is awe inspiring as well. There are 14 such decorative tops in the shrine.

The graceful sculptures and the vivid paintings such as the painting of the dancing Shiva, only enhance the charm of the temple. The ancient temple was renovated in 717 ME (1542 AD) and it was then that this famous gopuram and the gallant fortress around the temple were built.

The gold plated flag post in the temple is famed for its aesthetic look. Perched on top of this mast is the image of a bull and tiny bells and banyan leaves of metal. The corridor around the sanctum is inlaid with intricately carved wooden panels.

The rear end of the sanctum sanctorum is believed to belong to the Goddess Parvati. There are two idols of the sacred bull mount of the Lord, Nandi in the mukhamandapam. One of these is made of stone and the other made of metal.Towards the entrance is a large bell metal lamp and the oil for its upkeep comes from devotees' offerings.

Though the main shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva the temple houses lesser shrines of the deities Bhagavati, Dharma Sastha, Ganapathy and Yakshi. The famous seer Adi Sankaracharya is believed to have written his celebrated work 'Soundaraya Lahari' during his stay in the temple.

Many legends are associated with the temple. Some say Khara, a demon brother of the infamous Ravana set up this temple along with two other sin the vicinity so that all three may be visited in a single day. Others say that the word Ettumanoor comes from the word "maan" meaning deer. Lord Shiva himself is said to have created a deer and set it lose on these green soils.

The Ezharaponnaana Ezhunallathu is the ten day long annual Festivalof the temple. It is held during the month of Kumbha (Feb- Mar) of the Kollavarsham and is concluded on the day when the Ardra constellation is on the rise. On the eighth day of the Ezharaponnaana Ezhunallathu, the Lord's idol is bedecked and placed in a specially prepared pavilion to the north east of the shrine. Thousands of devotees throng the temple to catch a glance of the Lord Shiva during this sacred Festival. The Maharaja of Travancore had once made a unique offering to the deity. He had gifted seven and a half elephants (ezhara pon aana), seven of which are two feet tall and last is one foot tall. These are displayed on this eighth day of the Festival. This temple is also famous for its Thullabharams i.e. offerings equal to the weight of the devotee. The offerings may be any item pledged - sugar, plantain, gold and silver etc.

The Ettumanoor temple is easily accessible from the Cochin Airport, 76 kms away and the Thiruvananthapuam International Airport, 152 kms. Excellent rail links from the temple through Kottayam Station and road links through Kottayam Central bus stand connect the city with the rest of the state. Alleppey, Mannar, Chempakulam, Mankombu and Ambalapuzha are connected by ferry services and the ferry station is about 3 km away.

The Ettumanoor temple is the wealthiest Devaswom in Kerala and one of the largest in the state. Thus it attracts a large footfall each year.

Last Updated on 24 May 2011