Vadeshwaram Temple is a
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 ...
temple located at
Aroli
Aroli is a village of Pappinisseri Panchayat in Kannur district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala.
This village is located completely on hilltop towards Northeast of Kalliasseri. Aroli village borders the villages ...
in the
Kannur 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 ...
,
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 ...
.
Vadeshwaram is one among the 108 ancient Shiva temples in Kerala. It is also well known amongst the numerous Shiva temples in South India. It is built on top of a hill that looks like a mountain and is hence known by the nickname '
Kailasa of
North Malabar
North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala's present day Kasaragod, Kannur, and Wayanad districts, and the taluks of Vatakara, Koyilandy, and Thamarassery in the Kozhikode District of Kerala and t ...
'.
Vadeshwaram Temple is believed to be built by the
Mushika king Vatukavarma in the ''Ashtadala'' (eight-petalled) style of architecture and is considered to be the only Indian temple to be built in this style. The primary deity of the temple is Shiva, while other deities related to Shiva such as
Shasta and
Dakshinamurthy
Dakshinamurthy () is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as a guru (teacher) of all types of knowledge. This aspect of Shiva, as the original guru, is his personification as the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding and knowledge. Thi ...
are also worshipped. The temple is administered by the
Malabar Devaswom Board
Malabar Devaswom Board is a Statutory and Independent body created for the governing
Governance is the process of interactions through the laws, norms, power or language of an organized society over a social system (family, tribe, formal ...
.
Location
Vadeshwaram Temple is situated 150 metres eastward to the National Highway passing through Kannur. The temple is located at Aroli village in Pappinisseri Panchayat. It is built on top of the hill Keecheri which looks like a mountain and earns the temple its nickname 'Kailasa of North Malabar'.
Calicut International Airport is currently the nearest airport, while
Kannur International Airport
Kannur International Airport is an airport serving the North Malabar region of Kerala, Kodagu and Mysore districts of Karnataka and Mahé district of Puducherry in India. It is located east of Kannur, and east of Thalassery, near the muni ...
is under construction near
Mattannur
Mattanur, also spelled Mattannur, is a town, municipality, and an aerotropolis in Kannur district, Kerala, India. Mattanur is about 27 km east of Kannur and Thalassery, two major towns of the district.
Mattanur lies between Kannur ...
.
History
The Vadeshwaram Temple is believed to have been built approximately 1500 years ago by the then king Vatukavarma, the 43rd ruler of
Mushika dynasty. In ''
Mushikavamsa Mahakavya'', the poet
Athula
Athula (IAST: Atula) was a Sanskrit-language poet from the Mushika Kingdom in present-day Kerala, India. He composed the '' Mushika-vamsa'', a mahakavya Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as ''sargabandha'', is a genre of India ...
gives an account of Shiva and the Vateshwaram Temple.
The sanctum sanctorum of the Vadeshwaram Temple was constructed in a style known as ''Ashtadala'' (eight-petalled). Scholars state that this style is unique to the Vadeshwaram Temple and that this style does not exist in any other temple in India.
Worship
The primary deity of the Vadeshwaram Temple is Shiva. He is worshipped as the main deity in the form of Vadeshwarathappan. Other deities that are worshipped include deities related to Shiva such as Umamaheswara,
Shasta,
Dakshinamurthy
Dakshinamurthy () is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as a guru (teacher) of all types of knowledge. This aspect of Shiva, as the original guru, is his personification as the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding and knowledge. Thi ...
and Kirathamurthy.
See also
*
Kottiyoor Temple
Kottiyoor Temple is a prominent Shiva temple in Kottiyoor, Kannur, Kerala,India. Vadakkeshwaram Temple is the common name of the temple from ancient times, but some of the local people address the temple as Ikkare Kottiyoor as it is on the ban ...
*
Rajarajeshwara Temple
References
External links
*
Hindu temples in Kannur district
Shiva temples in Kerala
{{Kannur-geo-stub