The Four Extraordinary Temples Consecrated by Sree Narayana Guru

Dr.Sreekumar Sreedharan (formerly Associate Professor, Kerala Agricultural University.) Presently works as Consultant and lives in Canada.

My family and I have been living abroad for the past several years. I was not fortunate while in India and abroad, to read and understand the life and teachings of Narayana Guru. However, during my recent visit to India, I was able to read different biographies of the Guru, his philosophy and teachings. The Guru was not only a saint and a prophet, but was also a social reformer and a blessed divine poet extraordinary. Several of his writings, especially the three poems with one hundred verses, need explanatory notes and guidance, to comprehend the spiritual meaning[1]. Perhaps this may be one of the reasons why large sections of society are unable to fully understand his spiritual teachings.

The Guru and his disciples during their lifetime, had consecrated about one hundred temples throughout South India and Sri Lanka[2]. However, during the six years from 1921 to 1927, the Guru consecrated four extraordinary temples. He was far ahead of his time in thinking and vision, which are evident when we look at these four temples and the deities that the Guru installed. Therefore, I decided to visit all of them and this article briefly enumerates the background and the Guru’s philosophy behind consecrating these temples.

Sree Chithambaram Temple (Lamp Temple / Vilakku Ambalam[3])
This temple is located in Karamukku, near Kanjani, 30 minutes drive from downtown Trichur. The Guru opened this temple, which is popularly known as the Vilakku Ambalam, to the public on 15th May 1921. The vast majority of the population in the area in 1921 were illiterate and poor, belonging to the backward communities, many of whom were Ezhavas. One of the landlords built a temple and requested the Guru to consecrate the idol. The Guru agreed to do this, provided the temple will not be a family, private temple, instead should be donated to the community, to which the landlord agreed. When the Guru arrived, he found that the landlord had brought several idols from Tamilnadu, which resembled rakshasas (demons). Therefore, the Guru did not install any of them. Instead, he asked for an oil lamp with three branches. He lit them and installed this lamp as the idol. Then with a smiling face the Guru said to everyone present there, “Let this light shine and spread everywhere”. The Guru, during his lifetime pointed out that light is education and knowledge and he compared light to Goddess Lakshmi. He always reminded his followers that it is darkness that trouble mankind all the time, meaning the darkness due to lack of knowledge and education. Whenever light enters, darkness disappears and we are able to see everything vividly. Allegorically, he was trying to convey the idea that with education and knowledge, ones life will brighten through material and spiritual prosperity. He strongly believed that the objective of a temple[4] is to brighten our lives by removing ignorance[5]. Today it is gratifying to know that the followers of the Guru at this temple accepted his teachings and established schools within the temple premises. Today, these schools have grown into large institutions and claim to have the highest number of students amongst all the schools in Trichur district, numbering ten thousand. This is again complementary to one of his maxims “Liberate yourselves through education and knowledge”

Kalakandheswara Temple.
This temple is located in Murukkumpuzha, near Trivandrum and the Guru opened this to the public on the 22nd December 1921, i.e. more than seven months after the installation of the Vilakku Ambalam. The temple is located five minutes from the Murukkumpuzha town. Again, this temple has a unique message for all mankind. The community requested the Guru to consecrate a temple, built by the leaders. The Guru arrived with his disciples. The community welcomed the Guru wholeheartedly and treated him with respect. However, a part of the community did not extend the same courtesy and respect to his disciples[6]. The Guru was unhappy about this treatment meted out to his followers. He found that the community had two different attitudes to him and to his deciples. At the appointed time for consecrating the idol, the Guru declined to install the idol. Instead, he asked to inscribe the word “OM” in the center of a brass plate and then add the words “Sathyam”(truth), “Dharmam” (righteousness), “Daya”(compassion) and “Shanthi”(peace). When this was ready, he installed this as the idol. He explained that these are the synonyms of God and has a logical sequence. When we are truthful and live a righteous life, fulfilling our duties with compassion, then these will automatically lead us to the fourth divine quality, which is inner peace, which we all strive to achieve in life.

