Jainimedu Jain temple of Palakkad

-

This simple structure in the centre of Palakkad town is considered to be around 5 centuries old. The name of the temple comes from the time when around 400 families lived here making it a place for the Jains. In the years Jainism has become less prevalent and the temple went into neglect but today the functions are taken over by the Dighambara Basti trust. There are few families still attached to the temple here.


The temple was built by the then Jain Head Inchanna Satur & is dedicated to Tirthankar. The construction was done by the diamond traders who came from Karnataka. The temple is built in typical Jain architecture with high granite stone walls & aras or divisions. The 1st ara has the idol of Chandranthan, 2nd has Vijayalakshmi & Jwalamohini, the 3rd ara has the presence of Rishabhanathan & the 4th ara has idols of Parswanath with Padmawathi. The temple does not have any carvings or wood work but is adorned with images of Thirthankars & Yakshinis. There is a raised pedestal mukham in the front which now has a roof built on stone pillars. 

 

The temple though is a place of heritage has a beautiful story of literature attached to it. The famous poet of Malayalam - Kumaran Asan is said to have written the monumental poem - Veenapoova (fallen flower) in a Jain house near the temple. Kumaranasan, part of his sojourn around the land, stopped here & during an evening walk saw a flower fall to the ground from a tree. The sight of flower withering made him write the philosophical poem depicting varied stages of a flower. It is also an intense sarcasm on people losing everything at the end no matter what they earned in life. The poem starts with Ha & ends with the word Kashtam which symbolises him calling the world outside “How Pitiful”. 

 

Today the temple is open for all & daily pujas are conducted. The annual festival here attracts people from all around. 



Location: Palakkad, Kerala, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trichambaram Temple: Stories, Myths & Legends of Lord Krishna

-
Image
  Lord Krishna is considered to be the avatar of Lord Vishnu having temples around the country where the idol is placed in the shaanth shyamala posture which is based on the belief of Him being in his most serene form at all times. In the town of Taliparamba stands the Trichambaram temple in all its majesty where Lord Krishna is worshipped in the most ferocious form. The temple is a beautiful complex & has the distinction of the same degree  to that of Guruvayur temple in regards to the reverence to Lord Krishna & so is referred as North Guruvayur. The origin of the temple is not clear but most believe it to be present well before the 10th century.  The temple has many stories associated with its existence & its rituals are unique as compared to most other temples. As one enters the temple, one striking presence is the temple with a small pond around it dedicated to Goddess Jaladurga. The temple is considered to have been consecrated by Parasurama on the requ...
Read more

Pandalam Palace: The house of Swami Ayyappan

-
Image
Built along the banks of the beautiful Achankovil River, the Pandalam Palace holds a significant importance in the heritage of Kerala & its beliefs. The palace is where Lord Ayyappa is said to have lived & played. It is also a place that is important in the rituals of Sabarimala temple as it’s the place from where the Thiruvabharanam (divine ornaments) is brought to the temple for the culmination of the season which happens with the unique Magaravilakku & Makara Jyothi darshan. The palace today has lost its old charm as many portions of the old ancestral property have been divided among families & lost over the years. The most important parts of the palace are still available for all to see which include the palace complex, Valiya Koyikkal temple, Thevarapuras, Thiruvabharana Scrambical palace & Puthenkoikal. The Pandalam family is said to be descendants of the Pandya Kings who ruled the South during the 6 th century. The Pandya rule over the centuries became we...
Read more

The Life of Velu Thampi Dalawa

-
Image
In the sweet town of Mannady in Pathanamthitta is a museum that glorifies one of the most feared & respected warriors of the Travancore dynasty. The life size statue of Velu Thampi Dalawa stands proudly at the entrance to make one remember his revolt against the corrupt & later the British. The museum houses a beautiful stone statue of Buddha along with some of the most unique artefacts which belonged to Velu Thampi including his daggers, swords & other weapons. The museum also has a collection of coins & manuscripts with portraits of all Travancore kings from Marthanda Varma to Sree Chithra Thirunal. One look at the statue of Velu Thampi Dalawa makes you want to know more about him & how he influenced the masses to revolt against British Supremacy. Born in the 18 th century to a Nair family he was named Velayudhan Thampi & was part of the family which held the title of Chempakaraman for having ownership of the Kanyakumari province under the Travancore kingdom....
Read more