Indian Columbus

Ambalappuzha is a small town located near  Alappuzha  in  Kerala . The town is famous for its ancient and beautiful Krishna temple.  The temple built by the local ruler, 'Chembakasserry Pooradam Thirunal-Devanarayanan Thampuran' in 790 CE is associated with the famous temple of  Guruvayurappan . During the raids of Tipu Sultan in the year 1789 CE, the deity from Guruvayurappan temple was brought here for safekeeping. The 'paayasam' (a kind of sweet pudding made of rice and milk) served in this temple is very famous among the devotees, and it has an interesting legend behind this. Once, Lord Krishna appeared as a sage and challenged the local king on chess. It was decided that whoever lost the game had to pay rice to the winner. The number of grains (rice) would be determined using the chess board in the following manner. Once a grain of rice would be placed in the first square, two grains in the second square, four in the third square, and so on. Every square wo...

Alappuzha, also called Alleppey, is a picturesque town in the Indian state of  Kerala , with beautiful canals, backwaters, and beaches. It is also known as Venice of the East. Mullakkal Rajeswari temple, located at the heart of the city, is the most important temple of Alleppey. The site was originally the palace of the Chembakasseri kingdom, and it was later converted into a temple of Rajeswari. There are many festivals celebrated in a grand manner here. Devotees visit the temple in large numbers during the 'Mullakkal Chirappu' festival. The nine-day Navaratri festival and Thaipooyakavadi are also some other important festivals. Generally, all the female deities of Kerala are called Bhagavati. Hence, even though Mullakkal temple is dedicated to Rajeswari, the supreme Goddess, few people call this temple 'Mullakkal Bhagavati temple'. The temple is built in a typical Kerala architectural style. The highlight is that the top of the main shrine (called Sreekovil in Kerala)...