Janardhana Swamy Temple Kerala

Located in Varkala, Janardhana Swamy Temple is one of the most popular and major pilgrimage sites. The history of the temple is more than 2000 years old. The real date of the construction of the temple is unknown but some inscriptions in the temple indicate that the temple was renovated by Umayamma Rani who ruled this region in the late 17th century.

The Janardhana Swamy Temple’s presiding deity is Lord Vishnu. His idol has four arms in which you will see Conch shell, wheel, mace and pot. Apart from the main shrine you will also see painted idols of Lord Shiva, Lord Hanuman and other gods at the entrance of the sanctorum.

As per the legends, the temple of Janardhana Swamy was built by devas but the temple was dilapidated by the ravages of time. It was later built by Pandaya King. It is believed that he was affected by an evil spirit. He went on a pilgrimage to get rid of the negative effects of the evil spirit. He came across a place named Varkala where he saw the remnants of this dilapidated temple by the side of the sea. He prayed to god and promised that he would reconstruct this temple. The next day in his dream he was asked to go to the sea and stand near the temple. There he will see a huge number of flowers floating in the sea. If he starts searching there he would get an idol. He did the same which was told to him in the dream and found an idol. The present Janardhana Swamy Temple is said to have been recovered by him. He built the temple and took great care of its maintenance.

There are many other interesting stories and legends about this temple but this story has been the most popular one out of all.

The most interesting feature of the shrine of this temple is that it has Aabhojana in its right hand. Locals believe that his hand is slowly rising towards his mouth which means the world will face great deluge and Kalyug will be over if he eats Aabhojana.

Marvelous Architecture of Janardhana Swamy Temple

The architectural splendor of Janardhana Swamy Temple is one of a kind. The Papanasam Beach in the background and the blissful vistas of the Sea adds to the beauty of this temple. The temple has broad steps and has a high entrance arch with a tiled roof. You will also see an old Banyan tree on which various serpent gods and goddesses are installed. The temple has many distinct features and has a circular sanctum enclosed by a conical dome of copper sheets. It also has a mandapa or pavilion which is square in shape and the ceiling has wooden carvings of Navagrahas. In the ceilings you will see tall grass bells and tall granite posts. The oil trays cut in the granite posts hold the lighted wicks during evenings, the sight of which is visually very appealing.

Main Festival of Janardhana Swamy Temple

Arattu is the main festival of Swamy Janardhana Temple which is celebrated in the month of March/April. Another major festival celebrated here is Karkidaka Vavu. On this day the priests of this temple help the devotees to worship their ancestors and pay homage to them.