Guide to Temples In Kottayam
Adidyapuram Suryadeva Temple:
Adityapuram is located near
Iravimangalam. The deity is Suryan
(sun). Like in other temples here
too sub-deities occupy prominent
position. Sastha, Durga and Yakshi
are the sub-deities.Sun
worshipping temples in Kerala and
India are very few. ...Click here to
see more Thiruvalla Temple:
Thiruvalla is near Kottayam. The
deity Vishnu here is also known as
Vallabha or Kolappiraan. The
carvings of Dakshinamoorthy and
Shiva (Yogiswara) are noticed in
the temple walls. There are a
Namaskaramandapam, an
Agramandapam, a
Gopuramandapam and a
Mukthamandapam in front of the
sanctum sanctorum. Only
prominent temples have such
Mandapams. The god Viswesera is
also accommodated in a subshrine.
...Click here to see more
Thirukkodithanam Temple:
Thirukkodithanam is near
Changanasseri. The deity is Vishnu
who is also known as Amrita
Narayanan. This shrine is one of
the five connected with
Mahabharatam. The other four are
Yuddhishtira of Chengannur,
Bheema of Tiruppuliyur, Arjuna of
Aranmula and Nagula of
Tiruvamundur. This temple is
believed to have been built by
Sahadeva of the Pandavas. ...Click
here to see more Chengannur
Temple: Chengannur is near
Kottayam. The deity is Vishnu. The
temple is also known as
Chengannur Mahadeva temple.
There is an interesting story
behind this shrine. Yuddhistira (
Dharmaputra) worshipped Vishnu,
praying pardon for his battlefield
act. In the battle field, in an
attempt to deceive Drona and
make him defenseless he uttered
some misleading words which
enabled Arjuna to finish him.
Aranmula Temple: Aranmula is
near Chengannur. The deity is
Vishnu who is commonly known as
Parthasarathy in this part of
Kerala. It is from this temple the
sacred jewels of Ayyappan are
taken in procession during Dhanu (
December/January) in pilgrimage
season for him to wear on Makara
Vilakku (the utmost important
pilgrimage day in Sabarimala).
Aranmula temple is linked with
Mahabharata and is famous for
boat race. ...Click here to see more
Chirakkadavu Mahadeva Temple:
This temple is located at
Chirakkadavu which is on Kollam-
Theni Road, about 32- km from
Kottayam town. This shrine has
over 100 years of history. The deity
is Mahadeva (Shiva) and the idol is
in the form of ‘Swayambu Lingam’
which was reportedly detected
from the shadow of a Bilwa tree,
the ancestors testify. The temple,
probably built during the reign of
Alwars at the site where the
Lingam was seen, gained
glorification gradually. The temple
pond nearby was not dug. The
place where the Lingam detected
was an inundating area during
monsoon. The temple was
therefore raised on a bund for
which soil was dug from nearby.
The present pond is the place from
where soil was dug for the bund. ...
Click here to see more
Kumaranalloor Sri Bhagavathy
Temple: This shrine is located at
Kumaranallur, just 4- km from
Kottayam town. There is an
interesting legend. Cheraman
Perumal who was reigning the
region at that time commenced
building a big shrine for
Subramanya whose ardent devotee
Perumal was. At this point of time
Pandya Kings whose family deity is
Meenakshi were ruling Madura
region of Tamil Nadu. One day the
precious ornament worn by the
deity Meenakshi found missing. ...
Click here to see more
Panachikkadu Saraswaythi Temple:
The temple anchored in
Panachikkadu is known as
Dakshina Mookambika in South
India. Panachikkadu is located 11-
km away from Kottayam town.
Though the temple is known as
Saraswathy temple, the main deity
is Mahavishnu (Vishnu). The
devotees worship Vishnu first
before worshipping Saraswathy (
Devi) as a custom. Ganapathy,
Shiva, Sasthavu and Yakshi are
satisfied with the position as sub-
deities. There is no temple
structure for Saraswathy. On the
southern side of the Vishnu shrine
a small pond cut through granite
exists. The pond is waterful
throughout the year.The idol of
Devi, the Saraswathi, is beneath
the pond. A creeper in the pond
serves as a structure for Devi. The
creeper with ample leaves in static
growth rate – neither increases nor
decreases the size – serves as
structure from the time the Devi
was worshipped centuries ago. The
creeper has never flowered and
never fruited – a subject worth of
research by botany scientists. ...
