Spiritual Tourism VI – Heavens on Earth – Thirunavaya

Thirunavaya,. the Abode of the Celestials !

Yesterday I went to Thirunavaya, in Malappuram, to do shrardham for my mother. It was a great experience.

Thirunavaya is the abode of the gods and it impresses one with its breathtaking natural beauty. On the banks of Nila or Bharatapuzha, a 203 km long river, the second longest after Periyar, we have three glorious temples, dedicated to the Creative, Preservative and Destructive aspects of Time Eternal !

Hindus do srardham or bali ( rites to the departed ) , that is respect those who have gone to the astral plane.

We respected the dead ancestors and prayed for forgiveness for the offences, knowingly or unknowingly, done to them. I am my brother did it for almost forty minutes, on the banks of the sacred Bharatpuzha.

Bharatapuzha comes from the Western Ghats and flows through Kerala and drains itself into the Arabian Sea. It irrigates thousands of acres. Above is a video about the lotus cultivation in Thirunavaya. ( This temple deity, Lord Vishnu, was the Tutelary Deity of the Zamorin, who then was the ruler of Kerala. He was worried about the idols which were lost in the Bharatapuzha River. Astrologers advised him to garland Lord Vishnu with the lotus flower and hence lotus is cultivated on 250 acres. The lotus thus obtained goes not only to this Nava Mukunda temple but to temples like Guruvayur also).

Millions come here because of the natural beauty, the greenish landscape architecture done by Nature and the proximity of the three temples dedicated to Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.

Historical Background

Thirunavaya is a must see destination in Tourism Kerala. It lies 8 kms south of Tirur.

The famous Nava Mukunda Temple lies on the bank the of the second largest river in Kerala, the Bharatapuzha. It is believed to be 6000 years old. The sanctum sanctorum is adorned by great sculptures which defiy imagination. You can see the mythological Ten Incarnations of Vishnu along with the story of Lord Shiva in his tribal avatar, blessing Arjuna with the Pasupatha Arrow.

A place of immense historical importance, this is the ancient land of Mamankam, where the rulers used to assemble once, in every 12 years. One of them used to be elected as the Emperor of Kerala. There was a great Trade Fair held at this venue. Traders used to come in ships and barges and this festival was celebrated with great pomp and pageantry.

This temple has a ten day annual festival starting with Kodiyettam and ending in Arattu. Lakhs of people visit this temple during the festival.

The famous Vedic Othanmar Madhom, is on the bank of Bharatapuzha, near the Lord Shiva temple. This institute was a center of Aryanisation thorough Vedic Knowledge and Sanskrit and Thirunavaya is believed to be the main center, where Parasurama,one of the Ten Incarnations of Lord Vishnu, brought and settled Brahmin scholars.

How to reach Thirunavaya

It is well connected to all the districts of Kerala and can be reached

By Air

The Calicut Airport, one of the busiest and best designed, is just 26 kms from Thirunavaya

By Road

All districts of neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Kerala are connected to Tirunavaya by an efficient system of roads. The National Highway 17 is the most notable.

By Rail

Malappuram District, where Tirunavaya is posited, has two railway tracks running through it. The Mangalore-Madras and the Nilambur-Shornur tracks. Both are well connected to other cities.

Medical Tourism in US

For LASIK and PRK, U S is the ideal place.

I have a friend of mine who works in USAEyeswhich is a highly informative site which deals with LASIK and Photo Refractive Kerotomy.

USAEyes.orgcomplies with the Health on the Net Code.

Laser Surgery has improved considerably now. The Method, in which a tiny flap is cut across the top of the eye’s clear dome shaped cornea and folded back , so that a laser can reshape the tissue underneath. LASIK, short for laser assisted in situ kerotomilusis. Photorefractive Kerotectomy is sister to LASIK.

USAEyes deals with both methods.

Trichur Pooram, a great Tourist Attraction !

Yesterday was Trichur Pooram, the greatest of all festivals. A group of 15 elephants faced each other and it was a great sight.

Fireworks at 0430 AM today and 05.15 ended the great Trichur Pooram. I saw many foreign tourists in Trichur. Trichur is a tourist spot, because of the Trichur Pooram, the great temple of Vadakkunathan, the great Elephant Sanctuary in Guruvayur, the Palayur Church and the educational institutions in Trichur. Trichur is the cultural and educational capital of Kerala. The Trichur Medical College is spread over 1500 acres !

More than one million witness this great Festival, which occurs on the Pooram day in Mesha, the First Zodiacal Month of the Vedic Calender. Two major temples, Thiruvambadi and Parmakkavu, compete against each other. 15 elephants representing each take part in the festival. Also other elephants from other temples. It is a great sight, with the Trichur Round jampacked. One elephant fell down due to the intense heat. All India is under a heat wave. Global Warming is a real problem and temperature touched 45 degrees !

In my travel and tourism site, Kerala Heritages, I have uploaded a lot of Kerala Tourism, Farm Tourism and Health Tourism videos !

Video about Cherai Beach at Tourism

About Alappuzha Beach

About Medical Tourism

About Health Tourism

About Travel Kerala Tourism

About Organic Farming

About Farm Tourism

About The Arts of Kerala

One of my friends is working for the Stahl Eye Center, under Dr. Thierry Hufnagel He says Lasik Surgery is done fast in the US. It is the most performed surgery in the US. Lasik vision recovery is fast, within a few hours. The doctors who work at the Stahl Eye Center are graduates from UCLA, John Hopkins and Yale.

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