Category:Vadakkunnathan Temple

Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur 

11th century Hindu temples complex in Thrissur, Kerala
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Instance of	Hindu temple (Shiva)
Location	Thrissur, Thrissur district, Kerala, India
Has part(s)	Vadakkunnathan Temple murals
Religion or worldview	Hinduism
10° 31′ 28.24″ N, 76° 12′ 52.34″ E
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Vadakkunnathan Temple (Malayalm: വടക്കുന്നാഥ ക്ഷേത്രം), also known as Thenkailasam, Tiruchchaperur and Vrishabhachalam, is an 11th century Hindu temples complex and one of the largest in Kerala. It is located in the heart of Thrissur city. The temple complex consists of three west-facing temples – Tenkailashanatha temple for Shiva, Sankaranarayana temple for Harihara, and Rama for the Vishnu avatar of the epic Ramayana. In addition, the complex has smaller shrines for Ganesha and Devi. Thus, the complex reveres all the major historic Hindu traditions.

In the 1960s, a group of 9th-century Saptamatrika images were discovered at Vadakkunnatha Temple site. This suggests that this Thrissur Hindu temples site is likely much older than the surviving temples.

The temple complex is notable for a large circular plan vimana for Shiva, a smaller circular shrine for Harihara, and a square shrine for Rama. Each has a namaskara mandapa in front. The complex has a multi-storeyed gopuram. The Sankaranarayana shrine has beautiful murals delineating graphically, various episodes from the Mahabharata. Of special note are two murals of Shiva – the Panivarai Shiva (reclining Shiva) and the 20-armed Nataraja. The faded mural of reclining Shiva was assumed to be reclining Vishnu and the Nataraja mural was believed to have 16 arms before 2008. Murals with reclining Shiva are relatively rare.

The sprawling Thekkinkadu Maidan, encircling the Vadakumnathan temple, is the main venue of the Thrissur Pooram. The temple has an 11th century inscription on the vritta kumuda which mentions that a person named "Sattan Suvaran" of Mullaippalli gifted stone to build this temple – helping date this temple and attest to role of gifts from non-royal people in the building of large temples.