Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple is situated in Tripunithura, 10 km to the
south-east of Kochi city, in Ernakulam District of Kerala. The temple
enshrines Santhanagopala Murthy or Santhana Gopala Moorthy as the
presiding deity. Santhanagopalamoorthy which literally means “savior of
infants” is an incarnation of Lord Mahavishnu.
Lord Vishnu is seen here in a sitting posture under the shade of five
hoods of Ananthan. This is a unique pose unlike the other Vishnu temples
where the Lord is usually found in a reclining posture on the divine
serpent, Anantha. The folded body of the serpent itself serves as the
seat for the God. The two upper hands of Lord Vishnu hold Sanku (conch)
and Sudarshana Chakram (holy wheel) and the lower right hand holds the Padmam (Lotus flower).
On the back side of Sreekovil, there is a small window from where
devotees can get a close look at the idol of Santhana Gopala Moorthy of
Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple. Devotees can also have a look at the idol
of Lord Ganapathi
on the extreme south side of the sanctum-sanctorum. It must be noted
that, besides the idol of Lord Ganesha, no other Upadevatas are
worshipped at Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple.
Poornathrayeesa is the combination of 3 words - ‘poorna’ means complete, ‘thraye’ means three, and ‘isa’ means Iswara which means the Lord of Knowledge, or the Lord of the Three Vedas – Rig Veda, Yajur Veda and Sama Veda. Lord Poornathrayeesa is the family deity of the erstwhile Kochi dynasty. It is believed that childless couples are blessed with children on worshipping Sree Poornathrayeesan as the Lord is in the form of Lord Santhana Gopalakrishna.
Legend of Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple
Traditions say that Lord Vishnu offered the idol of Sree Poornathrayeesa to Arjuna (the third of the five Pandava brothers), when he sought the help of the Lord to give rebirth to the ten children of a Brahmin. The ten children and the sacred idol were taken by Arjuna in his chariot and he handed over the children to the Brahmin. In memory of this event, a temple was built with a sanctum-sanctorum in the form of a chariot. Lord Ganesh was sent by Arjuna to search a holy place for the installation of Lord Vishnu. Earlier, the idol was kept in a palace which is situated at the west of the main temple and now it is known as Poonithura Kottaram.
Lord Ganesh, who was attracted by the holiness of the ancient Vedic Village, Poornavedapuram (now Tripunithura), tried to occupy the place for himself. However, Arjuna pushed him away to the southern side of the sanctum and installed his idol there. This is different from the usual custom, where Lord Ganesh has a separate shrine at the south-western side of the inner prakaram. As the place was bounded by mustard fields, Arjuna used some mustard seeds to get oil for lighting lamp. You can see a Valia Vilakku situated in front of the idol. Folks say that the burnt oil of this traditional lamp contains medicinal value.
Legends reveal that Sree Poornathrayeesa is the elder brother of the Goddesses of Chottanikkara and Pishari temples. It is also believed that the Lord was married to a Namboothiri girl, Nangema, from Vadakkedathu Mana. During the annual temple festival occasions, deities from Perumthrikovil (Lord Shiva) and Pishari kovil (Lakshmi) visit here for a combined procession. This is locally called as Sankara Narayana Vilakku (Shiva and Vishnu) and Laksmi Narayana Vilakku (Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu). The Aarattu (the holy bath of the deity) of Sree Poornathrayeesa takes place at the temple pond of Chakkamkulangara Shiva Temple, which is situated north-east to Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple.
Temple Offerings
There is a Keda Vilakku (lamp which burns always) which is said to be the first lamp lit by Arjuna during the original consecration of the idol. Arjuna collected some gingely seeds and made oil out of the seeds to light the lamp. In memory of this event, the Lord is offered ‘Olpenna” (offering of gingely oil) which is considered as the most important Vazhipadu (offering) in this temple.
Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple Festivals
Moosari Utsavam
The beginning of Malayalam year is marked here with an eight-day long festival which is dedicated to the sculptor who had molded the idol of Sree Poornathrayeesan. Folklores say that the sculptor merged himself with the Lord while giving life to that beautiful idol and so the eyes of the image were left unveiled. This festival comes every year during August -September.
Vrischikotsavam
One of the important festivals of Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple, Vrischikotsavam is a fifteen days long annual festival conducted in the Malayalam month of Vrischikam (November - December). The most captivating feature is the majestic procession (Ezhunnallippu) of the deity. Around fifteen elephants assemble in the ‘Ana Kottil’ with all the decorations such as Nettipattam and Muthukkuda. They carry the Lord's idol (‘thidambu') on their back.
During the festival, one can enjoy the concerts of Kerala temple arts such as Melam, Panchavadyam, Thayambaka, Madhalapattu, Kombupattu, and Kuzhalpattu. Another significant aspect is the fourth day of this festival which is called Thrikketta Purappadu. According to the legends, the Vilwamangalam Swamiyar (a great Brahmin saint who lived during the middle of 17th century in Kerala) visited the Tripunithura Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple. He found the presence of the Lord in the procession and not at the sanctum. Since then, more time is spent for night procession of the deity.
Besides, there are other festivals celebrated here such as the Sankara-Narayana Vilakku which is celebrated on the Thiruvathira day of Dhanu in Malayalam calendar and the Ombathanthi Utsavam (9th day of Thulam in Malayalam Calendar).
How to reach Tripunithura Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple?
