History Of The Temple

This temple situated at Pacha, Nanniyode of Trivandum District, Kerala State is one of the most ancient temples in Kerala. Though initially started as a Hindu Temple, it is now the worshipping place of people belonging to all religions and communities. As you know, Lord Sastha, or Ayyappa, was one of the most cosmopolitan deities in the Indian religious culture. His temple at the famous Sabarimala has a special shrine for his Muslim friend Vavar and has another Christian church close by. Thousands of years back, the ancient Buddhist monks of India instituted so many places of worship in Kerala which were all along either the mountain travelling routes or along the sea coastal routes. Along the mountain tracts in the Sahya Mountain Ghats, the temples they erected were all for either Lord Shiva or for his son Ayyappa, both dwellers of forests and mountains. What temples they erected along the sea coast were all belonging to the female goddesses of Devis. When we travel through Kerala, we can see that the chain of mountain temples all belong to gods and the coastal temples all belong to goddesses.

Lord Sastha always likes to be surrounded by rivers, mountains and dense forests and likes to live in the midst of birds, beasts, trees and innocent human beings. It is not strange to note that whenever we go to a Sastha Temple, it would invariably be situated very close to or in the middle of such a setting which constantly reminds us and makes us feel about the might of the powers and forces of the universe working. The forests and mountains in nature where primitive life flourished and thrived always created its own deities where man and beast and bird flocked together to feel and enjoy the pure divine presences inherent in such places. 

Lord Sastha or Ayyappa riding a tiger.

Pachayil Sastha Temple, Nanniyode, is one of the few places of worship in Kerala which still retain this river-mountain-jungle setting. We do not claim the river, mountain and jungle here still retain the purity as of yore, but we are striving. Deforestation and excessive sand removal indeed have affected the purity and divinity of this place adversely, to rectify which we do continue our fighting. See the picture of our lord above and see how sylvan and pure the surroundings he wants to live in are, and how harmonious and co-ordinate the habitation he wants to maintain.


Each year, on the Painkuni day around April-May, the birthday of our lord is celebrated as a great festival which lasts ten days. In local dialect Malayalam, these annual birthday festivals for gods are called Ulsavams. Pachayil festival is one of the most crowded ulsavams in Southern Kerala, which culminates in one of the most-viewed Firework Displays in Kerala. Each year tens of thousands of people from almost all districts and states in India gather here just to view this magnificent spectacle. In fact, the second-best firework materials making community in South India resides around our lord. 

Fireworks Photo by Two Wells.

  

When you actually visits this temple someday, do not forget to evaluate what kind of a place this god chose to reside at. It is not much difficult to reach this temple. It is just 36 kilometers from Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala, on the Trivandrum-Schenkottai  Route. From Nanniyode junction, a separate road diverts on the right side, to directly go to the temple. 

The Temple in its serenity.

 


We will soon post here more articles and photos on this famous temple. So please visit again.

Thank you for visiting.

Editor.