Overview

Sree Kshipra Prasada Ganapathy Temple

Location

History

Deities

Photo Gallery

Utsavams

Vahanas

Adimakkavu

Other Agraharam Information

Contact Information

Well Known from the Agraharam

Food and Catering

Hall for functions and Lodging

Bank Accounts for sending Kanikkai, donation or vazhipadu

Author's Notes

12th Street-Pannandam Theruvu – 100 Agraharams Project

Agraharam 98 in the 100 Agraharams Project

Kshipra means ‘swift’ in Sanskrit, and true to that name, Kshipra Prasada Ganapathy is cherished as the Lord who grants quick grace and immediate relief to those who pray with faith. From what one understands of Kalpathy’s sacred layout, Pannandam Theru was not merely a street, but a spiritually significant extension of the Kalpathy Viswanatha Swamy temple tradition, and can be seen as an agraharam in its own right. In this triadic Kalpathy sacred landscape, Kshipra Prasada Ganapathy shines as a living centre of devotion, reassurance, and divine nearness.

In the book Temples of Kerala - Census of India - Special studies - by S Jayashankar - it is written "Datable to fifteenth century, the legend says that a Brahmin lady by name Lakshmi Ammal belonging to Mayooram (Mayapuram on the bank of Kaveri river) brought a Bāna-linga idol from Käśi (Varănasi) and entrusted it to Ițtikombi Acchan, the Räja of Palakkat. She also donated her entire wealth to the Raja for constructing a temple dedicated to Lord Viśwanathaswamy."

"According to the District Gazetteer of Malabar (by C.A.Innes and F.B. Evans, Reprint 1951, p.473) the temple was built in the Malayalam year 600(1425 A.D.) by Ittikombi Acchan of Pälakkat who endowed it with paddy fields sowing over 4,000 paras of paddy'. "

 Did you know that 4000 'paras' translates to 32000 kilos of paddy and during the 1400's it needed about 21 acres. So I wonder what happend to all that land.

The "vattezhutt" inscription (mentioned in Epigraphia Indica XV pp. 145-49)in Malayalam engraved on a stone-slab set up in front of the temple refers to a grant to the deity of Sree Viśwanathaswamy. - when you are in the temple dont miss the pillar with the inscription - it is just after the dwajasthambam the flag staff.

Professor Venkateswara mentions this about the inscription: 

"The inscription represents the manas receiving 1320 panams (coins) and bound to give 132 panams every year as interest to the temple. The context here shows that arate of 10 per cent was charged at interest payable every year on the 10 panams given to each of the Brahman house. We have here a very interesting instance of the way in which endowments to temples were made and worked, a lumpsum was invested with every householder, who was bound by the terms of the contract to pay the interest on that sum every year to the authorities of the temple on whose behalf the investment was made. The contract held good in perpetuity; but the obligation implied in was not personal, but territorial."

So now lets see how the place got the name pandharandam theru - or 12th street - For conducting poojas Palakkat Raja brought 12 Brahmin families from Mäyavaram and got them settled in a grămam. Because of this the grāmam is known as Pantrantäm teruvu.

In his Malabar Manual William Logan lists 19 gramams in Palakkad and there is no specific mention of Pandharandam theruvu and we have to assume he merged it with Kalpathy when he made the entry. What is sure is that the agraharams of Kalpathy were already in existence much before the Viswanatha swamy temple and thus that makes it atleast 700 years old.

Lakshmi Ammal - whose journey to Kashi and back and also her donation of 1320 gold coins - gave Kalpathy the Viswanatha Swamy temple and also the adage - Kasiyl Paadhi Kalpathy. Lakshmi ammal brought 4 bana lingams and the other three were installed in  Kollengode, Koduvayur and Pokkunni. I read another paper that Lakshmi ammal was the wife of Venkitanarayan iyer of Kollengode.

On 26th January 2027 the Rama Dhayana Matom will observe the 104th edition of the Kalpathy Thyagaraja Aradhana. It is the longest running Aradhana outside of Thiruviyaru.

Radhe Krishna

Sriram Lakshminarayanan (Hari)

January 2026