Railhead
Tripunithura Railway Station, on the Ernakulam - Thiruvananthapuram line, is the nearest railway station. Jayanti Janata Express (Mumbai - Kanyakumari Express), Malabar Express (Thiruvananthapuram – Mangalore Express), Korba Express (Thiruvananthapuram - Bilaspur Express), and Venad Express (Trivandrum – Shoranur) are some of the major express trains which passes through Tripunithura Railway Station.
Ernakulam Junction Railway Station, around 10 km from Tripunithura, is another nearest major railway station.
Road
Tripunithura (Thripoonithura) is an important center between Kochi city and other places such as Kottayam, Muvattupuzha and Piravom. Frequent bus services are available to all the major places.
Airport
Cochin International Airport is the nearest airport.
Poornathrayeesa is the combination of 3 words - ‘poorna’ means complete, ‘thraye’ means three, and ‘isa’ means Iswara which means the Lord of Knowledge, or the Lord of the Three Vedas – Rig Veda, Yajur Veda and Sama Veda. Lord Poornathrayeesa is the family deity of the erstwhile Kochi dynasty. It is believed that childless couples are blessed with children on worshipping Sree Poornathrayeesan as the Lord is in the form of Lord Santhana Gopalakrishna.
Legend of Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple
Traditions say that Lord Vishnu offered the idol of Sree Poornathrayeesa to Arjuna (the third of the five Pandava brothers), when he sought the help of the Lord to give rebirth to the ten children of a Brahmin. The ten children and the sacred idol were taken by Arjuna in his chariot and he handed over the children to the Brahmin. In memory of this event, a temple was built with a sanctum-sanctorum in the form of a chariot. Lord Ganesh was sent by Arjuna to search a holy place for the installation of Lord Vishnu. Earlier, the idol was kept in a palace which is situated at the west of the main temple and now it is known as Poonithura Kottaram.
Lord Ganesh, who was attracted by the holiness of the ancient Vedic Village, Poornavedapuram (now Tripunithura), tried to occupy the place for himself. However, Arjuna pushed him away to the southern side of the sanctum and installed his idol there. This is different from the usual custom, where Lord Ganesh has a separate shrine at the south-western side of the inner prakaram. As the place was bounded by mustard fields, Arjuna used some mustard seeds to get oil for lighting lamp. You can see a Valia Vilakku situated in front of the idol. Folks say that the burnt oil of this traditional lamp contains medicinal value.
Legends reveal that Sree Poornathrayeesa is the elder brother of the Goddesses of Chottanikkara and Pishari temples. It is also believed that the Lord was married to a Namboothiri girl, Nangema, from Vadakkedathu Mana. During the annual temple festival occasions, deities from Perumthrikovil (Lord Shiva) and Pishari kovil (Lakshmi) visit here for a combined procession. This is locally called as Sankara Narayana Vilakku (Shiva and Vishnu) and Laksmi Narayana Vilakku (Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu). The Aarattu (the holy bath of the deity) of Sree Poornathrayeesa takes place at the temple pond of Chakkamkulangara Shiva Temple, which is situated north-east to Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple.
Temple Offerings
There is a Keda Vilakku (lamp which burns always) which is said to be the first lamp lit by Arjuna during the original consecration of the idol. Arjuna collected some gingely seeds and made oil out of the seeds to light the lamp. In memory of this event, the Lord is offered ‘Olpenna” (offering of gingely oil) which is considered as the most important Vazhipadu (offering) in this temple.
Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple Festivals
Moosari Utsavam
The beginning of Malayalam year is marked here with an eight-day long festival which is dedicated to the sculptor who had molded the idol of Sree Poornathrayeesan. Folklores say that the sculptor merged himself with the Lord while giving life to that beautiful idol and so the eyes of the image were left unveiled. This festival comes every year during August -September.
Vrischikotsavam
One of the important festivals of Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple, Vrischikotsavam is a fifteen days long annual festival conducted in the Malayalam month of Vrischikam (November - December). The most captivating feature is the majestic procession (Ezhunnallippu) of the deity. Around fifteen elephants assemble in the ‘Ana Kottil’ with all the decorations such as Nettipattam and Muthukkuda. They carry the Lord's idol (‘thidambu') on their back.
During the festival, one can enjoy the concerts of Kerala temple arts such as Melam, Panchavadyam, Thayambaka, Madhalapattu, Kombupattu, and Kuzhalpattu. Another significant aspect is the fourth day of this festival which is called Thrikketta Purappadu. According to the legends, the Vilwamangalam Swamiyar (a great Brahmin saint who lived during the middle of 17th century in Kerala) visited the Tripunithura Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple. He found the presence of the Lord in the procession and not at the sanctum. Since then, more time is spent for night procession of the deity.
Besides, there are other festivals celebrated here such as the Sankara-Narayana Vilakku which is celebrated on the Thiruvathira day of Dhanu in Malayalam calendar and the Ombathanthi Utsavam (9th day of Thulam in Malayalam Calendar).
How to reach Tripunithura Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple?
Railhead
Tripunithura Railway Station, on the Ernakulam - Thiruvananthapuram line, is the nearest railway station. Jayanti Janata Express (Mumbai - Kanyakumari Express), Malabar Express (Thiruvananthapuram – Mangalore Express), Korba Express (Thiruvananthapuram - Bilaspur Express), and Venad Express (Trivandrum – Shoranur) are some of the major express trains which passes through Tripunithura Railway Station.
Ernakulam Junction Railway Station, around 10 km from Tripunithura, is another nearest major railway station.
Road
Tripunithura (Thripoonithura) is an important center between Kochi city and other places such as Kottayam, Muvattupuzha and Piravom. Frequent bus services are available to all the major places.
Airport
Cochin International Airport is the nearest airport.
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