Panchayat/ Municipality/ Thirunelli Panchayat Corporation
LOCATION District Wayanad
Nearest Town/ Thirunelli Bus Station – 400 m Landmark/ Junction
Mananthavady Panchayath Bus Stand – 32 Km Nearest Bus Statio Thirunelli Bus Station – 400 m
Nearest Railway Kozhikode Railway Station – 129 Km Statio ACCESSIBILITY
Nearest Airport Calicut International Airport – 140 Km
Tirunelli Temple Mananthavady Kalpetta, Wayanad - 673121 Phone: +91-4935-210201 CONTACT Website: www.thirunellitemple.com DATES FREQUENCY DURATION
TIME April (Meenam-Medam) Annual 2 Days
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL (Legend/History/Myth)
Vishu is one of the most important festivals celebrated at the Thirunelli Mahavishnu Temple. The temple is believed to have been built by Lord Brahma. Once Lord Brahma saw an idol of Lord Vishnu resting on a gooseberry or Nellikka tree in the valley and thus the place came to be known as Thirunelli. It is believed that Sri Rama and his brother Lakshmana performed the Pithrukarma (rituals for a deceased person so that the soul attains liberation) of their father King Dasaratha standing on a rock at this temple.
National 50,000 RELEVANCE- NO. OF PEOPLE (Local / National / International) PARTICIPATED EVENTS/PROGRAMS DESCRIPTION (How festival is celebrated)
Vishu at Thirunelli temple is a two-day ritualistic festival celebrated on Vishu day and its eve. This falls in the Ottanthullal Malayalam calendar month of Medam (April). It is the annual Kathakali festival of Sree Thirunelli Devaswom. Vishu celebrations are Nirmalya Darsan associated with Lord Vishnu and hence significant as the Ethruthu pooja presiding deity at the temple is Lord Mahavishnu. The Seeveli footsteps of Vishnu or Vishnupad which appears as a Pantheeradi Pooja sculpture of a footprint on a boulder in the middle of the tank Deeparadhana is thus considered to be holy. Various cultural art forms of Kerala such as Ottanthullal and Kathakali are performed during the festival at Thirunelli temple.