oachira temple - tourmet

Views:

Sight Address : Oachira Temple is one of the ancient temple in Kerala and situated on the borders of Kollam and Alappuzha districts. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

Oachira Temple is one of the ancient temple in Kerala and situated on the borders of Kollam and Alappuzha districts. Oachira temple has neither a structure to house nor an idol to worship. Oachira is dedicated to the formless, infinite Para Brahmam, the Absolute and Supreme Principle. The annual festival ‘Ochirakali’ and ‘Panthrandu Vilakku’ is held during the first and second of the Malayalam month ‘Mithunam’. Ochirakali commemorates the historic battle between the Chempakasseri and Kayamkulam Rajas. During the festival, men dress up as warriors and enact mock wars wielding wooden sticks, brandishing swords and shields, enacting a kind of martial dance, standing knee deep in water. Two days of this ritual is followed by few days of brisk trading in cattle and agricultural produce, an old tradition now being revived.

oachira temple

HistoryEdit

Oachira Temple has neither a structure to house nor an idol to worship. Another unique feature of Oachira Temple is that unlike other temples, prayers are not performed inside any chamber or sanctum. It is because of the fact that the temple premises are not covered by any structures. As you will see, devotees pay offering to the universal god under trees which have been preserved from an ancient time. There are several incidents and beliefs that can be linked to the name “Oachira”. According to some people, the word has been derived from another word “Omkarachira”. Some others say that the original word was “Uvachanchira” which means Shiva. But there are no evidences to support these.Observation by two British officials says a different story. Corner and Ward, did a survey in the area of Travancore. According to this 19th century survey, there was a large ground called Padanilam at the center of which there was a reservoir of water. This pond or chira was the bathing place of the soldiers and also acted as a supply to the war-horses. This chira was under the control of Kayamkulam Raja who was popularly called Odanattu also. Raja was, at that particular time, was at Krishnapuram that was at a short distance from Padanilam. It is because of this reason that the temple came to be known as Oachira, a corrupted form of Onattuchira.

Must SeeEdit

Attraction

Visiting TimeEdit

N.A.

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

August to March.

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning, Afternoon, Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

1-2 hrs.

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : Yes Edit

Dress Require: Wear traditional costumes like sari, Salwar Kameez, Lungy.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : Taxi service is available from the airport and railway station to reach this place in kollam.

BUS : Ochira can be reached by bus or taxi from the major cities of Kerala. Some major cities disatnces from Kollam are: Trivandrum (71 kms), Varkala (37 km), Alleppey (85 km), Kottayam (110 km), Trichur (229 km), Calicut (374 km), and Kasaragod (575 km).

Train : Nearest railhead ochira.

Air : Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, about 105 km.

Others : N.A.

Things to CarryEdit

Camera and of course sun-screen.

Safety / WarningEdit

The climate of Kollam is tropical and humid with regular showers almost throughout the year. The summer season (March to May) can be oppressive with temperature and humidity climbing to high levels while the monsoon arrives in June and continues till September.