Click here to see more Puthumana
Mahaganapathy Devasthanam: It is
located at Thururuthy, near
Changanassery. The deity is
Ganapathy. 21 different idols in 21
Bhavas (moods) are worshipped
here. The devotees can see only
the idol of Siddhi Vinayaka Bhavaa.
Only the priests can see other
idols. The main ritual conducted
here is Vigneswari Balai (a
sacrificial ritual). This ritual helps
nullify mental diseases. People
from far and near come to conduct
this ritual. Karuga Moodal (for
fulfillment of wishes), Ganapathi
Prathal (for removal of obstacles in
marriage), Ganapathiyoottu (for
prosperity), Ganesh Sadhya (for
decimating the doings of enemies)
are the other offerings.
Ganeshayantra Elas ( pendant)
delivered from here possesses
miraculous powers, the devotees
testify. Thirunakkara Shiva Temple:
Situated in the centre of Kottayam
town. :It is built in Kerala style
architecture. The ‘koothambalam’
– traditional temple theater – is
one of the best in Kerala. The
paintings on the wall are
commendable.
.Temples In Alappuzha&tvm Guide
to Temples in Alappuzha
Aruvakkad Devi Temple: Aruvakkad
is located 8- km south of the town.
The deity is Devi. A fascinating
story backs up the deity. ...Click
here to see more Ambalappuzha:
14 km away from Alappuzha. The
Srikrishna temple at Ambalappuzha
is one of the most important
temples in Kerala. The temple is
famous throughout Kerala for its ‘
Palpayasam’. A milk porridge of
exceptional sweetness prepared
and offered to the deity.. ...Click
here to see more Chakkulathukavu
Bhagavathy: Chakkulathukavu is 18
km from Ambalapuzha on the
Thiruvalla Road. The temple is in
Neerattupuram, near
Chakkulathukavu. The deity is
Devi. This temple has a peculiar
ritual performed once in a year... ..
. Click here to see more
Chettikulangara Bhagavathy
Temple: Chetticulangara is near
Mavelikkara. Mavelikkara is 25 km
away from Ambalapuzha. Here the
deity Bhagavathy is also known as
Bhadrakali and Jagadambika. ...
Click here to see more Haripad
Subramanya Temple: Haripad is 15
km away from Ambalapuzha. The
temple built in 16 th century was
eaten by a fire many years later.
The idol was spared by the fire.
The temple was rebuilt by the
Travancore king with additional
shrines for some other deities in
the courtyard. ...Click here to see
more Karthiani Temple, Aroor
Located on National Highway 47.
The main deity is Karthiani. Shiva
and Ganapathy are accommodated
as sub-deities. It is one of the 108
Durga temples.. ...Click here to see
more Cherthala Karthiyayni
Temple: This shrine is located at
Cherthala, north of Alappuzha
town. The presiding deity is
Karthiyayani. Vishnu, Shiva,
Ganapathy, Kavudayan, Nagaraja
and Yakshi installed as sub-deities.
.. ...Click here to see more
Thiruvampady Srikrishna Temple:
Thiruvampady is within the town
limit of Alappuzha. The deity is
Vishnu in the form of Srikrishna.
This centuries old temple has a
leading position in South Kerala. ...
Click here to see more
Thrikkunnapuzha Sri Dharma
Sastha Temple: The main deity is
Dharma Sastha. His wife and son
are also there along with him. The
idol of Sastha is of 21 inch height.
Wife is positioned write to him and
the son is positioned in between
both as behind. According to
archaeological experts such idols
are not noticed anywhere else in
the world. ...Click here to see more
Thuravoor Mahakshetram:
Thuravoor is situated north of
Alappuzha town on NH 47 and 25
kms south of Kochi. This shrine is
reckoned as one of the most
devout shrines in Kerala. The
cardinal deity is Lord
Narasimhamoorthy. With equal
importance Sri
Mahasudarsanamoorthy who is the
manifestation of Vishnu is also
represented here. Both have
separate sanctum sanctorum. ...
