Sri Ponmeri Shiva Temple — Attraction in Kerala

Ponmeri Shiva temple, famous for its antiquity and legends, situates at 6 km from Vadakara and eastern side of Villiappally sub registrar office in Calicut district. It is not easy to say when this temple is built.The names of the places hints that, for centuries back these place were covered with "manas" and "illams” of Brahmins, groves of serpents etc.The remnants of ancients vessels and 'pooja' materials found from this area make us to believe that Ponmeri was a holy place of temples in the ancient period.

Legends say that long time ago there was a river flown from Northern side of temple pond to kaliyampally Bhagavathi temple. During that period this Manalerimala was covered by thick forest with wild animals .

There is a legend behind the idol Shiva here. At Kottiyoor,the sacrificial place of Deksha, when Shiva heard that Sathidevi was burnt in the sacrificial fire, he took her dead body and performed his 'shivathandava' .During that time her bones were exploded and so many goddesses were came in to existence.Some of them are worshipped at Kodungalloor,Maniyoor, Kaliyampally ,Peruvassery,Lokanarkavu in different forms as grandmother, brothers and sisters.

During that period the ruler Kadathanad Thampuran visited Guruvayoor and was attracted by the dome of Guruvayoorappan.So he decided to build the same beautiful dome at Ponmeri Shiva temple. Sculptors were invited from different places. They were so brilliant . Though all the architecture is so amazing; the most wonderful one is ‘Parvathi-parinayam'. Parvathi’s biography from birth to death is beautifully portrayed in about hundred scenes.

During the period of Tippu’s attack soldiers destroyed the idols and huge sacrificial stones. Then they tried to enter the temple, Changaroth Pennooty Varasyar the lady who had the duty to clean the courtyard of the temple cried to see the retreat and prayed the god .Suddenly a flame had arisen above the temple and ran against the soldiers .The solider scattered away to avoid the terrible heat .That day onwards people worshipped Ponmeri Shiva as...

Ponmeri Shiva Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Vatakara, Kozhikode in Kerala, India. The temple is famous as it has a unique sub-temple dedicated to Lord Brahma, who is rarely worshipped at temples.

In the Eleventh Century AD, the Kadathanad Kings commissioned this great, grand and splendid Mahadeva Temple constructed by the famed architect Perumthachan. The sanctum-sanctorum of the temple is unique and unrivalled with a grandiose shivalinga with gold plated kappu (covering). Legend has it that due to a quarrel between the Ruler and the architect, the architect left the temple incomplete and hence the temple work shall never be completed. "As incomplete as the work at Ponmeri" goes a proverb in Malayalam. Even today there are works going on to improve various aspects of the external architecture of the temple. Today, Kshetra Samrakshna Samathi plays a major role in temple renovation and development.

The peculiarity of the temple is the presence of 'Trimurti'- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. In addition to the Shiva, deities Vishnu, Brahma, Ganapati, Bhagavathi, Shankaranarayana, Adithya (Surya), Boothathevar (God of Spirits), Ayyappa, Murugan and Krishna are also installed in the temple complex. Ponmeri Siva is fondly called 'Thiyyannur Appan'. There is also a Krishna Temple in...

The siva here is believed as arrived from the yagasala of Dakshan(father of Satheedevi) and the present temple is constructed in the place where there had an illom of a namboothiri. The ownership of the temple was vested with namboothiri brahmins. Later porlathiry royal family got the ownership. Kadathanattu rajas maintained the temple and many developments were made.Logan and Gundert has mentiomed this temple and former has stated that the temple was destroyed by soldiers of Tippu Siultan. Main priesthood(thanthram ) is vested with Erancherry Illom and melsanthi is of Nerveli namboothiry. Tample opens at 4 am.and closes after ucha pooja. Again reopens at 5 pm and closes after athazha pooja.Annual festival starts with flag hoisting at the time of rohini at night in...