Ambalapuzha Temple Tours and travel attractions
Posted On May 4, 2012
Come to the land of God’s own country Kerala and feel the pleasures of being in the land of ultimate travel delights. Come to Ambalapuzha here and enjoy the scenic ambience of this place and get enchanted by the surroundings.
Ambalapuzha is a small coastal town, that lies near the city of Allepey in Kerala. Located around 13 kms from Allepey this is a pilgrim spot for many. The headquarters of the temple in the ancient times used to be at Ambalapuzha. The Chempakasseri kings ruled over this territory then. Then the ruler of Travancore defeated the Chempakasseri forces in the year 925 ME and the Chempakasseri family slowly declined in number.
Today on the Chempakasseri territory stands this Ambalapuzha temple. There are some who worships this as a “Parthasarhi” temple and some who consider it as a Gopikrishna temple.
Legend
It is said that the place where the temple is located once had a lot of water. The Vilwamangalathu Swamiyar and the Ambalapuzha ruler were once walking through this water, when they heard the sound of a flute from the nearby verdant patch. They asked the oarsman to take them to the shore and searched for the lovely lilting tune.
There they saw Lord Sri Krishna playing the flute and they prostrated before him. They began to believe that since Lord had entered their land, they would have all success and prosperity in the kingdom. They prostrated before the Lord and content with their glimpse of the lord, they decided to build a temple where they saw Lord Krishna. The place belonged to Ambanattu Panicker. The whole land was actually partially submerged and the king made all the arrangements for the land to be filled and a temple to be constructed. But when the time for installation came, the astrologer asked the installation ceremony to be postponed, as he said it wasn’t the right time. The king was in a hurry to finish the ceremony and asked for another image. It is said that he coaxed a Brahmin priest and got an idol from Thiruvanvandoor which is a place near Thiruvalla. Many also say that the idol was finally brought from the Koratti Thiruvampadi temple.
This installation day till today is celebrated as the Champakulam boat race day signifying the king bringing the idol in a boat.
The temple
The temple has its main gate on the western end. There is a golden tope dome and a mandapam made out a single stone. The stone images here evoke a magnificent architectural feel which is very typical of this temple. There is a golden staff that is seen in the front and all these show the kind of eminence and power the temple has.
There is neither tower at the gate nor any shrines for the deities in the main sanctum sanctorum.
The main image is around 3 feet height. The deity is adorned with gold during the rituals. The divine deity is seen holding a lash in the right hand and a conch in the left. So the deity is worshipped and revered as Parthasarhi.
At the temple there is a broth of rice, sugar and milk that is given as Prasad. This is known as the Ambalapuzha palpayasam. It is a well known specialty amongst pilgrims and it is amazing that no other paysam or sweet dish is as tasty as this.
Meenam is a ten day festival that is celebrated here, in the month of March and April. There is a great procession of deities on elephants and a grand feast is organized for the devotees. In fact it is believed that Lord Sri Krishna comes in disguise and has food here. So a lot of care is taken for the feast. Kalabham is another festival that is held in the months of January and February. Pallipapana is another festival that is celebrated once in 12 years in the temple.
With so much legend behind it and so much royalty, the Ambalapuzha temple is a hub of activity with its festivals and traditions.