The Guru was trying to convey the idea that, when we pray we should ask for these four divine qualities to be instilled in us. He gave far greater value for the spiritual qualities that we should attain, instead of concentrating on hollow prayers, pilgrimage and various rituals[7]. The Guru, however, in his compassion, later installed the idol of Shiva for the devotees, which can be seen today, next to the brass plate.

Today, not only in the affluent west, but in all communities in general, people are spiritually poor and unable to find peace of mind in the midst of material wealth, as they are driven by greed. Therefore, this may be the most relevant message that we should accept and follow, to achieve these divine qualities and inner peace.
This again is not different from his maxim, ‘regardless of your religious beliefs, the most important matter is for people to become better human beings.’

Ardhanareeswara Temple – popularly known as Shaktheeswaram Temple (Mirror Idol)
This is located near Sherthallai (Alleppey district), three kilometers from the railway station and is the first temple where a mirror was installed, as an idol. This is commonly referred to as the “Kannadi Prathishta” i.e. mirror idol and the Guru consecrated this temple on June 14th, 1927, about five and a half years, after the Murukkumpuzha Temple. Recently, this temple has undergone extensive renovation.

The local community built the temple and wished to install the idol of Ardhanareeswaran (half Shiva and half Parvathy in one idol) to which The Guru agreed. However, at that time there was a youth movement gaining momentum against idol worship[8]. The older generation, who had organized the function was naturally in favor of idol worship. Thus, the community was divided into two groups and tension began to build up by the time the Guru arrived to install the deity. The situation became explosive and tense, when the leader of the older generation threatened to self immolate if the Guru did not install the idol as originally planned. Both groups represented their points of view and waited for the Guru’s response. The Guru then asked one of his devotees to bring a mirror, which was cut to size according to his instructions and the word “OM” was inscribed[9] on it. The Guru then consecrated this mirror as the idol. The popular belief is that, whoever looks into the mirror can see his or her reflection, which implies that we can see God in our own image[10]. This concept was further reinforced when the Guru is reported to have said after the installation, “Aham brahmasmi” and “Thathwam Asi”, which are the two great maxims of the Hindu faith (Adhvaita Philosophy), meaning “I am God” and “You are God” respectively.
However, I was unable to see my reflection in the mirror as the mirror is installed at a higher level. Besides, even if the mirror were kept at a lower level, we would have seen only part of our image because of the inscription, which covers approximately one half of the mirror. The logical explanation in my view is, that the Guru wanted to convey the idea that God can be worshipped in any form, especially when the letter “OM” represents the omnipresence of God and according to Hindu scriptures, it has a thousand meanings. This idea is reconfirmed when we see the next temple that the Guru established.

This incident gives us an insight of the Guru’s concept of God and also his negotiation skills, in a difficult situation. This is comparable to what prophet Muhammad[11] (PBUH) achieved when he was asked to resolve a dispute amongst the four chieftains of his tribe, each of whom were claiming the right to install the black stone inside the Kaaba[12] in Mecca. The Prophet then brought a square cloth and placed the stone in the center. He then asked the chieftains to hold one corner each and place the stone inside the Kaaba, thus resolving their dispute amicably. Similarly, the Guru, after installing the mirror, gave permission to his disciple Bodhananda Swamy to consecrate the idol of Ardhanareeswaran, thus satisfying the spiritual needs of both groups.




Omkareswara Temple – Mirror Idol
This is near Vaikkom in Thalayazham Panchayat. There is also a convenient access by road to this location from Kalavamkodam temple, which takes approximately thirty minutes. This temple was consecrated eleven days after installing the mirror idol in Kalavamkodam i.e.on 25th June 1927. In fact, this is the last temple anointed by the Guru, for he passed away (samadhi) fifteen months after the installation of this idol.

During this period there was severe drought in the area and small brooks and ponds dried up, except a large pond in one of the temples. The backward communities were not allowed to enter this temple premises by the upper castes. One night seven youths from the Ezhava community secretly bathed in the temple pond and one of them accidentally found a bronze idol while diving. They kept this hidden in a wooden box, where traditionally rice is stored and secretly decided to request the Guru to install this idol in the temple that was built. When they went to see the Guru to request him to install the idol, the Guru told them that he would not install the hidden idol. They were speechless, as they had not informed the Guru about the hidden idol. The Guru told them that he had a different idol in his mind and would install this if they agreed. The representatives were only very happy to consent.

