The Aryankavu Sastha Temple is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

located in Aryankavu in the

Kollam district Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 List of districts in Kerala, districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major La ...

of the Indian state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. It is one of the five major temples dedicated to Shasta in Kerala, the others being Kulathupuzha,

Achankovil Achankovil is a long west flowing river in Kerala, India. It flows through the districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha. The river drains vast tract of fertile plains of Upper Kuttanad in the Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta district ...

Sabarimala The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple () is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Ayyappan, who is also known as Dharma Shasta and is the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini (female avatar of the god Vishnu). The temple is situated atop th ...

and Kanthamala. The temple's idol is believed to have been consecrated by

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According t ...

. The temple is governed by the

Travancore Devaswom Board Travancore Devaswom Board is statutory and autonomous body managing around 1252 temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the ...

Etymology

The name "Aryankavu" is believed to be derived from the words "Aryan" which indicates Shasta and "Kavu" which means

sacred grove Sacred groves, sacred woods, or sacred forests are groves of trees that have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. These are forest areas that are, for the most ...

The temple

It is located in Aryankavu in the

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

Punalur Punalur is a municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of the Punalur Taluk and Punalur Revenue Division. It is in the eastern part of the Kollam district of Kerala, on the banks of the Kallada River and footh ...

. The temple lies near the border of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

on National Highway 744, about from

Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...

, from Punalur and from

Tenkasi Tenkasi () is a town and headquarters of the Tenkasi district in Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Tenkasi is the third largest city in tenkasi district after Kadayanallur and Sankarankovil. Being one of the most significant spiritual and cultural ...

. The temple is built in the traditional

architectural styles An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...

of both Kerala and

and preserves several murals of

Hindu deities Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions, and a Hindu can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, even agnostic, atheistic, or humanist. Julius J. L ...

. As in Sabarimala, the temple also have 18 steps. Another feature of the temple is that it is built below the road level. The puja and rituals conducted in the temple follow a Tamil tradition.

Deities

The principal deity of the temple is Shasta, in the form of a teenager. The deity is locally known as Aryankavu Ayyan and Tiruaryan. He is depicted in a seated posture on an elephant, with the right leg hanging and the left leg in a folded position, along with his consort Pushkala on the left side and

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

on the right. The original idol of the deity was made with a special type of stone known as ''Anjanapashanam.'' It was later replaced with an idol made of

panchaloha ''Panchaloha'' (), also called ''Pañcadhātu'' (), is a term for traditional five-metal alloys of sacred significance, used for making Hinduism, Hindu temple ''murti'' and jewellery. Composition The composition is laid down in the ''Shilpa sh ...

. The subordinate deities of the temple are Valiyakadutha, Karuppu Sami and Karuppai Amma.

Rituals and festivals

The temple is known for hosting a ritualistic marriage ceremony known as "Thiru Kalyanam" or "Thrikalyanam" (divine wedding) annually in December during the Sabarimala pilgrimage. According to the legends, Shasta married Shri Pushkaladevi of the Saurashtra community in Aryankavu. The marriage rituals are performed according to the traditions of the Saurashtra community in a dedicated

Mandapa A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...

. Kerala rituals are followed inside the temple, while Tamil rituals are observed outside during the time of festival. On the occasion of Thiru Kalyanam, many unmarried girls visit the temple. Pandiyan Mudippu (

engagement An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''f ...

) and

Kumbhabhishekham ''Kumbhabhishekam'', also known as ''Samprokshanam'' is a Hindu temple ritual that is believed to homogenize, synergize and unite the mystic powers of the deity. It is part of the consecration ceremony of Hindu temples. ''Kumbha'' means the Hea ...

are other important festivals.

References

{{reflist Hindu temples in Kollam district Ayyappan temples

Etymology

The temple

Deities

Rituals and festivals

See also

References