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Though the Narasimhamoorthy temple (on the northern side) is separted by a wall, the two temples are interconnected. The fairly large, square-shaped, copper-roofed Sreekovil is built of granite.The Namaskaramandapam is ornamented with sculptures of lotus blooms. The granite pillars on the Mandapam also feature highly imaginative carvings. One stone pillar carries the image of Deepalakshmi. The sculptures and murals on the outer walls of the Sreekovil are so beautiful, they will take your breath away. Kerala's age-old tradition in temple architecture is reflected here.
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The
walls of the Sreekovil are adorned with sculptures of elephant heads
at regular intervals. Two of the elephants are with their trunks
down, while the rest have their trunks raised. This may have been
done to avoid monotony.
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The
compound wall of the Sreekovil are also adorned with enchanting
murals. The painting of Mahavishnu reposing on Anantha deserves
specific mention. Since the temple was formerly in the Cochin
territory, the god depicted is likely to be Sree Poornathrayeesa,
the family deity of the Cochin royalty. Nataraja, Indra with his
thousand eyes in the presence of Ugranarasimha, Sreekrishna, and a
damsel with her face turned away from a scene showing a love-lorn
couple are some of the pictures that will linger in the mind of a
visitor.
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The
Garbhagriha of the the Sreekovil has two ante-chambers. Here
too, the idols of Dwarapalakas are installed in one of them. The
Garbhagriha houses a beautiful, four-armed idol of Mahavishnu who is
perceived as Ugranarasima. In the corridor on the southern side,
there is an idol of Lord Siva. You can view and worship Him
through the narrow window in the wall on the southern side.
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Generally,
Narasimha idols are seen in a sitting posture. But here, the
idol is on its feet. One may assume that originally this idol in the
standing position was originally that of Mahavishnu; and, as a
result of poojas and other sacred rituals, it it is being perceived
as Ugranarasimha.
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Connoisseurs
of art within and outside Kerala agree that the sculptures, relief
works and carvings on the southern side of the Sreekovil are
priceless works of art. Scholars from afar often visit the temple
for an in-depth study of these masterly creations. You can see here
nine different perceptions of Narasimha including Ugranarasimha,
Lakshmi Narasimha and Yoga Narasimha. Khadgi straddling an
elaborately decorated horse, Yakshi carrying a hand-mirror and
eloquent scenes from Ramayana are worth a close observation.
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The
Narasimha temple has its own gold-plated Garudadwaja, oriented
towards the east.
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On
the extreme eastern side, in the direct line of vision of the
Narasimamoorthy shrine, is a massive temple tank measuring 100 x 80
metres. It is believed that the cool, clean, serene waters of
the tank provide a calming effect on the Lord’s fierce frame of
mind.
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