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Introduction and History in Brief
Rakthakanda Swamy Temple, Omallur, Pathanamthitta District, known as “Omallur Temple” traces its history to 8th century AD. It is a pilgrim centre on the way to Sabarimala from Pandalam, the birthplace of Sree Ayyappan. The Temple is famous for its annual festival of 10 days in the month of Medom of Malayalam Era. The 10-day festival is celebrated by 10 Karayogams (village communities) in and around Omallur. During the festival days, there is a customary Arattu procession to the river Achenkovil. More than 10 elephants decorated with Nettipattom (a decorated cover on the forehead) will be a speciality of this Arattu. The Temple has a Golden Flag Staff erected in the year 1952 AD. Omallur is 4 km [2] south from the district headquarters Pathanamthitta and 11 km from MC Road (Kottayam – Trivandrum route). Omallur Temple has many interesting stone carvings. Kallunadasvaram (Nadasvaram made up of stone) and Kalchangala (chain made by stone) are two among them.
The History of the temple is related to the village named Kalleli near to the konni Town. From the kalleli, the main deity was thrown to the river achankovil by the local people due to there failure in the game Choothu (traditional game played by the kerala people).
Unrecognised History
The legend behind the establishment of the temple is as follows: Once Lord Brahma and Lord Maha Vishnu decided to find out the source and end of Sivalinga. Lord Brahma took the form of a swan and travelled upwards and Lord Maha Vishnu, as varaha, downwards. Even after many years of flight they could not reach their endpoints. Lord Brahma however claimed that he had reached the top and produced a flower of screw pine as proof. Recognizing that Lord Brahma was not telling the truth, Lord Siva removed one of his heads. Lord Vishnu gathered the slashed head without letting it fall on the earth and consecrated it at Kallalil, a village to Omalloor. Many years later a competition was held at Kallalil village by two rival groups. The routed group took the statue and tossed it into the Achankovil River. The life-force of the statue took the form of a flower and a boy who was taking bath in the river with his mother caught hold of it. Then the Lord shown Himself before them and told to build a temple there for him.
Unrecognised History
The legend behind the establishment of the temple is as follows: Once Lord Brahma and Lord Maha Vishnu decided to find out the source and end of Sivalinga. Lord Brahma took the form of a swan and travelled upwards and Lord Maha Vishnu, as varaha, downwards. Even after many years of flight they could not reach their endpoints. Lord Brahma however claimed that he had reached the top and produced a flower of screw pine as proof. Recognizing that Lord Brahma was not telling the truth, Lord Siva removed one of his heads. Lord Vishnu gathered the slashed head without letting it fall on the earth and consecrated it at Kallalil, a village to Omalloor. Many years later a competition was held at Kallalil village by two rival groups. The routed group took the statue and tossed it into the Achankovil River. The life-force of the statue took the form of a flower and a boy who was taking bath in the river with his mother caught hold of it. Then the Lord shown Himself before them and told to build a temple there for him.
Important News Related to Temple
The temple is blessed with the Shasta
Shasta is a Hindu deity, venerated with Shiva and Vishnu. Shasta is a generic Sanskrit term for a ruler, i.e. the one who rules/preaches. The word Shasta was first used in the sense of a Hindu deity in South India during the 3rd century.[citation needed] He is identified with many deities like Aiyanar, Ayyappa and Revantha. He is also called as Brahma Shastha, preacher of Pranav am. According to Tamil literature, Shasta has eight important forms.
Shasta is a generic term that means “Teacher, Guide, Lord, Ruler” in Sanskrit.[1] In South India, a number of deities are associated with Shasta. The Tamil song Shasta Varavu states that there are eight important incarnations and forms of Shasta. This is also present in the agamic work Dyana Ratnavali. The Ashta-Shasta (eight Shastas) are Aadhi Maha Shasta, Dharma Shasta (Ayyappan), Gnana Shasta, Kalyana Varadha Shasta, Sammohana Shasta, Santhana Prapti Shasta, Veda Shasta and Veera Shasta. Brahma Shasta is another term associated with Kartikeya.
Manyatas
The temple is blessed with the Shasta
Shasta is a Hindu deity, venerated with Shiva and Vishnu. Shasta is a generic Sanskrit term for a ruler, i.e. the one who rules/preaches. The word Shasta was first used in the sense of a Hindu deity in South India during the 3rd century.[citation needed] He is identified with many deities like Aiyanar, Ayyappa and Revantha. He is also called as Brahma Shastha, preacher of Pranav am. According to Tamil literature, Shasta has eight important forms.
