Thrippunithura is a city and a municipality in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. Earlier, it was the headquarters of Cochin Royal Family. The Hill Palace Museum is situated near Thrippunithura.
Thrippunithura is also known as the land of temples. The famous Sree Poornathrayesa temple is one of them. The town is also a center of learning for classical arts like Carnatic Music, dance and percussion instruments like Mridangam and Chenda. One of the three Ayurveda colleges in Kerala is located in the town.
Sree Poornathrayeesa, the deity of Poornathrayeesa temple, is in the form of "Santhana Gopala Moorthy" as told in the Bhagavatha. It is believed those worship him truly, will be blessed with children.
There are many stories that describe the origin of the word Thrippunithura. According to one the name means "the land on the shores of Poorna river". Another meaning is "Poorna Veda Puri" - the town of Vedas in its entirety.
There is a story of Arjuna - one of Pandavas - who once visited Lord Vishnu. The Lord gave him an idol and Arjuna carried it in his "pooni" (quiver). While searching for a place to install it, he met Lord Ganapati and sought help. Ganapati found this place and installed himself facing east. When Arjuna found this out, he kicked Ganapati and turned him towards south. Arjuna placed the idol facing east and worshipped there.
It is also believed that the temple Thantri's family, (belonging to puliyannoor mana) is the next generations of the Brahmana of the Santhana Gopalam story.
There are many other temples in and around Thrippunithura. One of the famous temples in the vicinity is Thamaramkulangara Sree Dharma Sastha temple, where the deity is Dharmasastha, in the form of Lord Dhanwanthari Moorthy.
One of the famous ceremonies "Atha Chamayam" takes place in this town during Onam festival.
Thripunithura Hill palace Museum, is the largest archaeological museum in Kerala and the erstwhile official residence of the Cochin Royal Family, was built in 1865. The palace complex consists of 49 buildings in the traditional architectural style of Kerala and is surrounded by 52 acres of terraced land with ponds, fountains, garden and lawns. A full fledged ethno archaeological museum and Kerala's first ever Heritage museum are the main attractions here. Hill Palace is located 16km east of Cochin in Trippunithura, a satellite town of Cochin.
The famous Sree Poornathrayesa temple is a shrine in the city that attracts hundreds of devotees every year. The temple is dedicated to Sree Poornathrayeesa, Santhana Goopala Moorthy. Santhana means child or progeny. Those who are desirous of begetting progeny and those deprived of the pleasures of parenthood visit the temple and pray. It is believed that a visit to this divine shrine blesses the childless couples with an offspring.
Thamaramkulangara Sree Dharma Sastha temple near Thripunithura is very famous. The deity here is Dharmasastha (the lord of righteousness), in his incarnation as Lord Dhanwanthari Moorthy (the healer deity).
* Other noted temples in the vicinity are the Pishari Kovil and the Aameda Temple.
* The city is home to one of the three Ayurveda colleges in the state of Kerala.