The Guru gave instructions to prepare a mirror according to specific measurements, which was mounted on a wooden frame with the Sanskrit inscription of the word “OM”, unlike the Malayalam one in Kalavamkodam. He specifically named the temple ‘Omkareswaram’, which means the temple with ‘Omkaram’ as God . Again, here the Guru broke tradition and showed everyone that God can be worshipped in any form[13]. It is believed that the mirror was used because it is always considered as a ‘mascot’ and also associated with divinity. In Kerala during Vishu[14], a mirror is kept as one of the items for worship. Again, in this mirror the inscription of “OM” is large and is also protected by another glass sheet. From the manner in which the mirror idol is placed, it is evident that the devotee is unable to see his or her reflection in the mirror. Thus, it is once again a reconfirmation that the Guru was conveying the idea that we can worship God in any form.

At the temple in Karamukku (lamp), the Guru is reported to have quoted from the ‘Bhagavad-Gita’. When Arjuna asked Krishna where he could see Him in the universe, Krishna pointed to burning amber and mentioned that He is present even in the glow of the burning amber. Thus the light in the lamp not only symbolizes education and learning but also the presence of God. This shows the omnipresence of God in all animate and inanimate objects. The relevance of the Guru’s teachings can be seen in these four unconventional idols, installed during the dark periods of the caste apartheid society in Kerala. His teachings are not only relevant for the ten million diaspora of Ezhavas but also for all humanity. Perhaps this is more relevant today, as the world community is divided on racial prejudices.

I had difficulty in taking pictures of all the idols as the pujaris believe that this would diminish the power of the idols !! (The flash light of the camera, they believe, would reduce the power of the idol). Besides, I was also asked to remove my shirt before entering the temple. I remember that in the past, the Guru’s temples used to be progressive and photography was freely permitted, and also the devotees were not asked to remove their shirts. It saddens me to find more Brahmin priests with the holy thread, in our temples these days. It is my belief that if the Guru were alive today, he would have been unhappy about these changes, which take us backwards and undo what the Guru achieved. There is an anecdotal narration of an incident in Guru’s life which is most appropriate to these present changes. The Guru consecrated a temple in a small community and after the installation of the deity; there was a discussion as to who would perform the puja on a daily basis. One of the devotees suggested that he can ask a Brahmin priest who lived nearby to do this. Guru then commented “If we do this, then we are not only going to forego all that we have achieved until now but we will also be going backwards”. Perhaps, is time we ask ourselves whether we are now truly moving away from the Guru’s teachings?!.

Acknowledgement:-

The author owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. K C Prakasan for providing reading materials, and Dr. T Bhaskaran for his valuable suggestions. Finally to my dear wife Sakhina who not only accompanied me to all these temples but also proofread and typed the article.

Note: The photographs are in a separate folder. You may edit each picture appropriately highlighting the relevant part for example – the mirror idol while editing the readers should be able to see ‘OM’ and ‘Shanti’ conspicuously.

[1] The Guru has written about 70 poems and prose, both large and small. They range from 1 to 19 verses, with the exception of three with 100 verses. These three are ‘Shiva Shathakam’, ‘Darshana Mala’, and ‘Athmopadesha Shathakam’. Twenty of his various writings are in Sanskrit, two in Tamil and the rest in Malayalam. The Guru during his life time recited most of the poems from his memory which were written down by his disciples. Although several of his poems like ‘Athmopadesha Shathakam’ and ‘Daiva Shathakam’ were made available earlier, the first compiled/collected works of the Guru numbering 44 poems were first published in 1941 by Kumaraswami Sanyasi.


[2] One each in Tamil Nadu (Nagarcoil), Karnataka (Mangalore) and Sri Lanka (Colombo) and the rest in Kerala


[3] Within the local community, the temple is known as “Samajam Temple”, as it is managed by Sree Narayana Gupta Samajam (SNGS). However, in other parts of Kerala and historically also, this temple is referred to as the Vilakku Ambalam, as the deity is an oil lamp.

