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Thiruvarppu Temple – History, Timings, Location, Kerala

Thiruvarppu Krishna Temple – Kerala

Thiruvarppu  is a small village in Kottayam district and 8 km from Kottayam town in Kerala state and is famous for Thiruvarppu Sree Krishna Temple (Varppu means cast used by blacksmiths to make bell-metal vessels) on the coast line of river Meenachil. Tiruvarppu Sree Krishna Temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, It is one of the famous Vaishnava temples in Kerala and one of the famous oldest Krishna temples dating back at least 1500 years. People believe that This temple was Built in 850 AD.

Tiruvarppu Sree Krishna Temple

Thiruvarppu Temple History

According to a legend, this temple is related to the epic Mahabharata. It is said that when the Pandavas were in exile in the forest for 14 years, Lord Krishna gave them his idol to worship daily. When the Pandavas completed their exile and wanted to go back, the people of the area (called Cherthala (Shertalai) people) requested the idol, but after some time due to circumstances, the people could not worship lord Krishna. So, they simply threw the goddess into the ocean. Many years later, A The holy saint (some say Vilwamangalam Swamiyar and others Padmapadacharya) was travelling in a boat in these regions when suddenly his boat got stuck at a place. The sage got out of the boat to find out the reason, but when he got off he found that the part he had landed on was dry and the sage found an idol of Lord Krishna under it. Although this divine sage was supposed to travel westward with him, the boat and the waves carried him eastward via Kunnam and Pallikkara to his present location. of the temple. On reaching the shore, the holy sage found the temple of Dharma Shasta without any idol, so he installed the idol in that temple. Later, people started worshipping the idol of Lord Krishna, now known as Tiruvarpu Lord Sri Krishna Temple.

Another story is that after the Pandavas had completed their agnatha vas, they deposited their Akshaya Patra along with the deity they were worshipping in the ocean. After some time, some fishermen fishing in the backwaters of Vembanad near Vechur (known as Mangalathu Vila) unearthed the uruli-less deity and built a temple at a place called Chara Mangalam and enshrined the idol there. Soon, natural calamities hit the place and the idol was washed away, this time the idol fell directly into the vessel itself. As mentioned earlier, Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, the sage mentioned above, captured the idol while crossing the sea. After reaching the shore, Uruli was temporarily placed in the Valiya Manda along with the idol inside. In those days only mango greens and coconut water were offered to the lord. Later the statue was moved to its present place. During Arattu, the idol is taken to Valiya madam and offerings of mango pulp and coconut water continue to this day.

Another legend is that the holy sage Pai got off the boat along with the idol, but due to bad weather he could not proceed further. That’s why he left the statue in Uruli. Later on his return, he finds that the idol is fixed to Uruli and belongs to a person named Uruli Kunnan Kari Menon. As soon as he heard about this incident, he gave land for the construction of the temple and completed the temple with the help of Madappuratu Samiyar, a saint. Even today, a special pushpanjali (flower offering) is held in this temple on behalf of the Madappuratu Samiyar Ashram.

Thiruvarppu Temple History

Special feature of Thiruvarppu Temple

Thiruvarppu Krishna Temple is the only one that opens its doors at dawn, which means that every morning at 2 AM, a special offering called Usha Payasam is offered to the deity as soon as the temple opens. Immediately after the abhishekam, the deity’s hair is first dried and an offering (Usha Payasam) is offered to him, followed by the rest of the deity’s body only. So that he does not starve. It is said that Lord Krishna is always hungry in this temple and unlike other Hindu temples, this Thiruvarpu Krishna temple is not closed even during eclipse, the reason being that once the temple was closed during eclipse, it is said that the temple is closed later. Re-opened the next day, they saw Lord Krishna’s waist ornament (Kamarbandham of Bhagavan) slipping off. Adishankaracharya who came to the temple at that time said that this happened because Krishna was very hungry. As it is believed that Lord Krishna cannot withstand hunger, the temple priest carries an axe along with the temple locks to open the Temple. The priest has the authority to break the lock of the temple door if there is delay in opening the door after two minutes.

Navagraha Dosha, Grahan Dosha, Santana Dosha, Sarpa Dosha, Vivaha (Vivaha) Dosha, Brahmahati Dosha are removed for those who worship the wonderful Lord Krishna and eat Prasadam from the temple. The Navagrahas, Asthatig Balagars and the thirty-three Devars are also believed to have a strong association with Krishna.

Festival and special days in Thiruvarppu temple

Krishna Jayanthi is celebrated every year. Every Sunday the temple is thronged with people. Every year in the month of April, Vilakedupu Thiruvila (festival of lightning lamps) is celebrated for 10 days. During the festival, girls below the age of 10 dress up like Lord Krishna and light a lamp in front of the deity twice in the morning and evening. The temple attracts a lot of people during this festival.

Thiruvarppu Krishna Temple Timings

Hoisting of the flag

The festival begins with flag hoisting. Anayottam is one of the rituals in this temple. Elephants participated in this festival. On the second day of Vishu, the Vishu Deepa prayer is performed on this day. A special pooja is performed on the fifth day. On the sixth day Anjam Purapadu (Krishna’s departure), on the seventh day Vadakottu Purappadu, on the eighth day the Kaikottu Purappadu, on the ninth day the Pallivetta and The kkottu Purappadu (these two Purapadus are held only in this temple). The elephants go around the temple for 7 rounds until the festival ends. At the end the festival ended with aarattu.

Architecture of Thiruvarppu Sree Krishna Temple

The temple is located in a beach area near the banks of Meenachil  river. In this sanctum sanctorum, Lord Krishna is standing in a four-armed posture facing west. The right hand is with food in the front and conch and Chakra in the back. The temple also has idols of Shiva, Bhagwati, Ganapati, Subramaniar and Yachi.

Places to visit near Thiruvarppu Temple

Pathiramanal Island, Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, Alappuzha LightHouse, Marari Beach, Bay Island Driftwood Museum and Thirunakkara MahaDeva Temple are important tourist places to visit near Thiruvarppu Temple.

Thiruvarppu Temple Timings

Thiruvarppu Sree Krishna Temple Timings are This is the only temple that Opens daily at Morning 02:00 AM and Darshan timings from 04:00 AM to 01:00 PM and Evening from 05:00 PM to 08:00 PM.

How to go to Thiruvarppu Krishna Temple

By Road: Thiruvarpu is located in Kottayam district and has many bus facilities. The temple is located at a distance of 210 metres from Thiruvarur Bus Stand.

By Rail: Kottayam railway station is the Nearest Railway Station which is located at 8.2 km from the Thiruvarppu Sri Krishna temple.

By Air: Kochi International Airport is 90 km from the Sri Krishna temple in Tiruvarur.

Thiruvarppu Krishna temple Address:

Thiruvarppu Sree krishna Swami Temple, Thiruvarpu, Kerala –  686020

Thiruvarppu Krishna Temple Phone number – 0481 238 2266

Kottayam to Thiruvarppu distance – 19 min (8.5 km) via Kottayam – Kumarakom Rd

Thiruvarppu Temple Photos:

Thiruvarppu Krishna Temple

 

Thiruvarppu Temple

Other Famous Temples in Kerala:

  1. Ernakulam Shiva Temple
  2. Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple
  3. Sabarimala Temple
  4. Guruvayur Temple
  5. Chottanikkara Temple
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