Tirunavaya, also spelled as Thirunavaya, is a town in Tirur

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a municipality and town in Kerala and the headquarters of the Malappuram district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Kerala, 4th largest urban agglomeration in Kerala and ...

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 ...

. Situated on the northern bank of Bharatappuzha (River Ponnani/Nila or Perar), it is one of the major

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

pilgrimage centres in Kerala. Tirunavaya, home to

Tirunavaya Temple Tirunavaya Temple (in full Tirunavaya Navamukunda Temple) is an ancient Hindu temple at Tirunavaya, central Kerala, India, on the northern bank of the Bharatappuzha (River Ponnani), dedicated to Navamukundan ( Narayana-Vishnu). The temple i ...

(Navamukunda/

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

Temple) and temples of Siva and

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

(Cherutirunavaya Brahma Temple and Siva Temple/Tirunavaya Mahadeva Temple), is one of the most prominent places for bali tarpana on Karkitaka vavu in Kerala.

History

Tirunavaya seems to be a very sacred place for the

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

from time immemorial.

Bharathappuzha The Bharathappuzha ("River of Bhārata"), also known as the Nila River, is a river in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second longest river that flows through Kerala after the Periyar. It flo ...

at Tirunavaya is considered to assume a special sanctity, because it flows between the temple of

(Navamukunda) on its right bank and the temple of

and Siva on its left. The village, situated on the fertile river basin, must have been one of the most prominent Brahmin settlement in Kerala. Tirunavaya also hosted the Mamankam, a type of medieval temple festival with huge political significance, in every 12 years.Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple (Official Website)
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Navamukunda Temple

The Navamukunda Temple is considered one of the 108 original tirupatis (divyadesa) of the

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

alvars The Alvars () are the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused '' bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and service. They are venerated in Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu as the ...

. The pitrkarma/pitrkriyas performed at Tirunavaya, a trimūrti sangama, are considered as very sacred. On Karkitaka vavu (amavasi), Hindus from different part of northern Kerala travel to the temple, to perform the Pitrkriya (bali tarpana) seeking

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

for their ancestors. According to media, more than 50,000 devotees performed vavu bali at Navamukunda Temple in 2015. Bali rites are also performed at Tirunavaya on the vavu days of Tulam and Kumbham.

Geography & Demographics

Tirunavaya Census Town, geographical area: , has a population of 24,790 (2011). The Muslims compose 77.41% of the total number, while Hindus form of 18.30% of the total population. Schedule Caste (SC) constitutes 6.17% while Schedule Tribe (ST) were 0.63% of total population in Tirunavaya CT.Census India (2011)
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Climate

Yearly average rainfall of the census town is . Maximum temperature here reaches up to and minimum temperature goes down to .

Places of interest

* Navamukunda Temple * Nilapadu Thara * Marunnara * Manikinar * Changampally Kalari *

Lotus Lake Wetland Thirunavaya Malappuram Lotus Lake Thirunavaya, also called Migratory Birds Sanctuary Thirunavaya bird sanctuary on a lake and wetland located in Tirunavaya, Malappuram district, Kerala, India. Many lotus lakes can be seen here, including South Pallar lotus Lake, Va ...

Thirunavaya Lotus lake and Lotus farm is a popular tourist destination. it is famous for the lotus plants on the lake and the temples near the lake, the

Thirunavaya Temple Tirunavaya Temple (in full Tirunavaya Navamukunda Temple) is an ancient Hinduism, Hindu temple at Tirunavaya, central Kerala, India, on the northern bank of the Bharathapuzha River, Bharatappuzha (River Ponnani), dedicated to Navamukundan (Lo ...

Festivals

* Mamankam festival Mamankam festival was held once every 12 years at Tirunavaya, Kerala on the banks of the river Bharathappuzha, * Vairankode vela

Transportation

* Nearest Airports: Calicut (CCJ) and

Cochin International Airport Cochin International Airport , popularly known as Kochi International Airport or Nedumbassery Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Kochi, Kerala, in southwestern India. It is located at Nedumbassery, about northeast of th ...

* Nearest Municipality:

Tirur Tirur is a major municipal town in Tirur Taluk, Malappuram district, in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of . It is one of the major business centers in Malappuram district and is situated west of Malappuram and south of Kozh ...

valanchery Valanchery is a major municipal town in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is situated about southeast to Calicut International Airport, Karipur International Airport and southwards to the district headquarters, and forms a part of Malappu ...

* Nearest Major Railway Station:

Tirunnavaya railway station Tirunnavaya railway station (station code: TUA) is an NSG–6 category List of railway stations in India, Indian railway station in Palakkad railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is the railway station located at Edakkulam-Tirunavaya,Ti ...

, Kuttippuram 7 km,

11 km

References

External links

* {{Malappuram district Villages in Malappuram district Tirur area Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Hindu holy cities Tourist attractions in Malappuram district