
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A name that rings in the sound of bells for a locality is unique. But the identity of a prayerful hamlet nestled in the heart of the capital is so merged with the subtle aspects of sound, chants and rituals that one cannot imagine the name of the place to be anything other than Sreekanteshwaram.
Sreekanteshwaram is a busy residential area in Thiruvananthapuram city and is bordered by Pazhavangadi on the east, Fort on the south and Kaithamukku on the west. The place is located around 1km from East Fort and 2km from Statue Junction. Major landmarks here are the park and of course, the Shiva temple that gave the place its name.
The place was once known as ‘Onapada nilam’, says historian Vellanadu Ramachandran.
“The entire stretch from Padmanabhaswamy temple to the area including where the Sreekanteshwaram temple used to be called Onapadanilam. It was here that the kalari veterans used to stage their performances during the Padmanabhaswamy temple festival when the ‘arattu’ procession would be held,” says Ramachandran.
It was much later, after the emergence of a temple in its present format, that the place got its new name.
The local legend is an interesting tale steeped in devotional imagery.
Thiruvananthapuram has two Sreekanteshwaram temples, one above and the other near the Overbridge junction on the MG Road stretch.
The latter is known as the ‘Pazhaya Sreekanteshwaram’.And the new one emerged, when an elderly woman prayed to Shiva as she was unable to visit the temple regularly. The legend goes that her prayer was answered, and an idol appeared where she resided.
This new temple came to be known as Sreekanteshwaram (stree kanda eeshwaran, meaning the shrine of the God who was seen by a woman). Later, the entire area came to be known after the temple.
Ramachandran, however, feels the new temple could have been the result of differences of opinion among the caretakers of the temple administration of Sreekanteshwaram.
“Even as per mythology, Shiva got the name Sreekanta after he drank the poisonous ‘halahala’. To think that it has something to do with a woman who saw the God could be pure folklore,” he says.
The old Sreekanteshwaram is believed to have been established in the ninth century. This shrine has deep ties to the Kovilvila family, who took over its administration centuries ago and continued the conduct of its operations.
The new temple still maintaines its ties with the old one. As per tradition, the festivities at the new Sreekanteshwaram commence only after the ‘Panthirunaazhi’ ceremony at the Pazhaya Sreekanteshwaram temple, which though smaller in size, is equally rich in history.
“While Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is the most renowned in the capital, Sreekanteswaram temple holds the deep reverence of the natives of Thiruvananthapuram,” says M G Sashibhooshan, a historian.
Amid the city’s hustle and bustle, Sreekanteswaram has remained a cherished hub of tranquil community life.
What’s in a name
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