Thiruvilwamala
Encyclopedia
Thiruvilwamala, also spelt Thiruvilluamala, is a hilly village in the northern terrain of Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...

 district of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

 state in southern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

The village, which is more of a temple town, is located on the banks of the Bharathapuzha river, with nearest towns being Shoranur
Shoranur
Shoranur is a town and a municipality in Palakkad district, Kerala,located on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River spread over an area of 32.28 km2.it is a major transport hub , having the largest railway station in the state .Kerala Kalamandalam which is the premier centre for the learning...

 and Ottappalam. The place is famous for the Vilwadrinatha Temple
Vilwadrinatha Temple
Lord Vilwadrinatha Temple situated in Thiruvilwamala is one of the ancient temples in India. The temple attracts pilgrims from all over India, every year especially during the Ekadasi Festival around February. The temple is situated in a hill from which one can obtain a fantastic view of adjoining...

, which is among the rare Sri Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

 temples in Kerala. Even though people believe the deity as Lord Rama, actually it is of Lord Vishnu. Niramaala & Ekadashi are the famous festive events here.

Noted littérateur, the late VKN (Vadakke Koottala Narayanan Kutty Nair), hailed from this place.The legend who modified the maddalam as it is seen now and introduced it in to Panchavadhyam is none other than Sarvasri.Venkichan Swamy who was born and broughtup in Thiruvilwamala.
It has also been home for writers like Manasi, P.A. Divakaran, Marshal Thiruvilwamala. Late poet P. Kunhiraman Nair
P. Kunhiraman Nair
P. Kunhiraman Nair , also known as Mahakavi P, was a renowned Malayalam poet whose works romanticised the natural beauty of his home state of Kerala in southern India and juxtaposed it with the hard realities of his life and times.Born in Bellikoth near Kanhangad of North Malabar, P., as he is...

 had stayed here for long, having fallen in love with the scenic beauty and culture of the place. Raobahadur T.K. Nair, a former state minister, hailed from this place. The place has also given birth to prominent artistes in the field of Kathakali
Kathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...

, especially maddalam players like the late Venkichan Swamy and his pupil Kalamandalam Appukutty Poduval
Kalamandalam Appukutty Poduval
Kalamandalam Appukutty Poduval was a maddalam maestro who rose to prominence by his aesthetically pleasing taps on the instrument—a vital percussion accompaniment for Kathakali, the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India...

 besides Kalamandalam Eachara Warrier. Padmakumar IPS who is the current south zone range I.G,hails from this place. Late freedom fighter K. Kumaran, who set up Sadanam Kathakali Akademi (or Gandhi Seva Sadan
Gandhi Seva Sadan
Gandhi Seva Sadan, or simply Sadanam, is a Kathakali institution located in Perur village, some 12 kilometres east of Ottapalam in Palakkad district of north-central Kerala in southern India. It was founded in 1953 by the Gandhian and freedom fighter K...

) in Peroor near Ottapalam, also is a native of Pambadi near this village. . Also famous for its set of Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

ians, the Sri Rama temple here hosts a relay south Indian classical concert even on the auspicious day of ekadasi.

The place is also famous for the kasavu clothing made in nearby villages like Kuthampulli.

Thiruviwamala has many other temples of ancient years and have more than four Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

 temples. Ivor Madom, the Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

 temple, is famous for the ceremonies performed in order to ensure peace for the soul of the dead. Other temples and groves of thiruvilwamala are:-Parakkottu Kavu, Cheruthrikkovil, the temples of Mariyamma in Aakkaparambu, Eravathodi, Pattiparambu, Kuthampulli, Soudeshwari Amman temple (Kuthampulli) and Poothanakkara Shiva Temple.

The Parakkottukavu Thalappoli festival falls on the last Sunday of the Malayalam month of Medam (mid-May).The firework spectacles in this pooram would match up to the fireworks of the world famous Thrissur pooram
Thrissur Pooram
Pooram is one of the nakshatras or star in the Hindu panchangam. There are 27 Nakshatras in the Hindu panchangam and a million or more temples in Kerala, and this combination creates numerous possibilities for auspicious occasions, with each temple having varying importance for the different stars...

.
for more informations.

Thiruvilwamala
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