TEMPLES
Temple, according to the Oxford Dictionary is an ‘edifice or place devoted to divine worship’. Various religious communities call it differently – Pagoda by Buddhista, Church by Christians, Gurudwaara by Sikhs, Basthis by Jains, Mosque or Masjid by Muslims, Synagogue by Jews etc. Even among Hindus in India the temple has different names at different places such as Ambalam, Devaalaya, Devagara, Deva Grha, Devakula, Devasthhaanam, Devayathana, Kaavu, Kovil, Mandiram, Vihaar etc. however the generally accepted name is Kshethra taken from Sanskrit which means a ‘sacred spot or place of pilgrimage’. Irrespective of name, the temple is undoubtedly a place for mental solace besides being a place of worship. Further for an ordinary Hindu, it is the threshold to bhakthi, which leads to moksha or final liberation.
Traditional Hindu temples in Kerala are simple structures made of wood, brick and laterite stone. Often, from afar, the only sign that marks the presence of old temples is a tall, ceremonial flag-mast. The main sanctum hosting the deities -the Sreekovil - is invariably a single storied building of a circular or square plan.Inside the temples, use of oil lamps in contrast to electrical lights lends an air of serenity and mysticism. Walls of the Sreekovil are rarely left bare, and are instead, covered with intricate, beautiful mural paintings or wood carvings.The building base is usually of granite and the walls are of laterite stone masonry covered with lime plaster. The inner framework is of wood. This timber framework supports a conical or pyramidal roof covered with copper tiles. These sloping-roof buildings cope very well with the torrential rains that are a hallmark of Kerala's climate.Evolution of temples in Kerala is closely linked to it’s social and cultural history.
Most of the ancient temples are believed to have been consecrated by Lord Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to the legend Kerala is a gift of land by lord parasurama. The exact periods of installation of these temples are not known as the early temples have no recorded history as to by whom and when they were built. It is believed that the Sree Subramanyaswami temple at Harippad is of considerable archaeological importance and local tradition assigns its origin to the period before the commencement of the Kali-Yuga In fact all the early temples have some legends based on sthhalapuraanas or maahaathmyas. In all probability the idols of these ancient temples might have been installed about 4000 years back, i.e, during the first 1000 years after the commencement of Kali-yuga. The sthhalapuraanas mention that certain idols were installed in the Thretha Yuga (eg: Kaviyur temple), but there is no material evidence to prove it. At the same time it is inappropriate to totally disown such contentions. The more reasonable approach is to assign the temples to 2000 years before the commencement of the Christian era. The earliest batch of Aryan namboothiris immigrated to kerala as early as ‘circa 400 B.C. or 300 B.C. before Asoka and Katyayana’. Even before this immigration, in all probability, sila worship existed without any structures. In those days stone idols without any form symbolizing Gods and Goddesses might have been consecrated by Lord Parasurama or some Rshis. At a later period, enclosures or structures were constructed preserving the sanctity of the earlier installation. Installation of temples during the Christian era, which is now about 2000 years, has some recorded history in the form of inscriptions, copper plates, devotional lyrics etc.