Shasta is a generic term that means “Teacher, Guide, Lord, Ruler” in Sanskrit.[1] In South India, a number of deities are associated with Shasta. The Tamil song Shasta Varavu states that there are eight important incarnations and forms of Shasta. This is also present in the agamic work Dyana Ratnavali. The Ashta-Shasta (eight Shastas) are Aadhi Maha Shasta, Dharma Shasta (Ayyappan), Gnana Shasta, Kalyana Varadha Shasta, Sammohana Shasta, Santhana Prapti Shasta, Veda Shasta and Veera Shasta. Brahma Shasta is another term associated with Kartikeya.
Architecture
Temple Photos
Videos from YouTube
Presiding Deity
Bhagwan Karthikeya with weapons
Be A True Devotee
Timing
Aarti Timing
Basic Facilities
Activities
Festivals
Mandalam Makaravilakku, Makara Sankranti (14th January
Karthikeya Shukla Panchami
Ram Navami
Sita Jayanti
Hanuman Jayanti
Durga Pooja
Navratris
Bhairav Pooja
Maha Shivaratri
Diwali
Holi
Temple Anniversary
Basant Panchami etc..
👉The temple is well-known for its yearly festival of 10 days in month of Medom of Malayalam Era. The 10 days festival is celebrated by 10 Karayogams (village communities) in and around Omalloor. On the festival days there is a customary Arattu march to the River Achenkovil more than 10 elephants decorated with Nettipattom (adorned on the forehead) will be the speciality of this Arattu.
Famous Temples Nearby
Dharmasastha Temple
Chirakkal Ayappa Temple
Pampadimon Ayyappa Temple
Omalloor Sree Rakthakantaswamy Temple
Pathinettam Padi etc..
Near by Shops & Markets
Nearby Dharamshalas
Hotels near Temple
Restaurants near Temple
Nearby Hospitals
Concerned Police Stations
7Q3M+RH9, Azoor, Pathanamthitta, Kerala 689645
Managment Commitee
Miscellaneous information
Legal information
Administration and legal binding is managed by Travancore Devasvom Board, an affiliate authority of Government of Kerala. Thazhamon Madom is the traditional priest family who has powers over the religious matters to be decided in Sabarimala Temple. Tantri is the highest priest and is the head of the temple. It’s the duty of the family to decide on religious matters relating to Sabarimala shrine. Tantris are to be present in all ceremonial Poojas and functions to be held at temple premises and functions associated with temple. The installation of idols of the temple was also done by Tantri of this family.
Currently, Kandararu Rajeevararu and Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru from Thazhamon Madom are the thantris of Sabarimala, taking yearly turns and A K Sudheer Namboodiri is the elected melshanti of Sabarimala, from November 2019 to November 2020.
Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has decided to allow more devotees daily to visit the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple as of 1 December 2020. The number of devotees has been increased from the present 1,000 to 2,000 on week days and from 2,000 to 3,000 on weekends and holidays.
All necessary precautionary measures have been taken at the shrine premises and base camps adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.
Facilities to hold Functions
Library
Akharas
Mehants, Pujaris, Archakas and Sewayats
Gau Sewa, Birds and otheranimals Sewa
Langar Sewa
Gurukul/Vedic Pathshalas
Mitra Mandal Link for Advice/Guidance*
Modes of Travel
The nearest airports are Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (170 kilometres (110 mi)) and Cochin International Airport (160 kilometres (99 mi)). A heliport is situated in Perunad about (40 kilometres (25 mi)) from Pamba, which is also known as Sabarimala helipad. Tiruvalla (87 kilometres (54 mi) Chengannur (82 kilometres (51 mi)), Kottayam (92 kilometres (57 mi)), Kayamkulam Junction (102 kilometres (63 mi)), Sasthamkotta (100 kilometres (62 mi)), Punalur (100 kilometres (62 mi)) and Kollam Junction (129 kilometres (80 mi)) are some of the closest accessible railway stations from Sabarimala.
The main trunk road of about 70 kilometres (43 mi) to Sabarimala is Pathanamthitta-Pamba, which passes through, Mannarakulanji, Vadasserikara, Perunad, Lahai & Nilakkal. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operates regular daily bus services from Pandalam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kumili. Direct Bus services to Pathanamthitta, Erumeli and Pamba are operated from Chengannur railway station and Kottayam railway station.
