PUNNATHOOR KOTTA

Gajarajan Kesavan 

The  Guruvayur Devaswom maintains a unique elephant sanctuary, the only one of its kind in the World. It has 51 elephants now. These jumbos are the offerings of the devotees to the Lord. A large number of pilgrims and tourists visit this fascinating spot every day. In this vast compound, there are road facilities for pilgrims and tourists to go around. 

The present elephant sanctuary is in Punnathur Kotta about 3 kms north of Guruvayur temple. Punnathur Kotta is the ancient palace of the Punnathur Rajas, now in the possession of the Devaswom. There is also an ancient temple where Lord Siva and Bhagavathy are worshipped.

It is a 10 acre compound which Devaswom purchased in 1975, which was under receiver rule of Trichur sub court. Till that time elephants were kept in this Kovilakam compound (present Sreevalsam) to the south of the temple.

All the elephants were shifted to the Punnathur Kotta in a grant procession lead by Gajarajan Kesavan, all the elephants from the Kovilakam marched to Punnathur Kotta on 1975 June 25.

Many elephants of Guruvayur have become the part of history. The sweet memories of Gajarajan Kesavan - literally the king of all Elephants- still enthrall the hearts of the elephant lovers worldwide. The mammoth physique, his intelligence and devotion to the Lord were very famous.

Punnathurkotta was once the palace of a local ruler, but the palace grounds are now used to house the elephants belonging to the Guruvayoor temple, and has been renamed Anakkotta (meaning "Elephant Fort"). There were 86 elephants housed there, but currently there are about 66 elephants. The elephants are ritual offerings made by the devotees of Lord Guruvayurappa. This facility is also used to train the elephants to serve Lord Krishna as well as participate in many festivals that occur throughout the year. The oldest elephant is around 82 years of age and is called 'Ramachandran'. The rituals ofGajapooja (Worshipping Elephants) and Anayoottu (Feeding Elephants) are observed here, as an offering to Lord Ganesha. The legendary elephant "Guruvayur Keshavan" was housed here. The compound also has a naalu kettu, a traditional rectangular home with a central courtyard, which belonged to the Punnathur Raja. It is poorly maintained and presently houses a training school for Papans (Mahout). This complex also contains a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Bhagavathy.

The visiting hours are 8.00AM to 6.00PM. The entry fees are Rs. 10/- per adult & Rs. 5/- for Children. An extra Rs. 25/- is charged for to use a camera and Rs. 1000/- inside the complex.

     guruvayoor padmanabhan           

NAME OF ELEPHANT

Padmanabhan

Ramankutty

Narayanankutty

Thara

Radhakrishnan

Junior Lakshmanan

Nandini

Gopalakrishnan

Kannan

Krishnan

Madhavankutty

Devi

Sathyanarayanan

Vishnu

Rajasekharan

Ramu

Kesavankutty

Gopeekrishnan

Vinayakan

Kesavan

Achuthan

Sreedharan

Chandrasekharan

Indersen

Nandan

Lakshmikrishna

Sankaranarayanan

Balu

Madhavan(junior)

