Gosripuram is another name for present day Kochi (erstwhile Cochin) and Gosripuresha is the Lord of Gosripuram – Shree Venkataramana. According to one version Gosripuram was a name given to the place by Keshavendra Teertha Swami of Kashinath and it is derived from three words “Gomanthak”, “Srimanth” and “Puram” ie., the settlement (Puram) of the wealthy people (Srimanth) from Goa (Gomanthak).
However, another legend has it that it means “Prosperous Land blessed with Cattle” by one of the Kochi kings. In either case, the place is associated with prosperity.
There is a legendary story around the Gosripuram temple. It was a typical April day – hot! As noon approached, the sun seemed to shine with more vigour as people rushed up to occupy their seating spots for the afternoon temple meal.
Men and boys seated in one section. Women and girls in another. Everyone enjoying the steaming hot meal – the rice, the rasam. Top it up with the madgano – the chana dal payasam that was particularly tasty that day. As the servers went in to give a second round of the sweet payasam, they had to literally empty the big cooking pot. And that is when one of them spotted something like a rope. He lifted it up with the wooden ladle. It looked strange. He brought it closer to his eyes and saw patches on it – it was a snake! Shocked but still in his senses he mentioned it to the organiser. The crowd was still unaware. The organiser – an ardent devout of Lord Venkatesha consulted with the temple priest and said. “My Bandhavas and Bhaginis. Please stop eating. We have just discovered that the payasam may be poisoned with a snake that perhaps accidentally entered the cooking pot. Don’t panic!! We have all gathered here by the grace of our Lord – the destroyer of evil our Lord Narasimha. Let us all pray for his divine intervention. “
The crowd was stunned! Their eyes wide in shock – payasam still dripping from their hands! Assessing in their minds the quantity of payasam they had eaten, judging their chances of survival. The priest announced that he will conduct a pooja to the Lord asking for his grace. Everyone rushed to the sanctum sanctorum. With folded hands, they prayed with deep faith to Lord Narasimha, to the one they and their ancestors had rested complete faith on. A few hours passed by and everything seemed normal. Everybody thanked their luck thinking there was no poison in the meal and made way home.
Next morning the news spread that one Devdas – the local grocer had died after the meals. He had gotten up before everyone else and left to attend his daily business. The payasam must have been poisoned and yet everyone was safe! It must have been Lord Narasimha. After this incident the temple priest was heard telling everyone that one of the fingertip of the idol’s leg had turned blue – the Lord must have taken the poison from us!
Subsequently, as is a practice in many ancient temples, a devaprasnam was conducted and the authorities were advised to start celebrating Narasimha Jayanti in the temple.