Temple premises

SriRajaRajeshwara of Taliparamba is the king of all kings and lord of all lords. It's a Maha Shiva Kshethra (Great Shiva Temple) and the greatest of its kind. It's being said that an artist conferred any accolade from any where other than this temple has to take it off in obeisance to the lord, but doesn't have to do the same in any other place if conferred from here. The elegance of the temple comes to its zenith during evening "Niramala" (when all lamps are lit for puja)and anybody can just wonder at the ambiance that will make even the staunchest atheist fold his hands. One story is about Uddanda Shastrikal, a great scholar who came to the temple after defeating all the existing pandits and had the behavior of not folding his hands in any temple he visited till then. Seeing the greatness of Lord RajaRajeshwara, his hands spontaneously folded!

It was Shathasoma Rishi who was credited of founding the Lord and starting Puja. When Lord Rama was returning to Ayodhya after war in Lanka, he came down and paid his respects to Lord entering Thidappali (a raised platform right in front of the Lord where some of the pujas are performed). Since then no one is supposed to enter and prostrate the Lord from Thidappalli.

Three main features outside the temple are "Kottumpuram", "Kottaram", and "Jalawanthi".
Kottumpuram is the place where I have seen people pay initial rites to the Lord before going to temple. Also accolades like 'pattum valayum' and "Veera Shrinkhala" are given to eminent artists from here. It's a small open building close to the pond "Jalawanthi".

"Jalawanthi" ('elondhi' in short) is the pond where priests and other people who are staying around the temple can take bath before going to temple. As kids, we went there to swim and I remember doing all kinds of acrobatics there much to the fury of priests whom we make 'Asudha' (impure)by splashing water on them. When this happens, kids are usually spared but scolded well. During monsoons water level raises a lot and will immerse the steps and KulaKkadavu (building erected for privacy for people who take bath). We used to get excited at this time and go there and play 'spiderman'. We will swim with one hand on the wooden supports and act like spiderman flying in between buildings using his spider web.

"Kottaram" is the palace for the Lord befitting a King. This is a bigger construction where people can take rest and mendicants and saints can spend time inside. It's open place and as kids we used to spend time there planning our little mischiefs. It has a second tier where we can get a view of entirety of the temple from outside.

Just outside the temple. Building on the left side is "Kottaram" (only a part of it is seen), right side, "Kottumpuram" and "Elondhi" is right and down to the "Kottumpuram" (not in this pic).