Devadas

Gopeekannan

Resmi

Balakrishnan

Junior Vishnu

Murali

Vineethkrishnan

Ravikrishnan

Sidharthan

Mukundan

Navaneethkrishnan

Junior Kesavan

Balaram

Krishna

Junior Achuthan

Chenthamarakshan

Akshaykrishnan

Krishnanarayanan

Gokul

Sheshadri

Gajendra

Peethambaran

Damodardas

Keerthi

Aadhithyan

Lakshminarayanan

Sreekrishnan

Ananthanarayanan

Ayyappankutty

KADAMPUZHA BHAGAVATHY TEMPLE

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• The origin of Kadampuzha Temple is associated with the Mahabharatha, the ancient Indian myth, considered to be the greatest story ever told. However the temple as such was founded by Shree Shankaracharya and the month he consecrated Kadampuzha Temple, the day of Karthika in the month of Virshchikam (November – December) is the considered the most auspicious day and is celebrated as the festival day.
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• Shree Shankaracharya, during his Deshadanam, a pilgrimage to various parts of the country, came across this place while he was going to Chottanikkara Temple after his Darshan at Mookambika Temple. When he reached the place now known as Kadampuzha, he found that he could not walk cross and that his way was blocked by a Divine Presence. Even with the superior Sight that could “See” or “Understand” Divine presences, he could not fathom it. Perplexed, he meditated to understand why he failed to fathom the Divine Presence and within himself discovered that having attained the “Sarvaknanapeedhom”, his ego had somehow crept in to make him feel superior and that his ego was being shunned by the Divine Presence, making him unable to fathom it. The Divine Saint immediately set about cleaning his mind of any ego and made himself as humble and pure minded as an innocent child. He approached the Divine Presence again with utmost devotion and supplication and immediately perceived what the presence was and wherein it was emanating from. He marvelled at the Divine Presence of the Devi very strongly bonded with the Divine Presence of Lord Shiva and decided that the place should be treated with absolute reverence.
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• He discerned that the Divine power is emanating from the hole in the ground and took steps to consecrate the place as a temple and also constituted Lord Narasimha and Sudarshana Chakra in front of the Devi and also decided to place Dharmashasta and Nagakanyaka or either sides of the temple. He also stipulated the poojas and rituals that must be conducted at the temple and these stipulations are followed till date.
• Devi is worshiped here in three forms. In the mornings she is worshiped as Vidya Durga (Saraswati) bestowing knowledge and excellence in career to all. In the afternoon she is worshiped as Vanadurga (Durga) in the Twaritha Devi form blessing the devotees with health, early marriage, and domestic harmony and in the evening as Aadi Durga (Mooladurga - Lakshmi) bestowing the devotees with wealth and overall prosperity.
• Here, the self manifested Divine Presence, is worshiped as a presence only. Unlike other temples, Kadampuzha is unique in that there are no idols for the Devi.
• The origin of the name Kadampuzha is considered to have been formed from;
• Kadan Ambu Eitha Uzha – Meaning, The Place where Kiratha Shot the Arrow. Kadan is Kiratha, Ambu is Arrow, Eitha is Shot and Uzha is Place.
• There is another version also that deems that this place is ;
• Kattile Anbin Urava meaning The spring of compassion in the forest. Kadu is forest, Anbu is compassion and Urava is spring.
• The name could not have been formed because of a river here since there are none. So either of the two are more apt.
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• Daily offerings
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• There are two main daily rituals at the Kadampuzha Devi Temple.
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• ·         Poomoodal(covering the deity under a heap of freshly picked flowers) is the highest puja done in the temple. The Poomoodal offering is being done between 0900-1100 after which the temple will be closed after morning pujas by 1100.
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• ·         Muttarukkal, another offering, involves breaking coconuts  before the deity by the pujari, correctly into two equal halves, and is used for warding away problems in the life of the devotees. The word itself means "keeping away obstacles". If an offered coconut fails to be broken into two exact halves, then fresh coconuts are broken until one is broken "correctly" - ensuring that the problem has been solved by the divine interference of the deity.
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• The Muttarukkal offering is being done only in the morning i.e. between 0500 and 1200 on weekdays. Receipt for the same will be issued until 11:00 am only. On Sundays the timings for the Muttarukkal offering is also allowed between 1500-1745 in addition to the morning time. The counter timings in the evenings are between 1530-1700 on Sundays.
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• Daily Pooja Timings - Forenoon

  4.00 am	Blowing of conch-Temple Nada opens
  4.00 to 4.30 am	Abhishekom and Malar Nivedyam
  4.30 am	Darsan after Malarnivedyam
  4.45 to 5 am	Nivedyam
  5 am	Muttarukkal Commences
  5.15 to 5.45 am	Ushapooja
  6 am onwards	Choroon (Annaprasam)
  9 to 10.00 am	Poomoodal – Alamkaram, Nivedyam, etc
  10.00 am to 12.00 noon	Noon Poojas – Muttarukkal continues
  12.00 noon	Temple Nada Close

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• Daily Pooja Timings - Afternoon

