Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple: Difference between revisions

{{grammar|date=September 2020}}{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}

| image = Ettumanoor templeTemple northNorth gateGate Entrance.JPG

| alt = Ettumanoor Sree Mahadevan Temple

| map_caption = LocationMahadeva inTemple, [[Ettumanoor]], [[Kottayam district|Kottayam]], [[India]]

| coordinates = {{coord|9|40|25.5|N|76|33|3640.3|E|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}

| country = [[{{flag|India]]}}

| district = =[[Kottayam district|Kottayam]]

| elevation_m = 34.98

| festivals = ThiruulsavamThiru ulsavam in Kumbham

| temple_quantity = One

| monument_quantity =

| established =

'''Ettumanoor Mahadeva temple''' is an ancient [[Shiva]] temple in [[Kottayam]], [[Kerala]],<ref>{{Cite [[India]].web Temple|title=Ettumanoor traditionMahadeva hasTemple it- thatInfo, theTimings, [[Pandavas]] and the sage [[Vyasa]] had worshipped atPhotos, thisHistory temple|url=https://www.templepurohit.com/hindu-temple/ettumanoor-mahadeva-temple/ |access-date=2023-11-28 The|website=TemplePurohit name- ofYour theSpiritual placeDestination has its|language=en-US}}</ref> origin from the word ''manoor'', which means "the land of deer[[India]]." The temple is one of the major Shiva temples in Kerala, along with [[Vaikom Temple]], [[ChengannurKaduthruthy Mahadeva Temple]], [[KaduthruthyChengannur Mahadeva Temple]], [[ErnakulamVazhappally ShivaMaha Siva Temple]], [[VazhappallyErnakulam Maha SivaShiva Temple]] and, [[Vadakkunathan temple]] and [[Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva Temple, Thiruvananthapuram]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Kerala Siva Temples|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3980516.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924180952/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3980516.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 September 2015|journal=Hinduism Today|date=31 July 1997|accessdateaccess-date=5 August 2015|via=[[HighBeam Research]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The present temple building, with its [[gopuram]] and the fortress around it, was reconstructed in 717 ME (1542 AD). There are [[Kerala mural painting|Dravidian mural paintings]] on the walls inside and outside of the main entrance. The [[fresco]] of Pradosha Nritham (Dance of [[Shiva]]) is one of the finest [[wall painting]]s in [[India]]. There is a golden flagstaff inside the temple topped with an idol of a bull surrounded by small bells and metal [[banyan tree]] leaves. In terms of architecture, these temples stand out to be an ultimate testament for the ''Vishwakarma Sthapathis'' for their engineering skills. The temple roofs are covered with copper sheets, and it has 14 ornamental tops. [[Bhagavathi]], [[Sastha]], [[Dakshinamoorthy]], [[Ganesha|Ganapathy]] and [[Yakshi]] are installed here as subordinate deities. There is a separate temple for Lord Krishna. It is believed that the philosopher [[Adi Sankaracharya]] wrote 'Soundarya Lahari' while staying in the temple.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Sasidhar Darla |date=2016-09-14 |title=Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple, Kottayam Guide - Timings, Poojas, and History |url=https://myoksha.com/ettumanoor-mahadevar-temple/ |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=Myoksha Travels |language=en-US}}</ref>

It is one of the shrines of the [[Vaippu Sthalam]]s sung by Tamil Saivite [[Nayanars|Nayanar]] [[Sundarar]]. <ref> பு.மா.ஜெயசெந்தில்நாதன், தேவார வைப்புத்தலங்கள், வர்த்தமானன் பதிப்பகம், சென்னை, 2009 </ref> <ref>[https://shaivam.org/hindu-hub/temples/place/307/yeranur-mahadevar-temple ஏறனூர் - (ஏற்றமனூர்) Yeranur - (Yertramanur), Sundarar, 7-31-9]</ref>

Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple hosts the arattu festival, celebrated on a grand scale on the Thiruvathira day in February–March each year. Many people come to the temple on the 8th and 10th day of the festival, when seven and a half elephants (in Malayalam: ezharaponnaana)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple in Kottayam |url=https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/ettumanoor-mahadeva-temple/469 |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=Kerala Tourism |language=en}}</ref> made of gold (nearly 13 Kgms) will be held in public view. This statue was donated to the temple by a travancore maharaja. The temple, one of the wealthiest Devaswoms in Kerala, has many valuable possessions.

Ezhara Ponnana refers to the seven-large sized and-a-half one small sized-golden elephantselephant (that is called Ezharaponnana), all of which are kept in the temple vault and taken out once a year for [[Darśana|darshan]] by the devotees. Of the eight statuettes, seven have a height of two ft., and the eighth one is half that size, hence the name Ezhara (seven-and- a- half) Ponnana (Golden elephants). According to legend, they were presented to the temple by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the founder of the Travancore kingdom. According to another story, while Marthanda Varma had made the pledge to present the ‘ponnana‘ponnana’,’ the offering was made during the reign of his successor, Maharaja Karthika Thirunal. There are also differing stories about the reason for the offering: some believe it was offered as a penalty for the damages suffered by the temple during the annexation of Thekkumcore by Travancore; others believe it was the offering made when the marauding army of the Tipu Sultan was hammering on the gates of Travancore. The statuettes are made of a jackfruit tree and covered within gold plates weighing nearly 13 &nbsp;kg. of gold plates.<ref>{{citecitation|title=The Hindu|date=17 February 2013 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/ezhara-ponnana-darshan-at-ettumanur-temple-on-tuesday/article4426957.ece|accessdateaccess-date=4 April 2018}}</ref>

The Ezhara Ponnana Darshan is one of the high points of the temple festival, held at midnight on the eighth day of the ten-day festival. Ezhara Ponnana Darshan begins with the ceremonial procession of the eight golden elephant statuettes of elephants. They are later kept at the Asthana MndapamMandapam for the annual darshan by the devotees.<ref>{{citecitation|title=Manorama Online|url=https://www.manoramaonline.com/astrology/astro-news/2018/02/21/ezhara-ponnana-festival-of-ettumanoor-mahadeva-temple.html|accessdateaccess-date=4 April 2018}}</ref>