Thrikkunnapuzha Sree Dharmasastha Temple where divinity is personified

God Ayyappan is  quite popular in Kerala and he  is the son of Shiva and Mohini – the female avatar of Vishnu.  God Ayyappan also goes by the name of  Ayyappa,  Hariharaputra, Manikanta, Shasta or Dharma Shasta.

Thrikkunnapuzha Sree Dharmasastha Temple, Kerala Temples

Thrikkunnapuzha
Alappuzha Police - Kerala Police

Thrikkunnapuzha Sree Dharmasastha Temple is a popular Hindu temple dedicated to Sri Ayyappa, also called Dharmasastha. Located in  Karthikappally Taluk of Alappuzha, the unique feature of this place of worship is the beautiful and captivating  idol in the  Srikovil. Divinity personified, this idol is believed to be 5000 years old and is placed on a granite base. Can you imagine the extent of antiquity and correspondingly the sanctity attached to this charming idol?  The 21 inch tall  ‘Panchaloha’ idol (made of five metals) of Dharmasastha  along  with the idols of his consort and son are being worshiped here. This place is an important pilgrimage center  in Kerala and it goes by the name of ‘Padinjare Pathinettampadi’. This temple is being visited by devotees in thousands to get God's blessings to take care of their problems - personal or otherwise. Here, Dharmasastha is believed to be a Protector, guarding the surrounding four villages.
Thrikkunnapuzha village  extends from Pathiyankara to Pallana on both sides of the Thrikkunnapuzha river, a tributary of Bharathapuzha. The  temple is located in this nice place surrounded by greenery.

Sabarimala Sri Dharmasastha TempleTripAdvisor

This temple owes its origin  to Sri Parasuramaswamy, a great saint in the Puranas and the ancient scriptures also  support this sthapurana. Legend has it Parasurama  considered  Kshethriyas his sworn enemies and never hesitated to kill them. His killing spree continued for a while till the evil in him was taken over by the good sense and repentance.  Haunted by the  guilt of having committed so much sin and loss of peace of mind, he traveled many places and finally reached Kerala. His restless mind finally took him to   Thrikkunnappuzha. The serene surroundings calmed him to such an extent, he went into a trance. After dwelling deep into his inner-self for a long time, he came out of it with a fresh, rejuvenated  and composed mind. The enlightenment urged him to install  a resplendent idol of Sree Dharmasastha together with his consort  and son . They were to be  at a height of 108 angulas (inches) from the ground level and can be accessed by 18 steps  to have a darshan of the divine idol. Here the  measurement of 108 angulas corresponds to the 108 divine names of Lord Vishnu. A wall surrounding 18 acres of land around the temple too was built.

Thrikkunnapuzha Sree Dharmasastha Temple, Kerala Temple Advisor

 According to another legend this unique temple has close links with Parasurama and lord  Narashimha, an avatar of Vishnu  with a Human body and a lion's head. Sri Vishnu took this incarnation to kill the demon king Hiranyakashipu who gave serious troubles to the sages, Devas (celestial) and others. Because the demon got a unique boon killing him was  very tough so lord took this weird and strange avatar to hoodwink him. Having killed the demon at the right time, at right place taking this strange form, Narasimha's ferocity and rage did not come down. It is believed that at this point, sage Parasurama, with his spiritual prowess,  
transferred the fierceness and radiance of Narasimha into Dharmasastha.

There are many sub deities in this temple - Paramaewaran, Mahavishnu, Ganapathy, Yogeswaran, Durga, Yakshi, Nagaraja and Nagayakshi.  God Subramanya is in a round shaped Srikovil - sanctum and gets due attention. For the ardent devotees several puja protocols are available and tickets have to be purchased before hand. Among the offerings, Kalabhaabhishekam is a famous one.  The Udayasthamaya pooja is an elaborate one and is good for the entire family. It costs Rs. 24000.00. It is believed those who come to this temple with full faith in the god will get peace of mind and be blessed with prosperity and welfare of the family.
 It is widely believed that if a person does pithrukaryam - obsequies
for the forefathers, etc, here he will be freed from the cycle of rebirth; he gets salvation. The practice of  offering ‘bali’ (in the form of Pindam - rice balls) for the pithroos - forefathers on the new moon day of the Malayalam month Karkkidakam  has been in vogue since ancient time. On this Ammavasya day, devotees in thousands descend on this place to conduct pithrookaryam after taking a dip in the river.

No Hindu temple is devoid of festivals and here at  Thrikkunnappuzha Sree Dharmasastha temple  the main festival is held in the Malayalam month of Vrishchikam. Just like other temple festivals of Kerala, the last day is an important one. That day is earmarked for   Aaraattu, the holy bath of the deity on the last day of the festival in the near-by river or Puzha.  It commonly  occurs on the day of Uthram  in the month of Vrishchikam.

http://www.templeadvisor.com/temples-in-india/hindu-temples/Thrikkunnapuzha-sree-dharma-sastha-temple
http://keralatemples.info/temple/thrikkunna puzha-sree-dharmasastha-temple/173
https://pedia.desibantu.com/thrikkunnapuzha-sree-dharmasastha-temple/