DEAR DEVOTEES

Thali village situated in Thalapilly Taluk of Thrissur Dist. is blessed with a number of temples; so also are its surrounding areas. It is believed that the great king Cheraman Perumal who ruled this region once upon a time constructed 108 temples here and regularly offered prayers in them. Shri Thirumathaliyappan Mahadeva Temple, one of the 108 Sivalayams, is most famous among these. Mahasivalingam which is the main idol of the temple is believed to be installed by Khara Maharshi in a trance after the 'Satheedhahanam' (some believe that the installation is by Parasuraman).

Nedumpuram Thali enjoys an important place in the cultural map of South India and has once played a primal role in the history of Kerala. The Thali Nedumbrayur (Thirumathaliyappan) temple situated in the centre of the village is a historical monument more than a millennium old. This temple boasts of a very tall and large "Sreekovil". The temple itself is constructed in a square style and it is noticed that the Pallava-Chalukya influence is very much evident in its construction. It is presumed that this temple was the central capital of the ruler of Nedumpurayur (the present Thalapilly, Palakkad and Chittoor region) which in turn was one of the 14 domains of the Kulasekhara dynasty which ruled this region in the eighth, ninth and tenth centuries. Constructed during 700-900 A.D., it is endowed with varied sculpture and wood work.