Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

associated with Gowda Saraswatha Brahmins (GSB) in and around

Thalassery Thalassery () (also called Tellicherry) is a city and municipality on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahe and Kozhikode. Thalassery municipality has a population of just under ...

. The temple is located in Thalassery town, in the

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the maj ...

district of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

. The temple and the prathishta faces North which is a unique feature. The temple was established in 1831 CE.

History

A small group of GSBs migrated from

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

settled in Tellichery (Thalassery) in the latter half of 17th century and early part of 18th century. They built a small shrine dedicated to Kodanda

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

, in Tellichery. A rich GSB Merchant named Devdas Bhandari granted the idol of

Lakshmi Narasimha Lakshmi Narasimha () is an iconographical depiction of Narasimha, the fourth avatar of Vishnu, with his consort Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. It is one of the forms of Nava Narasimha. Legend In an alternate iteration of the legend of Na ...

to the shrine in the early 19th Century. A proper temple was built in the site of the old shrine in 1831. This prathishta was done by H.H. Srimad Sumatheendra Tirtha Swamiji in 1831 on Samvatrasra Vaishaka masa Shukla Panchami, Monday, Punarvasu Nakshtra of the Shaka era. H.H.Srimad Sumatheendra Tirtha was the 15th pontiff of Kashi Mutt,

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

. Apart from the main deity of Lakshmi Narasimha, the deities Kodanda Rama, Venkataramana with his consorts of Sridevi and

Bhudevi Bhumi (Sanskrit: भूमि, romanized: Bhūmi), also known as Bhudevi, Dharani, and Vasundhara, is a significant goddess in Hinduism, personifying the Earth. Her earliest form is reflected in the Vedic goddess Prithvi, though their roles and de ...

were installed.

Deities

Mula Vigraha

The

Garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for ...

or sanctum sanctorum holds the main deities (''mula vigraha''). The Garbha Griha is a ''Bahu-vera Vidhana,'' meaning more than one idol is installed in the same Garbha Griha. Garbha Griha has a three tiered ''Simhasana'' (throne) on which the deities are installed. On the top most level in the centre is Lakshmi Narasimha, flanked by Pattabhi

Narasimha Narasimha (, , or , ), is the fourth avatara of the Hindu god Vishnu in the Satya Yuga. He incarnated as a part-lion, part-man and killed Hiranyakashipu, ended religious persecution and calamity on earth, and restored dharma. Narasimha has th ...

and Veera Vittala (Vithoba) on either side. On the second tier are Kodanda

along with his brother

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

and consort

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

, on either side of this group are

Hayagriva Hayagriva ( IAST , ) is a Hindus, Hindu deity, the horse-headed avatar of Vishnu. The purpose of this incarnation was to slay a Danava (Hinduism), danava also named Hayagriva (A descendant of Kashyapa and Danu), who had the head of a horse a ...

, Varadaraja with his consorts and Gopalkrishna. On the lower most tier are Venkataramana along with his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. On either side of this group are

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

and

Garuda Garuda (; ; Vedic Sanskrit: , ) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain faiths. Garuda is also the half-brother of the D ...

. The saligramas and Naga

devata ''Devata'' (pl: ''devatas'', meaning 'the gods') are smaller and more focused Devas (Deities) in Indian religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism. The term "devata" itself can also mean deva. They can be either male or female. Every human ac ...

s are installed on a separate Peetha below the Simhasana.

Uthsava Vigraha

Venkataramana is used as the Uthsava Vigraha (festival deity).

Sub Deities or Upadevathas

The temple complex consists of an outer ‘prakara’ or quadrangle which includes the shrines of Hanuman, Ganapathy,

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

& Vithoba- Rakhumai. It also contains a Copper clad Dhwaja Stambha or Flag staff on which the temple flag is hoisted during Brahma Rathotsava. A shrine dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

is located near the temple pond.

Main festivals

* Brahma Rathotsava * Karthik Pournami *

Navarathri Navaratri () is an annual Hindu festivals, Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calen ...

Worship

The deities are worshiped in the Temple as per Dwaitha traditions. All the Aradhana is done by hereditary Goud Saraswat Brahmin priests, who have performed the services for generations. Only these priests have the right to touch and offer services to the deities. These set of Archakas are called Bhat.

How to Reach

The temple is near Mukund Maller road, about 0.5 km from Thalassery Railway station and Bus stand. The nearest airport is Kannur International Airport (24.5 km).

References

External links

GSB Temples

:
Sree Ananteswar Temple - Manjeswar
:
Old TD Temple - Alappuzha
:
Sree Krishna Swami Temple - Kozhencherry
:
Sree Venugopala Swamy Temple - Purakkad
:# :
Sree Venugopala Krishna Swamy Temple - Chendamangalam
:
Sree Rama temple - Tripunithura
:
Sree Varadaraja Venkataramana Temple - Kasargod
:
Sree Varadaraja Venkataramana Temple - Gurpur
:# :
Sree Venkataramana Temple - Karkala (Padu Tirupati)
:
Sree Venkataramana Temple - Mulki
:
Sree Veera Vittala Venkatramana Swamy Temple - Panemangalore
:
Sree Veera Vittala Temple - Kumble
:# {{usurped,
www.tdemple.org
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Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

Buildings and structures in Thalassery 1831 establishments in India 19th-century Hindu temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1831 Narasimha temples PRESENT TRUSTEES MAHESH M KAMMATH (MANAGING TRUSTEE) D SAISH PAI KARTHIK G KINI DR MANOHAR NAGESH PRABHU GIREESH S BHAGAT