Click here to see more Varanad
Devi Temple: Varanad is little away
from Chertala. The deity, Devi, is in
a riding on Vethala posture. Shiva,
Rakteshwari Devi and Kodumkali
are sub-deities housed here. The
temple precinct is always
considered as holy. The imposing
flagmast of the temple seems
declaring the smoothing, curing
and delivering power the Devi
possesses. Such a giant flagmast is
difficult to be seen elsewhere
temples. ...Click here to see more
Sree Nagaraja Temple, Mannarsala
One of the most important centres
of snake worship in Kerala, temple
situated 35 Km away from
Alappuzha located near Haripad on
the Alappuzha-Kollam route. The
temple is surrounded by about 16
acres of thick green forest. ...Click
here to see moreGuide to Temples
in Kollam Ammachiveedu Muhurthi
Temple: This temple is situated in
the town area. It was established
by an aristocratic family called
Ammachi Veedu (Ammachi home).
Here there is no idol. ...Click here
to see more Dharmasasftha
Temple at Sasthamkotta: The deity
here is Lord Ayyappa. Here the
temple roof is of corrugated GI
sheets as against tiles in most of
the shrines in Kerala. This is just to
save the roof from the wrath of
monkeys in large number as if they
are the devotees. The custom here
is that devotees have to step on
the droppings of the primate. The
temple is close to Sasthamkotta
lake which meets the drinking
water needs of the entire district.
Kodimootil Sri Bhadrakali Temple:
It is a family temple of Kodimootil
family. Located at Paripally in
Kalluvathukkal Panchayat. This
shrine is co-related to Mandakkadu
Devi temple. The story behind the
co-relation is interesting. ...Click
here to see more
Parampathukulangara Sri
Mahakshetram: This kshetram (
temple) is located at Manapally
north. It is also known as
Pavumbakali kshetram. Shiva,
Parvathi and Pavumbakali (
Abhishta Varadayini) are main
deites. ...Click here to see more
Puthiyakavu Bhagawathi Temple:
This shrine is located in the town
itself. Bhagawathi in the form of
Parvathi is so powerful she can
save or seize at her will. It is
presumed, Bhadrakali of Kalighat
in Kokatta who was worshipped by
Vivekanda Swamy and Sri
Ramakrishna Paramahans is also
the deity in Puthiyakavu.. ...Click
here to see more Sri Uma
Maheshwara Swamy Temple: The
legend says that Uma ( Parvathi)
and Maheshwara (Shiva) came
down from the peak of Kailasa
mountain in Himalaya to the
Agastya mountain and finally
reached Kollam town. Amazed by
the beauty of Kollam articulated by
beautiful gardens, palaces and
royal highways, Shiva told Parvathi
: one who visits Kollam will desert
his/her Illam (Illam is a
Brahminical idiom for home). ...
Click here to see more =Twin
Temples, Cheriazheeakal: The Sri
Kashi Viswanathar Temple is also
known as Deccan Kashi Temple.
The legend behind the twin
temples is interesting. A priest who
went to Kashi chanced upon a
Shivalingam when he dipped in the
Gages. He brought back the
Lingam and installed here. There is
another legend. There was a
temple dedicated to Laard Vishnu
2000 years ago at the same site.
This temple was washed away by
the sea and a new one was built
about 150 years ago. And today
two temples at a site existed as
reality. Mahashivaratri is
celebrated for 10 days to appease
Lord Shiva in one temple and Sri
Krishna Jayanti to appease Lord Sri
Krishna in the other temple.
Cheriazheekal is located west to
Amritapuri. Wadekkenadayil
Bhagawathi Temple: This 1800
years old temple is just opposite to
the twin temples. The original
temple was taken away by sea and
the present one was built 10 years
ago. Kannagi is the deity here. The
idol was brought from the now sea-
eaten Chola city of Kaveri
Poompattinam off the east- coast
of TamilNadu. In the 2 nd week of
May a 10- day long Thottampattu
Utsavam is celebrated when
Kannagi’s story enshrined in the
Tamil epic Silppadhikaram is
enacted. Devi Temple at
Thevalakkara: This 1000 years old
temple is situated about 14 km
from Alumkadavu. There is an
interesting story behind the
temple. Portuguese attempted to
rob the temple, but their attempt
resulted futile. When they tried to
leave the area their ship did not
move. Sensing trouble they
apologised for their misdeed and
put their repentance in writing on
black stone. The writing is still
visible. In between the sanctum
sanctorum and the main door the
inscription can be seen. Outside
the temple there is a papal and
palm tree which grow together. A
yakshi (lady demon) lives on top of
the palm, the locals believe. Ochira
Temple: Ochira is situated 17 km
away from the town. There is no
temple in the real sense. Around
big trees in vast open area there
are exposed small idols. Some
idols are of female forces
attributed to Shakti (power) and
the others are of Parabrahmam,
the omnipresent. To the right of
the idols surrounded trees is an
Ayyappa swamy kshetram (temple)
constructed similar to Sabarimala
temple, and to the left is a
mosque. Ochiria is also considered
an omnipresent Shiva kshetra. The
visitors can see the Ochira Kaala.
