The world will come to an end - Varkala Janardhana Swamy Temple

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Varkala is a coastal town near Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. Varkala has an ancient Janardhana Swamy temple, which is believed to be 2000 years old. Janardhan is the name of Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Varkala Janardhana Swamy temple is one of the important pilgrim centers of Kerala, and it is also called 'Dakshina Kasi' (Southern Kasi). The temple is located near Papanasam beach, which is believed to have medicinal value.


The presiding deity of the temple is Sri Janardhana Swamy. The icon is found in the standing posture and has four arms. One of his right arms is raised towards his mouth as if he is performing 'Aachamanam'. (Aachamanam is a kind of purification ritual followed in Hinduism, in which the water is sipped thrice into the mouth.) As per the belief, the deity's right arm has water and moves one inch towards his mouth every twelve years. When it reaches his mouth, that will end 'Kali Yuga', and this world will cease to exist.


There are many legends associated with this temple. Let us see some of them very briefly. Once Lord Brahma wanted to get the blessings of Lord Vishnu and bent down; however, Lord Vishnu had already moved, and it appeared to everybody as if Brahma was saluting the sage Narada. Hence, the celestials made fun of Brahma and laughed at him. Brahma cursed them; Narada threw his Valkala (deer's skin) towards the earth. The Devas worshipped Lord Vishnu in the place where Narada's Valkala fell, and they got rid of their sin. Varkala is the place where the Devas built the temple for Janardhana. After many years, a Pandya king found the icon of Janardhana in the sea and rebuilt this temple.


The temple also has small shrines for Lord Shiva, Ganesha, Ayyappa and Chandikeswara. There are Nagaraja (snake worship) images found under a sacred tree. Even though this is a Vishnu temple, all other icons belong to Shaivism.



Happy travelling.


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