An ancient temple, dedicated to Lord Maha Vishnu, Thirunelli temple is situated on the side of Brahmagiri hill in Kerala, near the border with Karnataka state. The temple is located at the altitude of 990m and boasts of beautiful mountains and dense forest scenic background. The Thirunelli temple, which flows down from Mount Brahmagiri, also has the cave temple Gunnika dedicated to Lord Shiva. This is what adds on to it being a famous pilgrim centre of Hindus.
Traveller Tips:
Below mentioned are the travelling tips for all those who are planning to visit Thirunelli Temple anytime soon:
• Since it is a religious place, it is advised to dress modestly.
• Take off your shoes and socks before stepping inside the temple.
Fairs and festivals:
One of the widely known festivals of Thirunelli includes the Thiruneli Festival, which happens to be a two-day annual festival of Sree Thirunelli Devaswom. The festival takes place in the month of April. The other famous festival of the place is Bali Karma, which is held during new moon days in the months of July and August (known as karkidaka), in the month of October and November (known as thulam) and in the months of February and March (known as kumbham). In Bali Karma devotees perform rituals (bali) for the departed souls. Puthari, Sivarathri, Navarathri, Sreekrishna Jayanthi and Chuttuvilakku are a few other festivals celebrated in Thirunelli.
Best Time to Visit:
Thirunelli Temple is one of the most visited places in Thirunelli. The best time to visit this hamlet is between the months of September to March, when people there bid adieu to the monsoon season and prepare for the warm welcome of the winter season. It is during these months that the weather becomes conducive for sightseeing.
How to Reach:
Thirunelli Temple is situated at an altitude of 3000 feet and can be accessed by driving through three wild life sanctuaries. The temple can be reached from Mananthavady or Kalpetta. In case someone would like to travel through rails then the nearest railway station is at Mysore. For the ones who want to travel by air then Kozhikode International Airport, Coimbatore International Airport, Bengaluru International Airport and Kannur International Airport are the ones to bank upon. They are 120 km, 242 km, 290 km and 58 km, respectively.
Nearby Attractions:
• Papanasini
Papanasini is a holy mountain stream, which has its origin from the heart of Brahmagiri forest. It flows through there amongst the roots, leaves and flowers of ancient trees and medicinal herbs. Papanasini is accessible around 1 km northwest of the temple premises. Here, the pilgrims take a holy dip inside it as they believe that the water to be sacred with powers to absolve one's sins.
• Panchatheertham
A yet another holy temple pond, Panchatheertham is famous for its notable feature of being lack of a temple well. Therefore, the water is transported from a perennial mountain stream deep in the valley.
FAQs And Information:
1. How popular is Thirunelli Temple
As per the records, 48.35% of people who plan a trip to Wayanad have Thirunelli Temple included in their itinerary.
2. What is the average time spent at Thirunelli Temple?
The average time spent to visit Thirunelli Temmple is for about one hour.
3. What is the most popular time to visit Thirunelli Temple?
The most popular time to visit the temple is between 6 AM – 7 PM as the numbers say that 87.5% of people start their darshan during this time.
4. What are the most crowded days at Thirunelli Temple?
Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays are the most crowded days at Thirunelli Temple.