Thirunelli Temple

On the side of the Brahmagiri hills in Wayanad lay an ancient temple, dedicated to Lord Maha Vishnu, the Thirunelli temple. The temple, surrounded by beautiful hills and forests, is located 32 km away from Mananthavady. The temple is also known as Sahyamala Kshetram and Kashi of South.

While reaching the premises of this temple, you will experience tranquility. You will get refreshed with calm and peaceful surroundings covered with lush green forests. The Thirunelli temple is constructed as per ancient temple architecture.

The rituals in this temple are performed on the banks of stream Papanashini, which originates from the Brahmagiri hills. The stream is considered to have medicinal powers. You can also see a holy rock in this temple, where people used to pray for their forefathers. On the western side of the Thirunelli temple, you can see the cave temple Gunnika. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Thus, Thirunelli is blessed with the trinities – Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma.

Near the Papanashini stream, you can see Panchatheertham, the sacred pond. It is believed that five streams met here in the ancient period. You can see dense bushes surrounding the pond and also a foot imprint of Lord Vishnu in a stone slab at the center of this pond. In the summer season, the pond becomes dry.

History of Thirunelli Temple

The temple is dedicated to Lord Maha Vishnu. Situated at an altitude of about 900 m, the temple is surrounded by mountains and beautiful forests. History depicts Chera king Kulasekharan as the founder of this temple. There exists documentary proof that Thirunelly at the time of Tamil Chera king Bhaskara Ravi Varma I (962-1019 CE) was an important town and pilgrim center in South India. In the dense jungles surrounding the temple, the ruins of two ancient villages can be found.
The name Thirunelli derives from Nelli, the Malayalam word for the Indian gooseberry of the Amla tree. According to mythology, once Lord Brahma traversing the world on his hamsa saw an idol of Lord Vishnu set in an Amla tree. With the help of the Devas, Brahma installed the idol here and called it Sahyamalak Kshetra. Thirunelli Temple is also referred to as Amalaka temple and Sidha temple.

People believe that Lord Brahma worships Perumal in the temple in the wee hours every day, hence the head priest of the temple leaves a fresh quantity of worshiping materials required for puja in the temple before closing the temple at night.

Architecture of Thirunelli Temple

This 3000-year-old temple is a fine specimen of classical Kerala temple architecture. Around 30 granite columns and a granite paved floor make the temple an architectural wonder. The inner sanctum is surrounded by a tile-roofed structure and there is an open courtyard around the Sanctorum. Along the outer wall of the temple is a cloister made of granite pillars cut in a cubical style.

This part of the temple architecture is slightly unusual for a Kerala temple. The main deity idol of the temple is in the form of Chathurbhuja. Lord Ganapathi, Hanuman, Lord Shiva, and Bhadrakali are also worshipped at this temple.