Thirunelli
temple is located at Brahmagiri hill in Kerala which is dedicated to Lord
Vishnu. Thirunelli is the only temple
in the world where the devotees can achieve all the rituals related to one's
life, starting from birth to death and life after death.
Thirunelli serves as an amazing
spiritual tour spot. It
is believed that the temple was built by Lord Brahma. Once when Lord Brahma
while traversing the world, saw an idol which was Lord Vishnu resting on an amla tree in the valley and this is the reason behind that the place came to be
named Thirunelli.
Veda Vyasa mentioned in Padma Purana, about a beautiful
Vishnu temple located in the scenic Sahya valley deep in the center of the
forest. Thirunelli temple is also referred to as Amalaka temple and Sidha
temple.
Legend is that this temple was dedicated by Lord Brahma to worship Lord
Vishnu. The idol
is in the form of Chathurbhuja. Thirunelli
temple acted as an important pilgrim center in south India during the period of
influence of Bhaskara Ravi Varma, a Tamil Chola king during 962-1019 CE.
Thirunelli
temple is one of the most ancient temples in Kerala. It is also known as ''Sahyamala Kshetram'' and ''Kashi of the South''. The
Temple is located at an altitude of about 900m in north Wayanad in a valley
encircled by mountains and beautiful forests. The temple faces east where sun
rises over the Udayagiri range.
A
short walk from Thirunelli temple leads one to the clear mountain spring known
as Papanasini. Pakshipathalam, an interesting sightseeing centre, is about 10kms away from here. Papanasini,
the mountain stream spread out from the heart of Brahmagiri is about 1km away
from the temple.
It is believed that Papanasini stream has divine power to suspend
sins of all the mortals. A unique specialty of the temple is the holy rock where people pray for their forefathers.To
the west side of the temple is the cave temple Gunnika, dedicated to Lord
Shiva. Thus Thirunelli is blessed by the unique presence of all the members of
the trinity.
In the temple premises there is a temple pond
which is named as Panchatheertham. There is a boulder with the image of a
footprint in the middle of the pond and it is called Vishnupada which is
believed to be footprint of Lord Vishnu.
Do:
- Do pray your Ishta Devata before pilgrimage to Temple.
- Do contact Temple Devasthanam information centre for enquiry, temple information and for Pooja details etc.
- Do reserve your travel and accommodation at Temple well in advance.
- Do bath and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
- Do concentrate on God and Goddess inside the temple.
- Do maintain silence and recite Om Namahsivaya or your Istamantram to yourself inside the temple.
- Do observe ancient custom and traditions while in Temple.
- Do respect religious sentiments at Temple.
- Do deposit your offerings in the hundi only.
Don't s:
- Do not come to Temple for any purpose other than worshipping of God and Goddess.
- Do not smoke at Temple.
- Do not consume alcoholic drinks at Temple.
- Do not eat non-vegetarian food in the Kshetram.
- Do not approach mediators for quick Darshanam. It may cause inconvenient to others.
- Do not carry any weapon inside the temple.
- Do not wear any head guards like helmets, caps, turbans and hats inside the temple premises.
- Do not perform Sastanga Pranama inside the Sanctum Sanctorum.
- Do not take much time while performing Sparsa Darshanam to God in Garbhagriha.
- Do not buy spurious prasadams from street vendors.
- Do not encourage beggars at Temple.
- Do not spit or create nuisance in the premises of the temple.