Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple
The Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple is an ancient Hindu temple complex situated at Kumbidi, Pattambi taluk, Palakkad district of Kerala, India. This Temple is believed to be the first temple in Kerala consecrated by Parasurama nearly 4000 years ago. The temple houses Lord Varahamoorthy, who is the third avatar of Lord Vishnu, who is positioned with Goddess Bhumi after killing Hiranyaksha.
For around 3000 years since its inception this temple was considered as the prime temple of Kerala. legend has it that following Parashurama's victory over the Kshatriyas, he had donated all that he had won to Kashyap. He then sought a piece of land to carry out his meditation, and so he had pulled out a small fragment of land from the sea for the purpose. History claims that this small fragment of land is what exists now as Kerala. Eventually Parashuram’s piece of land had begun rising and expanding. Disturbed, Parashuram had sought Narada’s help. Narada had advised him to pray to Lord Vishnu. And so Parashuram had begun his meditation in order to propitiate Lord Vishnu. Finally, Vishnu had appeared before him and had said, "Once I had assumed the form of Varahamurthy to save the world. Worship that form of mine and this place will have the blessings of ‘Thri Murthy’." Heeding Vishnu’s advice, Parashuram had established Shri Varahamurthy at the center of his land fragment and had built a temple to house it. He had also duly initiated all worship activities there. It is that divine temple which is the Panniyur Mahakshetram of today.
It is also said that for an approximate period of 1300 years ranging from 800BC (when the Brahmanas ruled Kerala) to 600AD (around the end of Perumakkal rule), Sri Varaha Murthy, the reigning God of Kerala’s renowned village Panniyur, was worshipped as the supreme god of Kerala. Some recently found stone engravings at Panniyur reveal that 1200 years ago there was an active organization by the name ‘Panniyuraayiram’, which as its name suggests had 1000 members who were devoted towards carrying out the various cultural and religious activities of the temple. This again stands to emphasis the prominence that this temple enjoyed in those days.
However, about 7 or 8 centuries back this great temple fell into ruins, as a result of the fractional fights between the two communities, namely the Cheras and the Cholas. Mahapundit Appath Adeeri had written his autobiography on pieces of copper around 600 years back, in which he has made his predictions for the future. These pieces were found recently, and the scriptures have been translated into Malayalam. The Mahapundit had predicted that the Panniyur Mahakshetram would definitely regain its lost glory and fame. The time that he had indicated in his writings is ripe now. He had foretold that when this blessed day arrives, everyone who believes in Shri Varahamurthy would be blessed with ‘Abhishta Karya Sidhdhi’ (i.e., the realization of everything that one had prayed for). Devotees believe that when in peril, if one utters the words ‘Varahamurthy Rakshikane’ (save me, Varahamurthy) thrice, Shri Varahamurthy would rescue one from all impending perils and dangers.
Location
Panniyur
Main Deity
Lord Varahamoorthy
Other Deities
Lord Siva, lord Ayappa, Sri Durga, Lord Ganapathy, Lord Subramaniyan, Yakshy, Sri Lakshminarayana
Festivals
Varaha Jayanthi.
Main Offerings
Among the different pujas conducted here the most important one happens to be the ‘Abhishta Sidhdhi Puja’. It is believed to pave way for ‘Abhishta Karya Sidhdhi’. The other Poojas are; Pushpanjali, Bhagya Sooktha Pushpanjali, Sree Sooktha Pushpanjali, Swayamvara Sooktha Pushpanjali, Aikya Sooktha Pushpanjali, Purusha Sooktha Pushpanjali, Saraswatha Sooktha Pushpanjali, Sahasra Nama Pushpanjali, Neyyu Payasam, Thrimadhuram, Panjasara Payasam, Kadina Payasa,
How To Reach
By Air: Calicut International Airport is the nearest airport situated at 58.3KMs from the temple.
By Rail: Kuttippuram Railway Station which is 7.7KMs away from the temple.
By Road: Kuttipuram KSRTC and Private Bus stand is 8KMs away from the temple.