Pancha Pandava temples
Posted On February 1, 2012
India is a land of intrigue and Indian tours are a fascination for all tourists coming to India. There are many legends and tales that are so much a part of Indian culture and tradition that it is difficult to understand whether to get enchanted by the tales or the places that surround these tales.
The Pancha Pandava temples are one such fascinating aspect of Indian tours. There are so many legends from the Indian epic Mahabharata that they have become a major aspect of Indian life. Out of the many Indian states that have been a part of the Mahabharata, Kerala has the maximum contribution culturally. Temples in Kerala like the Pancha Pandava temples are very famous as being connected to the five Pandavas of Mahabharata.
The Chengannur area is one of the foremost in these temples of the Pandavas. Tiruchenkoor is one of the ancient Pancha Pandava temples lying in the state of Kerala. Chengannur is for Yuddhisthira, Tiruppuliyur for Bheema, Tiruvanmundur for Nakula Aranmula for Arjuna and Tirukkadittanam for Sahadeva.
So the Chenganoor Mahadeva temple has the presiding deity as the Goddess Bhagawati and has great importance here. It is said that it is here that Yuddhisthira prayed to the Lord Vishnu and asked to be pardoned for his actions on the battlefield where he deceived his teacher Drona as a form of strategy.
Sirupuliyur
This is again one of the Pancha Pandava temples which are again located on the Chengannur area of the state of Kerala. It is also closely associated with the Indian epic Mahabharata. It is said that Bhima, one of the Pandava princes, constructed this temple and prayed to Lord Vishnu here. It is believed that this temple was not worshipped for as long as 200 years and lay neglected after which today it has been reopened after consecration. Here you would find the quantity of the offerings to be very large. More than 400 measures of rice is offered considering the fact that Bheema was a man who used to love eating.
Malanad
A very strange thing is that there is a temple dedicated to the Kaurava Prince Duryodhana in a place called Malanad. This is worshipped by the Kuravas who worship Duryodhana in this temple. It is also a belief that these Kuravas do not go to Tiruppuliyur as they feel they would be harmed if they did as it belonged to Bheema.
Aranmula
This is the place where there is a temple dedicated to Arjuna, the Pandava prince. A very beautiful village that is situated on the Chengannur region, this is situated on the banks of the River Pampa. The Aranmula temple has four towers on its entrances and is dedicated to Arjuna. The eastern tower of the temple can be reached through the eighteen steps that are here. The northern tower has around 57steps and as you descend down these steps you would reach the River Pampa.
Trivandrum
The Tiruvanmundur temple is also a very ancient temple in the Chengannur region of the state of Kerala. This is also a temple connected with the Pancha Pandavas. It is said that this temple is one that is dedicated to Nakula. This temple has been glorified a lot by the Nammalwar hymns of the 1st millennium CE. This temple has a circular tower and a gopurdwaram too. The presiding deity is Kamalanathan and he is shown in a standing position. This deity is also known as Pambaniyappan.
Tirukkodittanam
This is one of the Pancha Pandava temples dedicated to the Pandava prince Sahadeva. Legend says that this was a temple that was constructed by Sahadeva and that this was the village that was ruled by King Rukmangatan who belonged to the Solar Race.
