Saiva · Kerala
Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur
வடக்குந்நாதன் கோயில்
Vadakkunnathan (Sivan) under a mound of ghee, with Sankaranarayana and Rama
GeneralHealth
The temple in short
- Deity
- Vadakkunnathan (Sivan) under a mound of ghee, with Sankaranarayana and Rama
- Where
- Kerala · 10.52N 76.21E
- Usual hours
- 4 am – 10.30 am, 5 pm – 8.30 pm — hours change with festivals and the season; check before travelling. Were these right when you went?
- Grahas
- Guru
- Visited for
- The linga is buried under centuries of ghee abhishekam and is never seen. The Thrissur Pooram in Medam is held on its grounds; visited for health and for release.
The sthala purana
Tradition, as it is told at the temple
Tradition holds that Parasurama, having raised Kerala out of the sea, established this temple, and that Sivan gave him darshan at this place.
The linga in the sanctum is not seen. Centuries of ghee abhishekam have built a mound over it that is never removed and does not run in the heat, and what a visitor sees is that mound.
What is recorded
Documented history
Vadakkunnathan is among the oldest and most complete examples of Kerala temple architecture and is a protected monument. The murals on its walls and the woodwork of its roofs are studied as much as they are worshipped.
The Thrissur Pooram is held on the maidan around this temple, but it is not this temple’s festival: it is a meeting of the Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady Bhagavathy temples, who bring their elephants and their percussion to the Vadakkunnathan grounds. The distinction is worth keeping straight.
What there is to see
Description
Three main srikovils stand within one walled courtyard — Vadakkunnathan facing west, Sankaranarayana, and Rama — each under its own tiered copper roof.
The koothambalam, the hall built for temple theatre, is one of the finest in Kerala. Mural paintings cover the walls of the inner shrines.
The temple stands on a rise in the middle of the Thekkinkadu maidan, with the town circling it, so the whole complex is walked round from outside as well as in.
The temple year
The days it is fullest
The Thrissur Pooram in Medam is the event the town is known for: caparisoned elephants, the panchavadyam and the kudamattam exchange of parasols, ending in fireworks before dawn.
Maha Sivaratri, kept with a great lamp-lighting on the maidan, and the Vrischikam observances are the temple’s own days.
Getting there, and what else it is called
- Also called
- Thrissur Vadakkunnathan Temple, Vrishabhadripuram
- Reaching it
- The temple is in the middle of Thrissur town, about 1 km from Thrissur railway station and within walking distance of the bus stands.
Where it is
Others within reach
Nearest first, by straight-line distance
- Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple 20.1 km · Vaishnava
- Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple 32.3 km · Sakta (Amman)
- Navamukunda Temple, Thirunavaya 45.4 km · Vaishnava
- Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy Temple 51.2 km · Sakta (Amman)
- Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple 55 km · Vaishnava
- Kadampuzha Bhagavathy Temple 55.2 km · Sakta (Amman)
Add what you know
Been to this temple? The things that change — whether the hours on this page were right, whether the sannidhi was open, how long the queue was on a Saturday — are exactly what no printed source keeps current, and what the next person travelling here needs.
- Were the hours right when you went?
- Is anything on this page wrong or out of date?
- A photograph of the gopuram, the tank, or the notice board
A contribution carries a name, so a reader knows whose account it came from. That is why it needs an account, and it is the only reason.
Parihaaram is traditional practice, offered for devotion and peace of mind; it is not a guaranteed cure of any condition. Temple hours change with festivals and the season, so check before travelling.