Sree Dharma Sastha Temple is situated at Thycaud in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

City near to Govt. Model School and Govt. Arts College,

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. This ancient Hindu temple is dedicated to Lord Dharma Sastha (

Lord Ayyappa Ayyappan an incarnation of dharma sastha, also called Manikandan, is a Hindu deity popular in Southern India, He is considered to be the epitome of dharma, truth, and righteousness and is often called upon to obliterate evil. Although devotion t ...

Swamy). The distance from the temple to

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Thiruvananthapuram International Airport , is an international airport which serves Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. Established in 1932, it is the first airport in the state of Kerala and fifth international airport of In ...

is 8 km and to the Central Railway Station and Bus Station is 1.5 km. The temple is administered by

Nair Service Society The Nair Service Society (NSS) is an organisation created for the social advancement and welfare of the Nair community that is found primarily in the state of Kerala in Southern part of India. It was established under the leadership of Mannathu ...

Importance

The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Dharma Sastha who is also known as Lord Ayyappa Swamy. Dharma Sastha is a highly revered deity in South India but these temples are comparatively less. The

Sabarimala The Sabarimala Temple (; ml, ശബരിമല ക്ഷേത്രം) is a temple complex located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is one of the largest ...

Lord Ayyappa Swamy temple is well famous and is visited by devotees from all over India and abroad. Thycaud Dharma Sastha temple is visited by large number of devotees every day.

Main deity and sub-deities

Lord Dharma Sastha known also as Ayyappa Swamy is the main deity. Sub-deities are Lord

Ganapathy Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

, Lord

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

, Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

Devi, Lord

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

Swamy,

Subramanya Subramaniam, Subrahmanyam, Subramanyam or Subramanian ( ta, சுப்பிரமணியம்; te, సుబ్రహ్మణ్యం) is a South Indian male given name. Due to the South Indian tradition of using patronymic surnames it ...

Swamy, Nagar, Navagraha etc.

Main festivals

Mandala-

Makaravilakku Makaravilakku is an annual festival held on Makara Sankranti in Kerala, India at the shrine of Sabarimala. The festival includes the Thiruvabharanam (sacred ornaments of Lord Ayyappan) procession and a congregation at the hill shrine of Sabari ...

are the main festivals in this temple.

Shivarathri Maha Shivaratri (IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ca ...

Navarathri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is ob ...

, Thypooyam,

Ashtami Rohini ''Ashtamirohini'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam film, directed by A. B. Raj and produced by Hassan Rasheed. The film stars Prem Nazir, KPAC Lalitha, Manavalan Joseph and Unnimary in the lead roles. The film has musical score by M. K. Arjunan. T ...

, Hanuman Jayanthi etc. are all celebrated.

Offerings

These include Ganapathi Homam, Archana, Muzhukappu, Pushpanjali, Aravana Payasam, Panchamritham, Paalpayasam.

Neerajanam ''Neerajanam'' is a 1988 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Ashok Kumar and starring Vishwas and Saranya. The film's music is composed by O. P. Nayyar. Cast * Vishwas as Vijay *Saranya as Jaya *Sarath Babu * Rajyalakshmi *Ku ...

is an important offering in this temple and on all Saturdays there is a heavy rush for this offering. A large number of worshipers perform '

Navagraha Navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu astrology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( sa, नव "nine") and ''graha'' ( sa, ग्रह "planet, seizing, laying hold of, ...

Pooja'.

References

{{coord missing, Kerala Hindu temples in Thiruvananthapuram

Importance

Main deity and sub-deities

Main festivals

Offerings

See also

References