Annadana temple of Kerala – Thiruva vandoor

Editor September 27, 2023September 27, 2023 0 Comments

This temple is 7 kms from Chenganoor and is said to have been built by Nakula, the fourth of the Pancha Pandavas. It is also a very ancient temple, since saint Nammalvar ( 3102 BC) has song about this temple.It is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Lord Vishnu.

It is also believed that Draupadi got her Akshaya Patra ( Vessel overflowing with food always). So, Annadanam ( Food donation) is very famous in this temple. Devotees who are suffering from poverty and unable to get proper food offer their prayers here for prosperity.

There are shrines for Lord Vishnu, Ganapathi, Dakshinamurthy,Sastha and Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna is in a kid form with his hands holding curd rice. Due to some problem in the year 1325, a Krishna idol was thrown in the river by the priest. Surprisingly, in the year 1960 ( 600 years after!!), the Lord appeared in the dream of a teacher asking him to dig a particular place. The teacher did the same way and took out the idol with the help of a monk Kesava Swamiji.

On the main festival every year, around 1000 kgs of rice are offered to Lord Krishna. On the same day, a procession of 40 elephants takes place which is a grand site to watch which is called as Gaja Mela – Festival of Elephants.