  3.30 pm	Nada opens for evening poojas
  3.30 pm to 5 pm	Muttarukkal
  6.00 pm	Niramala / Athazha Pooja
  7 pm	Temple Nada closes

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• List of Vazhivadus (Offerings) with Rates

• Muttarukkal	2.00
  Rekthapushpanjali	5.00
  Dehapushpanjali	3.00
  Thrikalapooja	35.00
  Vilakkumala	10.00
  Neyvilakku	10.00
  Ganapathi Homam	15.00
  Payasam	20.00
  Appam – Packet of 5 Nos	50.00
  Kedaviluku	100.00
  Ezhuthiniruthal	20.00
  Katinapayasam (250 ml sealed container)	50.00
  Choroon (Annaprasam)	20.00
  Thrimadhuram	10.00
  Kettunira	10.00
  Malapooja (Malayidal)	10.00
  Poomoodal (Booking closed, await anouncement)	1500.00
  Niramala (Only by booking in advance)	1000.00
  One day’s pooja (Only by booking in advance)	1250.00
  Thulabharam – Thattupanam only	20.00
  Pattucharthal	20.00
  Vehicle Pooja - Heavy Vehicle	100.00
  Vehicle Pooja - Light Vehicle	50.00
  Vehicle Pooja - Two Wheeler	25.00

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• aCCOMMODATION FACILITIES

• The Devaswom is having a Rest House with ample facilities for the convenient stay of devotees. The rooms can be booked in advance. For Booking please write to the  The Executive Officer,  Kadampuzha Dewaswom,  P.O. Kadampuzha,  Malappuram District,  Kerala. Pin- 676 553  South India.  Email – accomodation@kadampuzhadevaswom.com  Fax No - 0494 – 2615790.  Phone - Devaswom office - 0494-2615790                 Rest House           - 0494-2618000.

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KERALA TRAVEL TOURISM

With the Arabian Sea in the west, the Western Ghats towering 500-2700 m in the east and networked by 44 rivers, Kerala enjoys unique geographical features that have made it one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Asia. An equable climate. A long shoreline with serene beaches. Tranquil stretches of emerald backwaters. Lush hill stations and exotic wildlife. Waterfalls. Sprawling plantations and paddy fields. Ayurvedic health holidays. Enchanting art forms. Magical festivals. Historic and cultural monuments. An exotic cuisine... All of which offer you a unique experience.

KERALA

Wedged between the Western Ghats on the East and the Arabian Sea on the West, the narrow strip of land known as Kerala is a destination of a lifetime.The timeless beauty of the palm fringed beaches of Kovalam and Varkala, the majesty of the undulating hills of Munnar and Vagamon, the serenity of the pristine backwaters of Kumarakom & Kuttanad and the enchanting woods and forests of Thekkady and SilValley will have you bowled over.

BEKAL FORT

Considered the largest as well as the best-preserved fort in Kerala, the Bekal Fort as a majestic structure lies 130 ft above the sea level. Endowed with a rich and long history, the Bekal Fort still is one of the most imposing structures of Kerala, and attracts tourists, historians and nature lovers. The historical relevance of the fort led the Archeological Survey of India to take up the responsibility to look after it and it was made a ‘Special Tourism Area’.

The Bekal Fort has a long history, which is three centuries old. It was around 1650’s that Sivappa Naik of the Ikkeri dynasty built this fort, though some historians believe that it was Kolathiri Rajas who built the fort that was later captured by Naik. Hyder Ali of Mysore also had the possession of the fort during 1763 A.D from where it passed on to the Huzur of Canara and then to the British Empire.One interesting feature of the fort is the fact that there are no palaces inside the fort walls and it is likely that the Bekal Fort was built only for defence purposes. The features of the Bekal Fort in Kerala are the underground tunnels, the observation towers, the sea bastion, the meandering entrance, the strategic openings on the walls etc. There is also a mosque built by Tipu Sultan just outside the Bekal Fort.

The Bekal Fort is located in Bekal, in the Kasargod District of Kerala. The exact location of the Bekal Fort is about 16 kms south of the Kesargod, on the national highway and at the northernmost tip of the State of Kerala.

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