Punarjani Guha is a 150-metre natural tunnel in a rocky cliff situated in

Thiruvilwamala Thiruvilwamala is a hilly village in the northern terrain of Thrissur district of Kerala state in southern India. It is located 47 kilometres northeast of district headquarters Thrissur. Location The village, which is more of a temple town, ...

in Thrissur District of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

state in southern India.

Ritual

The ritual can be practised only on

Ekadasi Ekadashi () is the eleventh lunar day (''tithi'') of each of the two lunar phases which occur in an Vedic calendar month - the '' Shukla Pakṣa'' (the period of the brightening moon also known as the waxing phase) and the ''Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa ...

and that also on the eleventh day of every lunar fortnight. The day is called ''

Guruvayur Ekadasi Guruvayur Ekadasi in Guruvayur is the 11th day of Vrishchika. It falls in the Mandala season. The Navami (9th day) and Dasami (10th day) are also important. Vilakku Ekadasi starts a month before with offerings by individuals, families and organ ...

'' or ''Vrischika Ekadasi'' day, in the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

month of Vrishchikam. First the devotee has to take bath in the ''Papanasini Theertham'', a water source near the cliff. It is believed that performing ''noozhal'' or crawling through the tunnel from one end to the other will wash away all the sins and thus allow one to attain

Moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, ...

, or freedom from rebirth.

References

{{Tourist attractions in Thrissur Landforms of Kerala Tunnels in India Natural arches Rock formations of India Prehistoric India History of Kerala History of Thrissur district Caves of Kerala Tourist attractions in Thrissur district