Trichambaram Temple Guide and Travel Attractions

Posted On February 24, 2012

Located around 20 km from Kannur the temple of Trichambaram is a beautiful complex in the State of Kerala. The presiding deity Sree Krishna looks resplendent in this lovely temple area, and the place is very famous for the fortnight long festival that begins on March 6 every year. The Trichambaram Sree Krishna temple is located in the Taliparamba area of the district of Kannur and is a fascinating religious locale in this part of India.

The deity here Lord Krishna represents the Sri Krishna after killing King Kamsa. This lord who killed the demon is supposed to be very hungry after the killing so the feeding or the Prasad or Neivaidhyam as it is called here is done as soon as the door of the shrine is opened. In fact there is a saying that this temple has to open doors with food in one hand.

Ancient tales have it that the food of the previous day was offered in this temple for the Lord. The Abhishekam is done only after the feeding unlike other temples where the Abhishekam is done first. Sree Krishna is seen sitting in a ferocious style called the Raudra style in Indian parlance. So it is said that he shouldn’t be worshipped at down. There is a Bali Bimbam which is believed to Baby Krishna and is said to be installed by Parashurama.

This temple was built sometime in the 11th century and is on the National Highway and is 5 kms from the Taliparambu town. It is very famous for its spice trade. Vaishnava cult thrives here and the temple has its own style of construction.

There is an elinji tree in front of the temple which has never borne fruit or flowers. There are three ponds in the temple complex and there is a temple for Goddess Durga here. This temple is surrounded by water.

The temple is said to have rituals and worship pattern as laid down by Parashurama. With great archaeological value the temple has a great collection of the best mural paintings from South India. With two storeys the temple looks magnificent with its copper roof. The exquisite wood carvings in the temple show scenes from the Indian Epic Mahabharata. The mural paintings here are as old as from the 15th and the 16th centuries. The walls have sculptures that are a great example of the craftsmanship of ancient times.

This Krishna temple is amongst the three best known temples for Lord Krishna in Kerala the other two being Guruvayur and Ambalapuzha. It is one of the trinity of temples that are respected and revered by the devotees. The Taliparamba Shiva temple and the Vaidyanatha temple are the other two in this region.

The temple belonging to the 11th century has been redone and restructured many times. It was invaded by the invaders who came to India in the 18th century and is like other Indian temples a victim of such unforeseen attacks.

The temple though small is very much revered and thronged by the devotees. Legend has it that that Kamsa, Lord Krishna’s uncle had sent his royal elephant Kuvalayapidam to kill Lord Krishna and Krishna had killed this elephant. So in this temple, elephants are not allowed and are a total taboo much against the custom in temples in Kerala where elephants are a must. So this is one of the places in Kerala where one wouldn’t see any elephant during the festivals too.

The festival here is held in the Malayalam month of Kumbham in the month of March. On the first day, the image of Lord Krishna’s brother Balarama is carried and brought into the temple from the nearby temple of Dharmakulangara. Then there are images of Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama that are carried by the temple priests who dance to the beat of drums. This festival goes on for ten nights at a stretch. On the final day, Lord Balarama bids goodbye to Lord Krishna and this scene is enacted. Very similar to the Vaikom festival this is a unique event in this part of Kerala.