Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple
Sree Poornathrayesa temple is a Hindu temple situated in Tripunithura, Kochi, the capital of the former Kingdom of Cochin, Kerala, India. The temple is considered among the greatest temples in Kerala and was the first among eight royal temples of the erstwhile Kochi Kingdom. The deity was also considered the national deity of Cochin and protector guardian of Tripunithura. The deity in this temple is Lord Vishnu, who is in the form of Santhanagopala Murthy. Here, Santhanagopalamoorthy means "savior of Infants" is an incarnation of Lord Mahavishnu. Lord Poornathrayeesa is known for his love of elephants. Hence more than 40 elephants participate in his Vrishchikotsavam, and most of the elephants are sent for the Utsavam (festival) without a money return expected by the elephant owners as Poornathrayeesa is considered to be an elephant lover.
The temple is famous for its yearly utsavams or festivals. The main one is the Vrishchikoltsawam, which is conducted every year in the month of Vrishchikam (November–December), kicking off the Ulsava season in Kerala. This Vrishchikolsavam is the biggest temple festival in the world followed by the koodalmanikyam ulsavam iringalakkuda (Thrissur pooram is not an utsavam but it is a pooram so not counted as an utsavam) and one of the biggest major festivals in the world. It is believed that childless couples will be blessed with children on praying Poornathrayesan. Offering kanikka (money offered to the lord) to Poornathrayeesa in the most pure gold pot on thrikketta purappadu day (fourth day of Vrishchikotsavam) is the greatest achievement that a devotee can achieve. Visiting Poornathrayeesa who is present on top of 15 elephants during the grand procession of Vrishchikotsavam is also considered to be an achievement of a devotee.
Lord Vishnu is seen here in a sitting posture under the shade of five hoods of Ananthan. This is a unique pose unlike the other Vishnu temples where the Lord is usually found in a reclining posture on the divine serpent, Anantha The folded body of the serpent itself serves as the seat for the God. The two upper hands of Lord Vishnu hold Sanku (conch) and Sudarshana Chakram (holy wheel) and the lower right hand holds the Padmam (Lotus flower).
The name Poornathrayeesa defined as follows , “thra" means three; 'poorna' means complete and 'isa' means Iswara which means the Lord of Knowledge, or the Lord of the Three Vedas – Rik, Yajus and Sama. It also means the Lord who manifests himself as the essence of the Vedas, who can be attained through inner saadhana. Traditions say that Lord Vishnu offered the idol of Sree Poornathrayeesa to Arjuna (the third of the five Pandava brothers), when he sought the help of the Lord to give rebirth to the ten children of a Brahmin. The ten children and the sacred idol were taken by Arjuna in his chariot and he handed over the children to the Brahmin. In memory of this event, a temple was built with a sanctum-sanctorum in the form of a chariot.Devotees can also have a look at the idol of Lord Ganapathi on the extreme south side of the sanctum-sanctorum.
Location
Tripunnithura
Main Deity
Lord Vishnu
Other Deities
Lord Ganesha
Festivals
Vrishchikoltsawam Festival (November – December), Moosari festival {Chingam Festival} (August – September), Nangapennu (February – March), Consecration day of Anantha, Sankara Narayana Vilakku, Lakshmi Narayana Vilakku
Main Offerings
Kalabham, Chandhanam charthu, Pantheerunazhi (1), Pantheerunazhi (1/2), Pantheerunazhi (1/4), Paalpayasam, Appam (1 Kootu), Adda, Choorunu, Vellanivedhyam, Koottupayasam
How To Reach
By Air - Cochin International Airport is the nearest Airport which is 32.7KM away
By Rail - Tripunithura Railway Station is the nearest railway station which is 1.9KM away
By Road - Tripunithura Private Bus station is situated 850M from the Temple.