The decorated Ochira bulls
symbolize Shiva’s vehicle, the
Nandi. There is a famous festival
called Ochira kali festival in June.
During this festival men dressed as
warriors enact mock war standing
in the lake. People of various
religious faiths visit this
omnipresent temple and the
legend is that Buddha had once
camped here. ....Click here to see
more Malanada Duryodhana
Temple: 27 km away from the town
and near Alumkadavu. The idol-
less temple is dedicated to the
notorious Kaurava. Duryodhana
was served food and water when
he was found tired by the low-cast
Kuruvas here during his pursuit of
Pandavas. As a custom, the priest
of the temple is from Kuruva
community. The rituals and
customs are Dravidian. Animal
sacrifice was a usual practice here
earlier. Following vehement
protests from enlightened citizens
this deplorable practice is
discontinued now. During worship a
rooster wanders around
symbolically. In the 2 nd Friday of
Meenam (March/April) there is
festival when Duryodana’s
favoured beverage toddy is
brought by the devotees as
offering. As the toddy is in great
demand during this day, the
devotees who are unable to get
toddy bring tamboolam (betel nut
and arcecanut),red silk or a rooster
as offering. Malanad is located 14
km away from Sasthamkottra Shri
Dharmasastha Kshetram at
Kulathupuzha: This Ayyappa
temple has a unique ritual
practice. It is Meenoottu, feeding
of fish. The feeding is done in the
nearby lake with peanuts and
puffed rice. Seeing the feeds, fish
in large numbers suddenly
converge and eat in a frenzy mood
– a joyful sight to watch. The
bridge over the lake provides a
good view of the eating fish. The
temple was constructed by the
Raja of Kottarakara. The festival
lasting10 days is in Medam (
precisely from April 5 to 14). The
temple is located 10 km from
Thenmala.Guide to Temples in
Thiruvananthapuram Sree
Padamanabha swami Templeￂ The
temple is located a little away
from main Trivandrum railway
station and near to bus station. see
our Guide to Trivandrum The
Dravidian style 30- metre Gopuram
(tower) is built with 365 pillars,
equalling a year’s days, into the
inner corridor. The deity, Vishnu, is
the family deity of the southern
Kerala’s early kings... ... Click here
to see more about temple Attukal
Bhagawati Temple: Attukal is near
Thiruvananthapuram . This temple
is known as Sabarimala of Women
as women accorded supreme
importance here. The Bhagawati is
considered as creator, preserver,
saver and destroyer. The devotees
who visit the famous Padmanabha
Swami temple in
Thiruvananthapuram also visit
Attukal Bhagawati and vice-versa
as customary... more details
Karikkakom Sri Chamundi Temple:
Situated 7- km east of
Thiruvandanthapuram city. The
shrine is in the midst of evergreen
scenery fortied with coconut palms
and fauna. ...Click here to see
more Mukkalkkal Sri Varaham
Bhagawati Temple: This shrine
locates at Mukkolakkal in
Manakad, 2- km away from the
renowned Sri Padmanabha Swamy
temple in the city. The deity is
goddess Bhagawati. ... Click here to
see more Sri Pazhanchira Devi
Temple: This 700 years old temple
is situated at Pazhanchira in the
side of Kovalam road in the city.
The idol was installed by a Siddha
Yogi who used to worship Devi. ...
Click here to see more
Janarddhana Swamy Temple: The
deity of the temple is Vishnu. It is
believed the water in the pond of
the temple is holy and it will nullify
the sins. Papanasam Beach: The
beach Papanasam acquired its
name as purifier. The panorama of
the crescent shaped beach is
brightened by the long stretched
red laterite cliffs. During moon
days the beach becomes crowded
with pilgrims. A dip in the sea here
is believed to be sacred.
