Venkatachalapathy Temple is a famous Hindu temple situated in Trivandrum, Kerala. It is also known as Srinivasar kovil, Perumal Kovil, Iyyengar Kovil or Desikar Sannidhi. The temple was built in 1898 and is the only temple in Kerala dedicated to Vaishanavite. Lord Venkatachalapathy is the deity of this temple.
Architecture of Venkatachalapathy Temple
The temple does not have a ‘Gopuram’ and is not exactly built in Kerala style. The construction is plain and devoid of intricate carvings. The sanctum of the temple consists of idols of Alamelu Mangai Thayar and Padmasini Thayar. There are also shrines for Hindu deities Navaneetha Krishna, Peria Thiruvadi, Garudar. The idol of King Kulasekhara alwar, who ruled over the land many centuries ago is established in the temple as a mark of respect to the king.
History of Venkatachalapathy Temple
During the rule of King Thirumalai Naicker a group of people went on a pilgrimage around the country. On the course of their tour they stopped at a dense forest. They tried to take a stone in the cart for cooking but could not move it. Thinking that they or one of them would have committed a mistake, they began singing the hymns of the Lord. One of the person from the group said that Lord Venkatachalapathi was at the spot where they could not remove the grinding stone. Listening to it, they made a small mud platform around the stone, placed a lamp on it and worshipped the Lord. They later informed the king about their experience. The king built a temple for Lord Venkatachalapathy and arranged daily pujas. The Shrine is as holy as the Balaji Tirupathi and could not be discriminated as big or small. According to scriptures, Indira got relief from his curse for his arrogant behaviour after performing Angapradhakshina (rolling around the temple) in this shrine.
Significance of Venkatachalapathy Temple
The temple is known to resolve all kind of human problems, especially those arising out of solar and lunar eclipses in people’s life. Newly wedded couples visit the temple on the Vijayadasami day for peace and harmony in their marital life. Offerings made to the deity include Puliyogare (Tamarind Rice), Dhadhyonam (Curd Rice), Pongal, Chakkarai Pongal, Ellodarai (Sesame Rice), Kheer, Amrutha Kalasam and Chakkarai Sundal.
It is an exceptional Vaishnava temple where a festival is observed for the destruction of Mahishasura the demon. Other important festivals of the temple are Tamil New Year Day, Vaikasi (May June) Thiruvonam, Krishna Jayanthi, Pongal, Vijayadasami, Karthikai deepam and Masi Maga.