Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple in Kerala
Situated at a distance of 14 kilometers from Alleppey, Ambalapuzha Temple is the famous temple that is devoted to Lord Krishna. Built with typical architecture of the state, this temple will attract you for its picturesque location and sacred rituals that are performed here. For Complete Travel Information Visit Placeforholidays.com
About Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple :
Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple is a famous Hindu Lord Krishna temple situated 14 km south of Alappuzha in Kerala, India. Ambalapuzha Temple was built by the erstwhile ruler of Chembakasserry Sree Pooradam Thirunal Devanarayanan Thampuran during 15th – 17th AD. It is believed that the idol of Sree Krishna of Guruvayoor Temple was brought here for safekeeping during the raids of Tipu Sultan in 1789. The temple is also famous for its unique prasadam, the delicious Ambalapuzha Palpayasam – a sweet porridge made of rice, milk, and sugar. Ambalapuzha Sri Krishna Temple is often refereed as Dwaraka of South.
Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple enshrines Lord Krishna in the form of Parthasarathy – an aspect of Lord Krishna taken during the Mahabharata war. Lord Krishna is popularly known here as Unnikannan (child Krishna). The idol of Krishna here is carved out of black granite stone holding a whip in His right hand and a conch in the left.
History of Ambalapuzha Krishna Temple :
It is believed that one day Pooradam Thirunal Thampuran and Saint Vilwamangalam Swamiyar was traveling along the backwaters and heard melodious sound from a flute. Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, an ardent devotee of Krishna, had a vision of Lord Krishna playing flute on a Peepul tree. Feeling the presence of God, Thampuran decided to build a temple at this place.
Legend of Ambalapuzha Payasam :
An interesting legend is associated with the serving of the Payasam in the temple premises. Once, Lord Krishna came to the court of the local king in the disguise of a sage. He asked the king to compete with him in a game of chess,the King accepted his invitation. The prize money was also decided by the sage himself. He requested the king to give him a few grains of rice depending upon the squares of the chess board. For the first square, he was going to get a single grain. For next one, he would be given two grains, for third one, four grains and so on. For every square he had to get double the number of grains than he had acquired in the previous square. Unaware of the price that he would have to pay, the king agreed to the sage’s demand.
The King lost the game and when the time of awarding the grains came, the king got perplexed as the number of grains which were to be paid to the sage reached in trillions. These large number of grains could not be paid even if the king donated all the grains of his kingdom to the sage. Seeing the king in dilemma, Krishna came before the king in his real form. In order to relieve the king from his debt, he asked him to start serving the devotees with payasam until his debt was paid.
Human sacrifices were prevalent at Ambalapuzha Temple but are now replaced with cock killing. The tourists can enjoy the colorful festival of Aaraattu which takes place in the month of March and April.
At the temple premises, the idol of the deity Parthasaarathi is installed and is shown to be holding a conch in one hand and a whip in the second one.
Ambalapuzha Temple Festivals :
Ambalapuzha Arattu is the main festival celebrated at the temple for 10 days during the Malayalam month of Meenam (March – April). An important feature of the temple festival is the Velakali – a unique martial dance form performed during temple festivals.
Ambalapuzha Moolakazhcha is another important ritual held in the temple during the Malayalam month of Mithunam on the Moolam asterism (Mool Nakshatra).
Champakulam Boat Race is held on the Prathista day (idol installation day) of Ambalapuzha Sreekrishnan idol in the temple.
Interesting Facts about Ambalapuzha Temple :
The temple is associated with the birth of famous performing art form of Kerala – Ottamthullal. It is believed that legendary Malayalam poet Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar gave birth to this unique art form in the Ambalappuzha Temple premises. The Mizhavu (a big copper drum used as a percussion instrument in performing arts) used by Kunjan Nambiar is still preserved in an enclosure in the temple.
Thunjathu Ezhuthachan, who is considered as the father of Malayalam language, is believed to have penned Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu (a translation of the Ramayana and Mahabharatham or Mahabharatha ) in the temple.
Nearby Temples :
Other famous Hindu temples situated near Ambalapuzha Sri Krishnaswamy Temple include Pallikkavu Devi Temple, Erattakulangara Shiva Temple, Kayippalli Sree Devi Temple, Moodampadi Devi Temple, and Puthukulangara Devi Temple.
How to reach Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple :
Ambalapuzha Temple is situated around located 14 km from Alappuzha (Alleppey) . Frequent buses are available on the Alappuzha – Ambalapuzha route. Ambalapuzha is about 60 km from Ernakulam and 120 km from Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital.
Railway Station : Alappuzha Railway Station is the nearest railway station to reach Ambalapuzha.
Airport : Cochin International Airport is the nearest airport, 64 km away.
