Narayan Ravi - Mumbai

Ayyappa

Panthalam Valiya Koikkal Temple..

The Valiya Koikkal Sri Dharma Sastha Temple is the family temple of the Panthalam royal family. It is situated within the premises of the royal palace at Panthalam, on the banks of the Achankovil river in Pathanamthitta district. The kings of Panthalam are descendants of the Pandya kings of Madurai. Some of the age-old structures can still be seen here, blessed by the actual physical presence of Lord Ayyappa centuries ago.

Lord Ayyappa is considered as a member of the Panthalam royal family since He grew up as the son of Rajasekhara Pandya who ruled Panthalam at the time. The story goes that Rajasekhara was inconsolable after his dear son Manikantha left for His heavenly abode. On his return from Sabarimala, as advised by the Lord, Rajasekhara constructed a small temple modeled on the lines of Sabarimala, & began worshipping the Lord here. The Lord's ornaments called 'Thiruvabharanam' (Thiru meaning holy & abharanam meaning ornaments) are kept in a smaller palace to the north of the Valiya Koikkal temple & are made available for pilgrims to view. The deity of the Lord here is adorned with these ornaments twice a year on Vishu & Makara Sankranti so that the female members of the royal family who cannot visit Sabarimala can have a glorious vision of the Lord adorned with all His beautiful ornaments. These ornaments are believed to have been crafted on the orders of Rajasekhara for Manikantha's coronation & some believe that Lord Ayyappa actually wore these ornaments during His time on earth.

There are also 2 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva (the Pandya kings were great devotees of Lord Shiva, Rajasekhara in particular) & Lord Krishna as Santanagopala, the protector of children. There is also a small shrine dedicated to 'Mannadi Bhagavathi', the royal family deity in the palace complex, reconstructed after the fire in 1987. The Valiya Koikkal temple is shut for 16 days whenever a member of the royal family dies, since Ayyappa is also a member of the family.

May Panthala Rajakumara - the prince of Panthalam, bless one and all.

Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa