Information of Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swami Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

The Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swami Temple is located at a distance of about 20 kms from the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and is known to be one of his most sanctified shrines. The presiding diety of the temple is lord Krishna in the form of a baby who is referred to as Unnikannan. The temple is managed by the Travancore Devasom Board which is regulated by the government of Kerala. The temple is an ancient one which was built in the year 1755 by the Maharaja of the Travancore kingdom during that era.

Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swami Temple Religious Significance

The temple is visited by a lot of devotees of Krishna and is known to be one of the most revered sites of worship for his followers. The temple observes many festivals and celebrates them however with the Ashtami Rohini, Vishu, Navrathri and Mandal puja are celebrated with much grandeur. The main festival of the temple that people come to participate in is the Annual festival which is held during the month of Meenam according to the Malayalam calendar. This festival commences with the hoisting of a sacred flag atop the gopuram or temple gateway by the main priest. The festivities come to an end on the Rohini star day of the Malayalam month Meenam where the idol is taken out and dipped in the river Neeyar.

Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swami Temple Mythology & History

The legend associated with the temple is that when the temple was built in 1755 it was built in the site where a hollow tree had hid a prince about 250years ago. This prince belonged to the Travancore kingdom which was being ruled by the King Ramavarma. The prince who hid in the tree was Anizhamthirunal Marthanda Varma who had taken stern actions against "Ettuveettil Pillamar". One day he found himself surrounded by his enemies and at time a little boy appeared who led him to a jack tree which was hollowed out. He was asked to hide in that tree and ultimately saved his life. The king consulted an astrologer as to who the boy was and got the reply that the little boy was lord Krishna in disguise. In gratitude and reverence of his divine intervention to save the princes life the Maharaja constructed a temple near the jack tree. The jack tree is lovingly remembered as "Ammachi Plavu" meaning the mother jack tree and its remains are still preserved in the temple till date.

The other legend that is attached to this temple is that of the idol present there. It is said that the original idol was made of wood and Lord Krishna was not happy of what the devotees did to it. It is said while the idol was being carried across the river it got stuck and would not budge at all, therefore in order to maintain the routine of installing the idol another one was done so in its place.

Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swami Temple Architectural Significance

This temple stands amidst green pastures and is known as the Guruvayur of Trivandrum district. The temple has been constructed in the traditional style of Kerala architecture complete with Gopurams, sanctum sanctorum and sculptures. The main gateway which is also known as a gopuram has a scene from the Bhagavad Gita which depicts Arjuna being taught by Lord Krishna.

There is another gopuram inside the temple in front of the Shri Kovil. The main complex has shrines dedicated to Ganesha and Dharmashashtra. Nagraja is worshipped outside the main complex. The walls of the complex are painted beautifully with pictures depicting the life of Sree Krishna.