Chittur Thekkegramam - Rama Temple
Chittur Thekkegramam - Rama Temple
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The Agraharams of Palakkad
Overview
The temple was built by Great Poet and Sage Thunjath Ezhuthachan. The initial installation was a Mahavishu and later replaced with Rama
Location
Location: The Chittur Thekkegramam village is located about 20 Kms from the Palakkad railway station and off the Thathamangalam Chittoor Nattukal Road.
Address: MPVR+535, Double St, Thekkegramam, Chittur, Kerala 678103
Temple Timings:
5.30AM TO 9.30AM
5.30PM TO 7.30PM
History
This temple is located about 15 Kms south of Palakad in a village known as “Thekkegramam” surrounded by Paddy fields, coconut and palm trees, which is in existence for about 500 years, on the banks of River Shokanasini.
The scenic village on the shores of the Shokanashini river still retains an old world charm that once attracted Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam language and literature. He spent his final days here, translating the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharatha, to a new language derived out of Sanskrit and Tamil. Legend has it that Ezhuthachan was returning after a sojourn in the present Tamil Nadu region along with his disciples and found Thekkegramam an ideal place to settle and give vent to his creative impulses.
Sri Ezhuthachan installed a Vishnu idol which was later replaced with a Rama Idol.
Deities
Primary deity: Sri Rama, Seetha, Lakshmana And Hanuman
Sri Ayyappa
Videos
Videos
Photo Gallery
Utsavams
Sree Rama Navami (Theru) kodiyeri Utsavam
Sivan Theru during Sree Rama Navomi
Gokulashtami
Niraputhiri
Navaratri
Annabhishekam
Vaikunda Ekadasi ,Swarga Vasal
Thiruvathirai
Sasathapreethi
Sivaratri
Vahanas
Gaja Vahanam
Simha
Hanuman
Garuda
Adisesha
Kuthira
Rishabha Vahana For Lord Siva Temple
Adimakkavu
Chittur Kaavu
Other Agraharam Information
Total homes in the Agraharam: 220
Number and % of Brahmin homes: 35 or about 16%
Number and % of homes retaining traditional look: 20%
Does the village have a brahmana samooham: Yes there is a samooham
Does the village temple have a temple car (theru): Two Temple Car (Theru), Two Chapram (Pallakku)
When was the last ashtabandhana kumbabhishekam done: 19-02-2024 ,For Sree Rama Swamy, & Ayyappan and 22-02-2024 Siva Temple
Contact Information
Sri Lakshmi Narayanan (President),9645400283
Sri P.Ramanan (Secretary),9388122829
Sri R.Rajagopalan (Treasurer),7306780362
Well Known Elders from the Agraharam
1. Late Judge Sir C.V Anantha Krishna Iyer
2. Late Dr.C.V Seshadri (Bhajanai)
3. Late Sree Padmanabha Vadhyar (Chandru Vadhyar)
4. Late Sree Sadasiva VadhyarOwner of (Sadasiva School)
5. Late Judge Sree Vaidyalingam (Supreme Court Judge)
6. Late Sree Neelakanda Iyer (Patasala Nirmanam)
7. Dr Venkatramanan C.S (Dr Ramanu) Chaitanya Bajana Mandali
Food and Catering
- na -
Hall for functions and Lodging
- na -
Bank Accounts for sending Kanikkai, donation or vazhipadu
Thekkegramam Utsava Committee
Bank Of Baroda – Chittur Branch
A/C No: 57460100002115
IFSC CODE: BARB0CHITTU
Author's Notes
Chittur - Thekke Gramam - Part 1 - Ramar Kovil
100 Agraharams Project
About the origin of Chittur gramam, "The legend says, Ezhuthachan on his way back from Tamilnadu with his disciples made a halt at this point and became attracted by the serenity of the place which made him to decide to spend the rest of his life here." Prof. K. P. Narayana Pisharodi's work titled "Tunjath Acharyan" mentions - "Information from the documents at Chittur shows that the land was gifted to Tamil Brahmins by Suryanarayanan-ezhuthachan in Kollavarsham 725 (1550 A.D.)"
The innumerable Vedic Pundits in Palakkad and elsewhere owe their knowledge to the learnings from the Chittur VedaPatasala. 'The Veda-Sastra-Patasala was founded by a single individual called Sri Krishna Iyer. He was a pious and orthodox Brahmin with iron will. His administration was exemplary'.
Quoting from an article by the school blogsite "The Patasala Sanskrit High School situated on the banks of the river Sokansini is crossing decades of its worthy existence. This institution is an ideal example of tradition handed down to generation by a great cultural heritage. Established in 1893 as a veda sasthra patasala, by 1920 it had grown into a prestigious centre of sanskrit learning of South India. The dedication and the academic brilliance of the likes of Sri.C.V.Krishna Iyer,the late founder, requires special mention."
I have mentioned several learned scholars in the video about the agraharam. It is listed by Dr.N.K.Sundareswaran in a 2016 article. "In course of time, the Cochin Devasvom Board took over the Veda-sastra-patasala and it got reduced to a mere Vedapatasala, where even Vedic studies dwindled. Gradually it became a namesake Vedapatasala. Finally the Vedapatasala came to a standstill and the institution got a new face – that of a modern school, 'Patasala' School by name."
'Located on the banks of the river Sokanasini (the destroyer of sorrows) in Chittur, this is a memorial to Thunchath Ezhuthachan, the author of Adhyatma Ramayana, who spent his last days here. A srichakra, some of the idols worshipped by him, a stylus, wooden slippers and a few old manuscripts are exhibited at Chittur Gurumadom.'
From innumerable Vedic homes in the Agraharam the village is now populated by less than 35 brahmin homes which is about 18% of the homes. Further as Sri Ramanan mentions in the video, there are NO VEDIC PANDITS to do rituals in the village today.
It is sad to see that a pioneer agraharam like Chittur fell from the map of Vedic learning over the course of a few decades.
If you look at the state of the river, in many places you may end up calling it Soka Vardhini. The building of Dams have stopped the flow of the river and in many places the river is a cesspool during off season. There are now many initiatives like “Puduvarsham Puzhayodoppam" (new year with the river) where NCC NSS and other students and organizations are getting together to clean up the waters of the Sokanasini.
Radhe Krishna
Sriram(Hari), 100-Agraharams Project
Rama Bhagavathar Charitable Trust
July 19, 2024
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