Triprayar Temple : India’s Temple

The Triprayar Temple is located towards the south of Trichur and is one of the important temples dedicated to Lord Rama. The temple was originally under the domain of the Zamorin rulers of Kerala and later came under the possession of the Dutch, the Mysore sultans and the rulers of Cochin.

The image of Rama similar to the Chaturbhuja Vishnu form with four arms, holding a conch, a disc, a bow and a garland respectively. it is believed that the deity possesses some of the features of Shiva too. The image is adorned with necklaces and other fine jewelry. images of Sridevi and Bhudevi are on the two sides of the image. The image of Dakshinamurti in the sanctum faces the south. it is also believed that the Rama portrayed with a garland in his hands is indicative of aspects of Brahma.

The deity is considered to be a manifestation of the Trimurtis. An invisible manifestation of Hanuman is worshipped in a mandapam across the hall from the sanctum. There is also a shrine to Ganapati in Triprayar temple. The shrine to Saasta or Ayyappan is in the outer courtyard of the temple. it is believed that the Saasta shrine was placed originally at the place corresponding to the temple’s sanctum.

Five worship services are performed through out the day. They are usha, etirthu, panthirati, uccha and athazha. A processional figure of the deity is carried around the temple three times a day.

The delicate woodcarvings, sculptures and wall painting naturally decorate the Triprayar Temple. The namaskara mandapam, which faces the circular sanctum or the Sri Kovil, contains 24 panels of woodcarvings and several ancient frescos. The circular sanctum is decorated with several sculptural representations of scenes from the Ramayana.

The Snake Boat Race is organized during the Onam festival in the months of August / September. The Pooram festival is celebrated for 7 days in the Malayala month of Meenam. Each day of seven days the procession starts from Triprayar for a certain place where the arattu (bathing ceremony) is hold, giving- opportunity to thousands outside Triprayar to offer Worship to the deity. The festival concludes in the Pooram asterism. The Ekadashi festival is also celebrated in the month of November-December. The Ekadasi festival is marked by a procession of Rama flanked by 21 elephants and all the royal paraphernalia.