Thirunelli Temple and Papanasini


Thirunelli Temple  is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Maha Vishnu on the side of Brahmagiri hill in Kerala. The temple is at an altitude of about 900 meters in north Wayanad in a valley surrounded by mountains and beautiful forests. It is 32 kilometers away from Manathavady.
There is only limited historic and archaeological information on the place, though it is beyond dispute, that Thirunelli was once an important town and pilgrim center in the middle of an inaccessible jungle valley surrounded by mountains on four sides . There exists records proof that Thirunelli 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 temple, the ruins of two ancient villages can be found. Noted historian V. R. Parameswaran Pillai in his book Thirunelli Documents states that this temple was once an integral part of the early recorded history of Kerala.
The Malabar Manuel, written by William Logan too has mentions on the place. While laying roads to the place, it is said that, people got coins which dated back to 9th and 10th centuries, indicating the importance of the place during the reign of Kulasekhara. All these facts show that Thirunelli was an important town and pilgrim centre in north Kerala for centuries.
The temple is believed to have been built by Lord Brahma. He was travelling round the earth upon a swan and noticed the enchanting beauty of the Brahmagiri Hills. He descended on the spot and found an idol of Vishnu under an Amla tree. He installed the idol there and called the temple Sahyamalaka temple. Lord Vishnu, as per the request of Lord Brahma, made the waters of the area also sacred and blessed it with the capability to wash away all sins. Hence, the river there is known as Papanasini, meaning the stream that washes away all sins. According to some other legends, the King of Birds, Garuda, was flying with Amritakumbha, (the pot of Amrut, the nectar of life) above Thirunelli when Lord Brahma was consecrating Vishnu’s idol. Garuda circled over the place and a few drops of Amrut fell into the stream nearby, thus making the Papanasini to attain the power for purifying sins.

People believe that Lord Brahma worships Perumal in the temple on the wee hours every day, hence the head  priest of the temple leaves a fresh quantity of worshiping materials required for pooja in the temple before closing the temple at night. The name of the place too is derived from this legend – Thirunelli means the holy gooseberry in Malayalam. The reference to the Sahyamalaka temple, in the beautiful Sahya Valley can be seen in many ancient Puranas and Hindu texts.
Papanasini

It is a stream that originates from the Brahmagiri Hills which later joins River Kalindi. It is almost 400 mtrs away from the temple, on its


western side. Literally it means, extinguisher of sins. It is believed that River Ganga and River Saraswathi join in Papanasini. Therefore Papanasini is called the Southern Kashi. A ritual dip in Papanasini is believed to wash one away, of all worldly sins committed in a life time. If we immerse the ashes of the dead in Papanasini, it is equivalent to that of doing Karmas(Rituals ) in Gaya. At Papanasini there is a sacred rock called Pinnappara where ritual offerings to the spirits of the departed are made (known as bali). People believe that Parasurama, the famous incarnation of Lord Vishnu visited Thirunelli and performed last rites at the death of his father sage Jamadagni. He also took immersion in the Papanasini to wipe away sins committed owing to the annihilation of Kshatriyas
Coffee Trail Resort,Wayanad
Location: North Wayanad, Thirunelly Road, Thirunelly, Kerala 670646, India

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