Cherai Varaha Moorthy Temple, Kerala

Address

Cherai Varaha Moorthy Temple, Kerala Cherai,
Ernakulam District,
Kerala,       India.
PIN – 683 514.

Moolavar

Varaha Moorthy

Amman

Maha Lakshmi

Introduction

• Built in 1565 A.D. by Azheekal Yogakkars; idol installed by Swami Yadavendra Tirtha, the first pontiff of Shri Kashi Mutt.
• Located in Cherai main village, about 1 km from Cherai Beach.
• Recognized as the first GSB (Goud Saraswat Brahmin) temple in the Travancore-Cochin region.
• Unique sanctum housing Lord Varaha with Sridevi and Bhudevi, and Sri Venkateswara with Mahalakshmi.

Puranic Significance

• Connected to the history of the Goud Saraswat Brahmins and their exodus from Kashmir to Goa, then to Kerala.
• Temple was originally built by a family named Kastoori, who fled from Goa during the Portuguese King Toao III’s expulsion orders in 1559.
• The original location of the temple was shifted due to sea erosion and flooding, leading to the temporary installation of Lord Venkateswara’s idol.
• Lost idols were later recovered and reinstalled alongside the idol of Mareecha Yakshi.

Special Features

• The temple complex includes:
  • Sreekovil, mukha mandapam, chuttambalam, sreebalipura, pradakshinavazhi, and ratha veedhi.
  • Unique structural elements, comparable to major South Indian temples, featuring multiple enclosures.
• Sree Varaha Pushkarani, the temple tank, has a mandapam in the middle for the aaratt ritual.
• Idols of Lord Varahamoorthy and Lord Venkateswara are crafted in pancha-loham and depict the deities in standing poses with symbolic hand gestures (abhaya and varada mudras).
• Additional idols: Lord Ganapati, Garuda, Hanuman, Shiva (Koteswaran), Vasuki, Naga, and Yakshi.

Festivals

• Two major annual festivals, with the Ratholsav (Chariot Festival) as a highlight.
• The temple chariot, equipped with iron railings for smooth movement, is pulled by thousands of devotees.

Century/Period

1542 AD

Nearest Bus Station

Cochin 

Nearest Railway Station

Ernakulam, Cherai junction.

Nearest Airport

Cochin 

Location on Map

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