Sabarimala is located in the Western Ghats, inside a forest area in south Kerala. The nearest airports are the international airports in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Pilgrims reaching Kochi by air will have to travel about 160 km by road and those flying in to Thiruvananthapuram will have to travel about 170 km by road in order to reach the temple.
Pilgrims can also visit Sabarimala by arriving at Calicut International Airport in Karipur, Kozhikkode or use the TamilNadu airports of Madurai or Coimbatore. These airports, however, are only the first step in the journey to Sabarimala, as the next part of the journey will have to be completed by rail or road. Pilgrims arriving at Kozhikode by air, for instance, will have to travel about 330 km by road or by rail and road. Similarly people reaching Coimbatore and Madurai will have to travel about 315km by road from Coimbatore and 250 km by rail and road from Madurai to reach Sabarimala. Pilgrims from Coimbatore can also reach Kottayam by train. The approximate distance is 250 km. After the train journey, travelers will have to complete the last 90 km by road. Similarly, pilgrims from Kozhikode can also travel by train to reach Kottayam, which is about 260 km away. From Madurai Airport, pilgrims can visit Sabarimala via Kumali by road.
There is no direct railway line connecting other towns to Sabarimala but there are a few railway stations near the temple. The nearest railway stations are at Kottayam, Thiruvalla and Chenganur which are about 90 kilometres from Sabarimala. For pilgrims coming from places outside Kerala, like Mangalapuram, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi, disembarking at Kottayam railway station is the most convenient stop followed by Thiruvalla and Chenganur for easy access to Sabarimala.
Some trains end their trip at Ernakulam which is to the northwest of Kottayam. Pilgrims getting down at Ernakulam will need to proceed to Kottayam by boarding another train for an additional journey of about 1½ hours. They may also proceed by road to reach Sabarimala. Some trains may go from Ernakulam to Kollam or Thiruvananthapuram via Alappuzha and these will not touch Kottayam. Pilgrims traveling in these trains may need to get down at Alappuzha and then proceed by road through Changanassery and Erumely, or else, may need to get down at Kayamkulam and proceed by road via Adoor. The distance in both cases by road is about 125 kilometres. For pilgrims coming from Thiruvananthapuram by train, the best stations to disembark are Thiruvalla or Chenganur and then travel about 90 kms by road to reach Sabarimala.
The majority of visitors to Sabarimala arrive by road. Devotees coming from the state of Karnataka who come via Managalore or Mysore can come to Thrissur town in the central part of Kerala. They may then take the Moovattupuzha-Kottayam road to reach Sabarimala. It is about 210 kilometres from Thrissur to Sabarimala.
Devotees from Tamilnadu or Andra Pradesh can reach Thrissur via Coimbatore or Guddalore. Pilgrims coming from the central regions of the State of Tamilnadu can come via Madurai or else through Kumali to reach Sabarimala. From Madurai, it is about 250 kilometres by road to reach the shrine.
For pilgrims coming from regions in southern Tamilnadu like Nagercoil, Sabarimala may be reached via Thiruvananthapuram – Kottarakkara -and Adoor. Sabarimala is about 250 kilometres from Nagercoil. Pigrims can also arrive via NH47 from Thiruvananthapuram via Kollam, Kayamkulam, Mavelikkara, Chengannur or Thiruvalla.
Pilgrims arriving from Chenkotta of Tamilnadu, can come to Punaloor and reach Sabarimala via Ranni and Erumeli. Pilgrims coming by road from Ernakulam can proceed via Vaikom-Ettumanoor route to reach Kottayam and from there through the Kanjirappalli-Erumeli route to reach Sabarimala. The total distance is about 165 km.
And for those coming from Alappuzha, Sabarimala can be accessed by road through the Chanaganassery-Erumeli route. In addition to journeying from Alappuzha, pilgrims can proceed through Thiruvalla, Kozhencherry and Pathanamthitta to reach Sabarimala, which is about 125 km by road.
Visitors’ views about the Temple
Address for Visiting and Donation Purpose
Omalloor Sree Rakthakantaswamy Temple
7, Pathanamthitta – Kaipattoor Rd, Omalloor, Pathanamthitta, Kerala 689647