[4] When people visit temples they have to cleanse themselves and wear clean clothes. Inside the temple usually people have virtuous thoughts. The Guru was aware of the fact that regular visits to the temple will ultimately cleanse a person both physically and mentally. He had the vision to realize that this was the best way to eradicate the evil of caste apartheid, as according to him no one would have the moral courage to practice untouchability when the other person has physical cleanliness. (Good thoughts lead to good speech, good speech leads to good actions, good actions will lead to good behavior and good behavior is the basis for good character) He insisted that the temple premises be kept tidy and clean and encouraged the community to assemble and discuss common problems. His obsession with cleanliness is legendary and he also had the vision to start libraries and schools as an extension of the temple.


[5] Saraswathy is associated with learning and knowledge and Lakshmi is associated with wealth and prosperity. The Guru believed that wealth and prosperity are essential to facilitate education and education will ultimately benefit the community. He is believed to have reiterated this while giving Rs. 100/- to Sahodaran Ayyappan to support his education.

[6] SNDS (Dharma Sangham) was established many years later in 1928 with twelve disciples, including Swamy Ernest Kirk, who was his first European disciple. Nataraja Guru, who is in the group photo, taken immediately after signing the Constitution, however did not sign the agreement. Nataraja Guru established the “Gurukulam” as a separate entity eight years earlier in 1923 in Fernhill, near Ooty on a plot of land donated by a friend, in association with Bodhananda Swamy. This had a modest beginning in a shed covered with a tin roof.

[7] He had little regard for pujaris and believed that they had no proper knowledge of the scriptures. He asked his devotees not to spend money even on rituals associated with death in the family. Instead, he asked them to pray for 10 days for the departed soul and to donate the money for charity, that they would have otherwise spent for the feast and other rituals. He believed this would be more beneficial for the departed soul.

[8] Hinduism is a mono-theist religion, i.e. belief in one God as the supreme creator. The several gods worshipped in Hinduism are symbolic representations of this one God, i.e. ‘Parabrahmam’, who is omnipotent and omnipresent, has neither beginning nor end and is unseen. We in our ignorance have given a form, as in an idol for the convenience of our imagination. Therefore, the first Hindu prayer is to ask for forgiveness for providing a form to God Almighty. The temple at Oachira in Central Kerala is perhaps one of the few temples where there is no idol, instead there is an large banyan tree representing ‘Parabrahmam’.

[9] This was done by scraping the mercury from behind the mirror. “OM” was inscribed in Malayalam but when this was brought, the Guru noticed that the middle letter was missing. Guru accepted this and said that this also has the same meaning. The word ‘Shanthi” (peace) is believed to have been added at a later stage.

[10] During my childhood, I remember my parents and uncles discussing the same explanation and I believe that this is probably the popular belief in the past and present.

[11] The Guru had the highest regard for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), whom he considered to be the embodiment of compassion and virtue. It is evident that the Guru had profound understanding of the Prophet’s life and work, especially his compassion towards his opponents, who persecuted him during his lifetime. Guru called him “Karunavan Nabi Muthuratnam” (a brilliant diamond of compassion). Please see “Anukampa Dashakam”



[12] Mecca is the holiest place for the Muslims. Kaaba is the location where Prophet Abraham is believed to have agreed to sacrifice his son Ismail. Besides, the Muslims believe that this is the place where God first spoke to man. Muslims are required to visit the Kaaba, if they are able to, once in their lifetime, which is one of the five pillars of the faith.

[13] In 1888, the Guru installed an idol of Shiva at Aravipuram, near Trivandrum, which was a stone he took from the river bed. This revolutionary act broke the monopoly of the upper castes (Brahmins), who had reserved the right to install deities. In my opinion, this is the single most important act the Guru did to break the evil of caste apartheid.


[14] Vishu is the local celebration thanking the Lord for a plentiful harvest and for ensuing prosperity for the coming year. The previous night, the housewife keeps cereals, pulses, gold coins, fruits, cash and inter alia, a mirror in the puja room. The following morning these items should be seen first by the family members. Usually, they are asked to close their eyes and brought to the puja room for this purpose. There is fun and laughter in the family in anticipation of a prosperous new year.