Vaikom Mahadeva Temple:
In Vaikom, Kerala, India, there is a temple called Sree Vaikom Mahadeva Temple that honors the Hindu god Shiva.
The Ettumanoor Shiva Temple, the Kaduthuruthy Shiva Temple, and this temple are all regarded as strong locations for Shiva. A devotee’s wishes are said to be granted if they worship at all three temples prior to the Ucha puja. Notable for its Vaikom Ashtami celebration, this temple is among Kerala’s oldest.
Visit famous temples in Kerala:
The Vaikom temple is one of the few that is revered by both Vishnu’s followers, the Vaishnavas, and Shiva’s followers, the Shaivas. Shiva is referred to as Vaikkathappan, the lord of Vaikom, with affection in Vaikom. This temple is one of the oldest in Kerala, with puja continuing unbroken from its founding, and is thought to have a lingam from the Treta Yuga, the second period of Hinduism.
Vaikom Mahadeva Temple History:
According to the Vaikom temple history, After learning about Shaivism from Malyavan, the demon Khara traveled to the sacred city of Chidambaram in modern-day Tamil Nadu, where he performed intense penances and engaged in meditation in order to achieve Moksha, or release. Satisfied with his penance, Shiva manifested and bestowed upon him all the blessings he begged, along with three enormous lingams that were extracted from Him. Shiva asked Khara to worship the Lingas in order to achieve redemption then vanished, promising that He would always be with them.Khara felt exhausted and took a little break as he traveled south from the Himalayas carrying the three lingams—one by his neck, one in his left hand, and one in his right. When he attempted to take up the lingas after resting, they remained in place. When called upon, the heavens spoke and said, “I shall remain here giving Moksha (salvation) to whoever takes refuge in Me!” He knew that it was Shiva’s wizardry, or maya. After achieving release, Khara urged the sage Vyaghrapada, who had accompanied him covertly, to take care of the lingams and to worship them.
After a while, Vyaghrapada went on a pilgrimage and continued the puja with great dedication. Years and months elapsed. It had been visited by Parashurama once. He noticed a lingam emanating heavenly rays from under water when he alighted, sensing good portent. It was clear to him that Khara had placed the lingam there. The holiest spot on Earth, Vyaghrapadapurma, would be a wonderful haven for the devout who want liberation, Parashurama mused to himself. He prayed fervently and chanted sacred mantras to consecrate the lingam located here.
Shiva arrived before Parashurama with his consort Parvati, pleased with his devotion. His biggest devotee, Parashurama, had sanctified the lingam according to customs and procedures, which made him very happy.
For several days, Parashurama conducted puja there, filled with gratitude and delight. Then he appointed a distinguished Brahmin guy from Taruna village to build a temple here. He inducted the brahmin as the head priest of the temple and taught him the sacred chants, mantras, processes, and shlokas required to do puja to Shiva. After giving the Brahmin the entire temple, Parashurama vanished. It is the conviction that Parashurama himself designed and established the temple and its associated traditions and ceremonies.
Shiva, also called Vyaghralayesha (the lord of Vyaghrapadapurma) in this place, is said to bestow His blessings on His followers in three different incarnations, or avatars: in the morning as Dakshinamurthi, in the afternoon as Kiratamurthi, and in the evening as Shakti Panchakshari.
In the past, there were 108 households that owned the temple. Two groups of owners were formed, and one of them sided with the king. Their arguments and fights become more frequent every day. A portion of the split group visited the shrine at lunchtime one day. Njallal Namboothiri, the leader of one of the parties, stormed into the temple to interrupt the puja. The food offered to the deity, known as naivedyam, was originally kept in the Namaskara Mandapa hall on the western side.
With his shawl held above the western door, Njallal Namboothiri stormed through the western entrance and spat the remnants of his paan on the food. As a result, the puja was disturbed. Upon his return, he was bitten by a very deadly snake as he was removing his shawl from the door top. He died after stumbling outside the western door. “This door should not be opened anymore!” was said by a celestial voice that emerged from the sanctum sanctorum as the door automatically closed. Even now, the door is still closed to symbolize Shiva’s anger at being disturbed in his worship.
Vaikom Mahadeva Temple Timings:
The vaikom mahadeva temple timings is 3.30 am to 9.00 pm
Vaikkathappan Temple Darshan Timings:
3:30 AM – Palli Unarthal
4.00 AM – Nadathurappu Nirmalya Darsana/Ethirthu Pooja/Usha Pooja
6.30 AM – Ethirthu Sribeli
7.30 AM – Panthiradi Pooja
9.00 AM – Navakam Pooja
10.00 AM – Ucha Pooja, Abhisheka – Panchagavyam, Navakam, and special Abhishekam
11.30 AM – Ucha Sribeli
12:00 PM – Temple Closing time
5:00 PM – Temple reopens
5.00 PM – Nadathurappu
6.30 PM – Deeparadhana
7.00 PM – Athaza Pooja
8.00 PM – Athaza Sribeli
9:00 PM – Temple closing time
Vaikom Mahadeva Temple Official Website – https://www.vaikomtemple.org/
Vaikom Mahadeva Temple Address:
Vaikom Shiva Temple, Vaikom, Kottayam, Kerala – 686141
Vaikom Mahadeva Temple Contact Number – 04829 215812.
Vaikom Mahadeva temple Online Booking:
For booking at the temple online, go to the official website. Next, choose your darshan date and time from the darshan booking link and continue with the online booking. There is no fee for the darshan.
Festivals Celebrated at Vaikom Mahadeva temple:
One of the main festivals of the Vaikom temple, Vaikom Ashtami (Vaikathashtami), is celebrated from November to December. On the day of Krishna Ashtami in the Malayalam month of Vrischikam, people celebrate Vaikathashtami. It honors Shiva’s first appearance in Vyaghrapada.
vaikom mahadeva temple dress code:
The Vaikom Mahadeva temple has a dress code that states that women devotees should wear a sari, salwar kameez, pavadai sattai, or churidar, while males should only wear dhoti and Angavastram (no shirts allowed). Sacred ash is served to guests at this temple as prasadam.
How to reach Vaikom Mahadeva Temple:
By Air: The closest airport to the temple is Kochi International Airport. The airport and the temple are only 56 kilometers apart.
By Train: The closest train station is located on Vaikom Road.The railway station is about 12.6 km from the temple.
By Road: Ernakulam is about 33.5 miles away from the Vaikom Mahadeva temple. Furthermore, the temple is barely 32 kilometers from Kottayam. Buses to Vaikom run on a regular basis from Kottayam, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, and Thiruvananthapuram.
vaikom mahadeva temple distance:
vaikom mahadeva temple distance from kottayam – 54 min (32.0 km) via Kottayam – Kumarakom Rd and SH42
Ernakulam to vaikom mahadeva temple distance – 1 hr 3 min (33.5 km) via SH15
Ettumanoor Temple to vaikom Temple distance – 44 min (27.0 km) via SH40/SH42 and Vaikom – Vechoor Rd
Vaikom temple to Kaduthuruthy temple distance – 26 min (14.8 km) via Pala -Vaikom Rd
Vaikom temple to kerala distance – 2 hr 7 min (73.0 km) via Alappuzha – Madurai Rd
Vaikom Temple Images:
