Thirunelli Temple is a famous pilgrim centre in a beautiful jungle valley which has mountains on four sides. Lord Maha Vishnu is the principal deity. The temple is at the base of Brahmagiri hills. It is 30 km from Mananthavady in Kerala, at an altitude of 900 metres.
Acommodation Near Thirunelli Temple
The main accommodation near the temple is a guest house run by Thirunelli Devaswom. The facilities are rather basic. But it is convenient for devotees who have to undertake poojas early in mornings. The phone number at the guest house is +91 4935 210 055.
Travel to Thirunelli
Calicut International Airport to Thirunelli Temple is a drive of 141 km (3 hours 45 minutes). Wayanad Churam, the section of the route from Thamarassery to Lakkidi, has nine scenic hairpin bends. If you are travelling from Thalassery, the distance to Thirunelli is 108 km (2 hours 45 minutes). The roads pass through dense forests of bamboo and teak. Elephant crossings are common at night. Avoid travel at night as the roads are mostly empty with hardly any traffic beyond Mananthawady.
Holy Temple Pond
Panchatheertham is the holy temple pond. A notable feature of the temple is that there is no temple well. An old aqueduct transports water to the temple through an aqueduct from a jungle stream.
Religious Rites
The temple conducts religious rites for departed souls. By carrying out the rites, devotees believe that liberation of the departed souls is absolute. The temple is dedicated to Lord Maha Vishnu in the form of Chaturbhuja. There are also deities of Ganapathy and Nagam.
Poojas begin at day break at Papanasini, the holy stream which originates from Brahmagiri Hill. The stream lies 1 km to northwest of the temple. The path to Papanasini is strewn with boulders and rocks. The belief is that that a dip in the cool waters of the stream washes away all sins.
Wild Animals
It is not unusual to see by the roadside wild animals like elephants, gaur, deer, wild dogs, wild boar and may be the elusive tiger. Many types of birds can be spotted. Single male elephants are often aggressive and travellers should maintain a safe distance from them.
I came across this elephant while travelling to Thirunelli. I did not get down from the car and clicked the photo through the car window. We then promptly moved away.