Nilakkal Sree Mahadeva 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

Pathanamthitta Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality, city in southern Kerala, India, spread over an area of . It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37,538 (as of 2011 census). The Hindu pilgrim centre Sab ...

district in 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 ...

. The temple which is dedicated to Lord

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 ...

is administered by

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 ...

. During

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 ...

pilgrimage, many devotees from Kerala and other states visit the temple.

Location

It is located just 1 km from the main highway leading to Sabarimala temple. The shrine is surrounded by thick forests and rubber plantations. This temple is situated with the

geographic coordinates A geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or geodetic coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on Earth as latitude and longitude. It is the simplest, oldest, and most widely used type of the various ...

o

at an altitude of about 386.3 m above the mean sea level.

Worship

Lord

is the principal deity. The pratishta is believed to be in two moods, Ugramoorthy (fierce) and Mangala pradayakan (auspicious). A common belief is that Lord Shiva is showering his blessings to his son Lord

Ayyappa Ayyappan, also known as Dharmasastha and Manikandan, is the Hindu deity of truth and righteousness. According to Hindu theology, he is described as the son of Shiva and Mohini (the female avatar of Vishnu), thus representing a bridge between Sh ...

to fight against all evil spirits while throwing all anger to the evils. As in many Shiva shrines, a number of oxen are protected in the temple premises.

Subordinate deities

There is only two ''Upa Prathishtas'' (sub deities) here, Lord Kannimoola

Ganapathi Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. Hind ...

and

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afr ...

Poojas

Three

Poojas Pooja Gauthami Umashankar is an Indian-Sri Lankan actress who has primarily appeared in Indian Tamil and Sri Lankan Sinhala cinema. Early and personal life Pooja was born on June 25, 1981, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pooja's father, H. R. Umashan ...

are held here every day. The morning section includes ''Usha pooja'', noon section with ''Ucha pooja'' and the desk section concludes with ''Deeparadhana''. Special weekly days are Sunday, Monday and Friday.

Festivals

The '

Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

' held annually is one of the noted festivals of the temple. Besides Shivarathri, the temple celebrates its ''Thiruvutsavam'' every year in a grand style. At times of Sabarimala pilgrimage, devotees from various states visit the temple for welfare and sake.

References

{{reflist

External links

GeoHack - Nilakkal Sree Mahadeva Temple
Hindu temples in Pathanamthitta district Shiva temples in Kerala