The mode of worship

This temple shines as a crown to the mount on which it is built and has got its own lakes on all sides. They are 'Ramanchira' in the west, 'Bhagavatchira' in the north and 'Vaikattirichira' near Parakkottukavu in the south. 'Nairchira' in the east has already been reduced to the size of a well. When we go to the temple after taking bath it is custom to touch the first footstep and then touch the head as a sign of respect.

Long ago a brahmin who was a resident of Killikurissimangalam used to come to Vilwadrinatha temple to learn Vedas after praying to Lord Siva in the temple at Killikurissimangalam. Even now praying in the Vilwadrinatha temple and Killikurissimangalam temple on the same day is considered most sacred. This may be the reason why this brahmin, an ardent devotee of Vishnu came to be called as Vilwamangalam Swamiyar. Years after when this Swamiyar visited the temple, the surroundings seemed to him as occupied by Serpant Anantha on whom Lord Mahavishnu takes rest. So in order to avoid walking over this sacred place and touching it with his feet, he crawled on his belly bending his knees. Wherever his feet touched the ground, he touched the place and put his hand on his head as a sign of respect to Vishnu. Even now some devotees do likewise when they enter the temple.

From whichever gateway we enter the temple, the first thing to be done is to circumambulate the temple of Hariuman and worship him. With the permission of Sri Anjaneya who himself has assumed the duty of safeguarding the temple we can enter the eastern shrine where the idol of Vishnu, which is also supposed to be that of Lakshmana, exists. Then we go direct to the shrine of Sri Maha Ganapathi. After praying to Mahaganapathi we proceed to the western shrine where the deity is Lord Vishnu, under the hoods of serpant Anantha, attended by Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Earth on either side, as he appeared before Amalaka Maharshi. Here the deity is worshipped as Sri Rama also. Then we proceed westwards to circumambulate the huge Balikkallu in padinjarambalam. Again we come to the western shrine. Thus after praying to both the Vilwadrinathas, we have to come out through the pathway in front of the eastern shrine itself. While circumambulating the temple outside, on the south we can see the Bhutanatha known as "Kundil Ayyappa" seated below several steps down the Vilwamala.

The sight of Hariharaputra who used to get satisfied with the accounts relating to the daily expenses of Vilwadrinatha temple, along with Hara (Lord Siva) and Gouri on the same pedestal will give a hair raising experience to the devotees. The rice for "Tripputhari" to the Vilwadrinatha temple is ceremoniously taken in a procession from this temple.

After paying respects to the Sribhutanatha the devotees climb up the steps of the southern gateway of the temple to reach back the "Pradakshinavazhi" inside the compound wall. As we proceed towards the west, the peepul tree in the southwest corner welcomes us with leaves fluttering in the wind making the whole atmosphere cool and serene. This peepul tree is supposed to contain the presence of all Gods especially Sri Guruvayoorappa. So the circumambulation of this peepul tree is considered to be extremely sacred.

Proceeding further, we reach the western gateway of the temple. Getting down the steps we can see the "Saraswathi kundu" on the left side where Rishi Amalaka practised his penance. Here the devotees write 'Hari Sri', place stones one above the other in odd numbers and pay homage to Rishi Amalaka. By doing these the devotees become entitled to three kinds of blessings, that is, bathing in the river Ganges, witnessing the Almighty and doing "Giripradakshina". Experienced devotees follow these customs even now.