Trichambaram Temple: Stories, Myths & Legends of Lord Krishna

 

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 request of Maharishi Shambhara. The presence of Jaladurga is also based on another myth which travels back to the origin of Krishna’s birth. As per Hindu belief Lord Krishna was destined to kill his uncle - Kamsa. The king, afraid of this prophecy, imprisons his sister Devaki and husband Vasudev & kills all their newborns. Vasudev’s cousin brother Nanda lived in Gokul with his wife Yashodha & they had a girl child the same time when Devaki gave birth to Lord Krishna. The world stopped & Vasudev is said to have crossed the Yamuna & placed Lord Krishna in the cradle of Yashoda while bringing the girl child back to Devaki. Kamsa who heard about the birth of the eighth child stormed to the prison & threw the child on to the wall. The child, unlike other seven newborns earlier rather than dying, disappeared & warned Kamsa that she was not the child destined to kill him. She also warned him that his death was written & would happen at the appropriate time at the hands of his nephew. The child who was considered to be the eighth child of Devaki according to Hindu mythology is Yogamaya & one can find her temple at all the Krishna temples. The temple of Jaladurga which one finds at the Trichambaram temple is another example of the presence of Yogamaya who along with Lord Krishna is present in the form of young children giving all devotees a chance to feel the divinity of both. The Goddess inside the temple is also in the form of a beautiful child which does give substance to the myth.

The temple of Trichambaram has a story behind its name too & one that is true to its origin. It's believed that Maharishi Shambhara selected this place to perform penance to please Lord Vishnu. His penance was successful & Vishnu presence was felt at the temple which made the Lord present Maharishi with the idol of Goddess Jaladurga which was placed here. Even after the penance & Lord Vishnu being pleased about it, Shambhara continued his stay at the place which gave it the name of Shabharasthana making it Trishambharam which later became Trichambaram (Temple at Shambharam).

The main deity of Lord Krishna is considered to be in a posture after Kamsavadam or in the state after killing his uncle which is in Roudra Bhavam. As per the myth, Lord Krishna killed his uncle at the age of around 12 years & right after the duel with him the young boy just like any human was hungry & asked his mother Devaki for food which she provided with all happiness. This moment is commemorated even today by the priests at the temple whereby the Lord is first fed with Nivedyam & then the daily poojas are conducted as the Lord is in his most fierce form in the morning. There were also many beliefs where devotees would not visit the temple in the early morning fearing his anger. The temple architecture is another beautiful aspect of the temple. The Srikovil which houses the deity is designed in traditional Kerala vasthu styles with red mud stones beautifully carved to depict stories from Krishnaleela. The roof is a double storeyed pyramidal pagoda enclosed within a wall. The exact date of the construction is not clear but the temple finds its mention in the 11th century Sanskrit poem Musikavamsa. The temple also has beautiful mural carvings from the 15th century & the whole complex has three ponds, one for the ancestral pujas, the other for bathing of the priests & the largest is the temple pond. The smaller pond used for ancesterial pujas is a clear water pond devoid of any fish which is a unique sight.

The temple is also the venue to a unique dance form called Nritham which is performed by the priests during the annual festival. This celebration is also based on an unique story associated with the temple and Maharshi Shambhara & Lord Parasurama. After consecrating the temple of Jaladurga following a penance by Shambhara, Parasurama was surprised to see Maharshi still present at the temple & asked him the reason. Maharshi Shambhara said he is awaiting to see a sight of great beauty as promised by Lord Krishna. Upon asking what the sight was, Shambhara told him that Devaki upon learning about the leela’s performed by Lord Krishna in Gokul & Vrindavan asked Him to grant her the chance to see it firsthand. Lord Krishna promised his mother that he will perform the leela in a way of dance at the place called Shambharavanam. This was the reason why Shambhara continued his stay here & learning about such a moment, Lord Parasurama who himself is considered to be an avatar of Lord Vishnu waited along with Shambhara. As per legend, this unique dance was performed by Lord Krishna & Balarama at the place along with all the other characters like the gopikas, Yashodha, people of Gokul, his friends, devaganam, apsaras. This Nritham was so beautiful & long that Krishna & Balarama were tired so Vasudev picked up Lord Krishna & Nanda picked Balarama over their shoulders & continued to perform. At the end of it both Maharsi & Parasurama fell to the feet of Lord Krishna. This event in mythology is performed by the priests today who carry the idols of Krishna & Balarama over their heads called Thidambu Nritham. It's certainly a beautiful sight & everyone considers themselves to be in the same state as Maharshi Shambhara & Parasurama.

The temple compound also has an unique tree of Ilanji (spanish cherry) which is fruitless & is revered equally to the deity. The story of it being fruitless is based on a belief that an ascetic once sat under the tree who suffered from terrible rashes & everytime a fruit fell on his skin he would cry out the Lord’s name. Lord Krishna is said to have come out of the temple to soothe his skin & thus the tree was asked not to bear any fruit for ever. Though the tree is fruitless it stays evergreen and as per belief devotees sit under its shade expecting Lord Krishna to soothe them of difficulties. Another unique sight is the complete absence of elephants around the temple & this is based on another story from Krishna’s life. When Lord Krishna & Balarama arrived at Mathura Palace, Kamsa sent the royal elephant Kuvalayapida to attack & kill the brothers. The brothers killed the elephant & from the day Krishna developed hatred for elephants. Thus based on this belief no elephants are part of the temple festivals or rituals. As a matter of precaution mahouts do not allow their elephants to even pass close to the temple fearing the wrath of the deity.

Trichambaram temple is one among a trinity of temples one should visit. The Rajarajeswara Shiva temple &  Kanhirangad Vaidyanatha temples are part of the trinity. A visit to the temple for any devotee is to feel themselves being at Vrindavan & living with the Lord himself.