Thirunelli Temple (also spelled ''Tirunelli'') is an ancient temple dedicated to

Maha Vishnu Mahavishnu () is an aspect of Vishnu, the principal deity in Vaishnavism. In his capacity as Mahavishnu, the deity is known as the Supreme Purusha, the absolute protector and sustainer of the universe, the one who is beyond human comprehensio ...

on the side of Brahmagiri hill in

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 ...

, India, near the border with

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

state. The temple is classified one among the 108

Abhimana Kshethram Abhimana Kshethram or Abhimana Sthalam are a list of 108 sacred Vishnu temples apart from the other 108 Divya desams. ''Abhimana desams'' or close abodes, these temples are the most significant temples in the Vaishnavism, Vaishnavite tradition ...

of Vaishnavate tradition. The temple is at an altitude of about 900m in north

Wayanad Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of the Indian state of Kerala, with its administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, ...

in a valley surrounded by mountains and forests. It is 32 km away from

Manathavady Mananthavady is the Grade 3 municipality in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India. The municipal boundaries are defined by Tirunelli Panchayat to the north, Kabani River to the east and south, and Thavinhal Panchayat to the west. Mananthavady is ...

. The temple lies at an altitude of 3000 feet

History

In Puranas and folklore

The name ''Thirunelli'' derives from the ''nelli'', the

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

word for

Indian gooseberry ''Phyllanthus emblica'', also known as emblic, emblic myrobalan, myrobalan, nelikai, Indian gooseberry, Malacca tree, amloki or amla, is a deciduous tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. Its native range is tropical and southern Asia. Descripti ...

of the Amla tree. The

Matsya Purana The ''Matsya Purana'' (IAST: Matsya Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen major Puranas (Mahapurana), and among the oldest and better preserved in the Puranic genre of Sanskrit literature in Hinduism. The text is a Vaishnavism text named after the h ...

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' ( IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukhyapurāṇa'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parv ...

, Narasimha Purana and

Padma Purana The ''Padma Purana'' (, or ) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Brahma appeared, and includes large sections dedic ...

, said the Vishnu temple was built by

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– ...

, in the Sahya valley and in these texts, it is referred to as "Sahyamalaka Kshetra." According to tradition, Brahma was traveling round the Universe on his

hamsa The ''hamsa'' (, referring to images of 'the five fingers of the hand'),Zenner, 1988p. 284World Institute for Advanced Phenomenological Research and Learning (Belmont, Estados Unidos), 1991p. 219Drazin, 2009p. 268 also known as the hand of Fa ...

, when he became attracted by the beauty of the area now known as

Brahmagiri Hill Brahmagiri may refer to: * Brahmagiri (Maharashtra), a hill in the Western Ghats range in Maharashtra, India; source of the River Godavari * Brahmagiri (Karnataka), a mountain range in the Western Ghats range in Karnataka, India * Brahmagiri arch ...

. Descending on that spot, Brahma noticed an idol, set in an Amla tree. Brahma recognized the idol as

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 ( ...

himself and the place as

Vaikuntha Vaikuntha (), also called Vishnuloka (), and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil language, Tamil, is the abode of Vishnu, the Parabrahman , supreme deity in the Vaishnavism, Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism,Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism' ( ...

(Vishnuloka) itself.

References

{{Wayanad Vishnu temples Abhimana temples of Vishnu Vishnu temples in Kerala Hindu temples in Wayanad district Mananthavady Area

History

In Puranas and folklore

See also

References