Cochin Thirumala Devaswom
| Cochin Thirumala Devaswom | |
|---|---|
CTD Raja Gopuram
|
|
| Name | |
| Proper name | Cochin Thirumala Devaswam aka Gosripuram |
| Malayalam | കൊച്ചി തിരുമല ദേവസ്വം / ഗോശ്രീപുരം |
| Geography | |
| Country | India |
| State/province | Kerala |
| District | Ernakulam |
| Locale | Mattancherry |
| Culture | |
| Primary deity | Venkatachalapathi(Vishnu), Gosripuresha |
| Important festivals | Maholsavam and Ratholsavam |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Different from Dravidian architecture (Kerala style) |
| Number of temples | 4 Upakovils, one Nagayakshi and one Swamiyar Samadhi inside, 4 small and one big sub-temples outside |
| History and governance | |
| Date built | 1599 AD |
| Website | http://gosripuram.org/ |
Cochin Tirumala Devaswom, also called Gosripuram is the biggest and most important socio-religious institution of Gowda Saraswat Brahmins of Kerala. The temple is situated at Cherlai in the heart of Mattancherry town in Cochin area which is one of the earliest settlements of GSBs in Kerala. The temple was established in the later half of 16th century. The history of GSBs in Kerala is inter-woven with that of this temple and its Venkateswara idol.
The main idol of Venkateswara, his consorts, Sreedevi and Bhoodevi on his either sides and he is placed on the top of the Simhasan. Utsav Murti with consorts in the middle step, Utsav Lakshmi at the lower step and Saligrama are on the lowest step.
There are four sub-temple or shrines inside the temple premises, there are temples dedicated to Goddess Mahalakshmi, Hanuman, Garuda and Vigneshwara. Vrindavan of Shri Sukrathindra Thirtha Swamiji (samadhi 1949 A.D, 19th Madathipathi of Kashi Math) is located here.A Naga Yakshi pedestal is situated on the southwest corner of the main temple next to the Vighneswara Temple.
Outside the temple yard, there are statues of the Vijayanagara king Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya and Swami Vijayendra Theertha of Kumbhakona Math, as well as a temple tank Outside the temple. A notable feature of the temple is its huge bronze bell, about four feet in diameter and six feet in height. In earlier centuries, the chiming of the bell could be heard even in areas far from the temple.
Besides these upakovils, There are other temples working under Cochin Thirumala devaswom (CTD). they are -
The presiding deity here is Venkatachalapathy. In 1568, with the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire and coercive conversions to Christianity by the Portuguese, the Gowda Saraswatha Brahmins migrated from Goa to Kochi. During their migration, Swami Vijayendra Teertha of Kumbhakona Math brought the idol of Venkatachalapathy to Kochi. The majority of households living around the temple belong to the GSB community.
In 1599, a temple, which was to be plundered many times, was built to house the idol. The Portuguese destroyed the temple in 1662, but it was reconstructed, in 1663, during the Dutch reign. In 1719, the idol disappeared mysteriously and was later found on a beach. It was kept at the Dutch Governor’s residence for a while and then restored to the temple.
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Wikipedia