Vamanamurthy Temple, Thrikakkara – Legends

Vamanamurthy Temple, Thrikakkara – Legends

Onam Festival:

The Bhagavata Purana describes that Vishnu descended as the Vamana avatar to restore the authority of Indra over the heavens, as it had been taken by Mahabali, a benevolent Asura King. Bali was the grandson of Prahladha, the son of Virochana. King Mahabali was generous, and engaged in severe austerities and penance and won the praise of the world. With the praise from his courtiers and others, he regarded himself as the all-powerful in the world.

Vamana, in the guise of a short Brahmin carrying a wooden umbrella, went to the king to request three paces of land. Mahabali consented, against the warning of his guru, Sukracharya. Vamana then revealed his identity and enlarged to gigantic proportions to stride over the three worlds. He stepped from heaven to earth with the first step, from earth to the netherworld with the second.

King Mahabali, unable to fulfill his promise, offered his head for the third. Vamana then placed his foot and gave the king immortality for his humility. In worshiping Mahabali and his ancestor Prahladha, he conceded sovereignty of Pathala, the netherworld. Some texts also report that Vamana did not step into the netherworld, and instead gave its rule to Bali. In giant form, Vamana is known as Trivikrama.

The legend is associated with the temple and also with Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, Tirukoyilur and Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram. Local legends even associate the Kapila Theertham with the source of water with which Mahabali Chakravarti symbolically made his offering of land to Vamana. Legend has it that Mahabali returns to the earth once a year during Onam to visit his people. This is the legend behind the Onam festival.

Nenthiram:

Kerala is famous for Bananas and especially for a particular typed by named "Nenthiram". This banana has a closer relationship with this Lord Vishnu. There are interesting non-puranic local legends surrounding this place. A devout farmer, appalled by the lack of crop from his fields of plantain trees, worshipped the deity here, with an offering of a bunch of plantains fashioned out of gold, upon which, he was blessed with a more than bountiful harvest of bananas. Seen by the Kaatkarai Appan's Nethira eyes, the yield was very high and because of this, the bananas are named as "Nethiram Pazham".

An extension to this legend has it that a yogi was accused unjustly of stealing these golden plantains; acquitted later after undue punishment, the yogi cursed the place to befall into ruins. The legend states that the yogi, thanks to his untimely death caused by the undue punishment and humiliation turned into a Brahmarakshasa and that a shrine was built to propitiate his spirit. The region went through wars and conquests and suffered poverty, apparently due to the yogi's curse. It was only later that the administration of the temple was taken over by the Travancore kingdom and the temple began to see better times.

Association with Kapila Maharshi:

Another legend associated with this temple is that Kapila Maharshi did penance here and Vishnu pleased with the rishi’s penance appeared before the rishi. At the behest of the rishi, Vishnu decided to stay in this place. Kapila Maharshi hermitage was located here during ancient times. Once, Indiran grabbed the horse of Sakaraas and tied the horse behind the hut of Sage Kapila. Thinking that Kapila muni has made a theft of taking the horse towards himself, the Sakaraas blamed upon Sage Kapila. But, on hearing the blame, he got angry and his fiery look on Sakaraas made him into ash. After this, Bakeerathan, got the Ganga water from Lord Shiva and poured on the ash of Sakaraas to make him to get the mukthi.

Thrikakkara:

The name Thrikakkara means the holy place where Lord placed his foot. Thiru-Kal-Kari later became Thrikakkara.