Kerala Temples

Majestic blends of God’s own country

Kerala – The God’s own country is renowned for its charming greenery around the corner. Besides it, you will be enthralled to see the pleasing vistas of palm fringed beaches and majestic temples of Kerala. Among all the attractions, Kerala temples have their own significance and charm. You will be delighted to see the enchanting temples of Kerala which boasts its dignity through their Dravidian architecture and elegant designs as well. Tourists love to cherish the Kerala temples and also to do worship out there with full enthusiasm.

Some popular Kerala Temples are described below:

Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Temple

Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa temple is located in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. This temple is also known as Sabarimala Sri Dharmasastha Temple dedicated to lord Ayyappa. Every year around 4 million pilgrims from India and abroad come to seek the blessings of lord Ayyappa.

Sabarimala Sri Dharmasastha Temple is the most famous and best known pilgrimage destination in Kerala. The pilgrimage begins in the month of November and ends in January that is  Mandala pooja (December) and Makaravilakku(January) are the two main events of the pilgrim season. On the day of Makaravilakku - a  Jewel Casket is carried on head from the ancestral residence of the royal family of Panthalam to the temple on that day. A Garuda, the Brahaman kite, follows this ornaments carrying procession, hovering about in the sky. After these ornaments are worn on the Lord the bird circles the temple in the sky three times and disappears. Excited by this sight the devotees begin to chant "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa". A Star never seen before in the sky appears on the day of Makara Jothi . A Jyoti is seen for a little time on the hilltop showing the presence of Swamy Ayyappan gracing his devotee.

The temple stays closed during the rest of the year except for the first five days of every Malayalam month and during Vishu (April). Anyone who wishes to go to Sabarimala, has to follow some strict customs  like fasting for 41 days , restricting himself from non-vegetarian food and carnal pleasures.

The temple is open to males of all age groups , Old Women  and small children. Pilgrims set out in groups under a leader, and each carry a cloth bundle called Irumudi kettu containing traditional offerings. Pamba is the main halting point on the way to Sabarimala. From here one has to trek 4 to 5kms to reach the temple.

Chottanikkara Bhagawati Temple  

The famous Chottanikara Bhagawati Temple is situated in the Ernakulum district of Kerala, This temple is dedicated to Goddess Rajarajeshwari . The Divine Mother Rajarajeshwari  is  also  known as  Adiparasakthi.

The importance of this temple is that the goddess Adiparasakthi is worshipped here in three forms -: Saraswathy in the morning, Lakshmi at noon and Durga in the evening. There is an Idol of Mahavishnu ( Narayana) on the same pedestal and so the Deity is called Ammenarayana, Devinarayana, Lakshminarayana and Bhadrenarayana also.

Along with Lakshmi & Narayana there are idols of Brahma, Siva, Ganapathi (Ganesh), Subramanya and Sastha on the same pedestal.

The pleasant atmosphere in the temple give mental peace and harmony to devotees. People suffering from mental illnesses commonly visit this temple, as the goddess  is thought to cure her devotees.

The main festival celebrated here is Chottanikkara Magham Thozhal  in the month of  Kumbh (February/March). On that particular day it is believed that the goddess in her special appearance , wearing  gold ornaments, precious jewelry and innumerable garlands give darsan to her devotees and which will result in the fulfillment of all prayers and cherished desires.

Apart from that there some are months, events and festivals  in Malayalm calendar, which are considered to be very important and is celebrated here by performing poojas  and

preparing feast for the pilgrims.

Aranmula Temple

The famous Aranmula temple is located in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, the main idiol is of lord Krishna also called as Sree Parthasarathy, who is the leader of Arjuna in Kurukshetra War.

It is one of the most important Krishna temples in Kerala, the others being at Guruvayur, Trichambaram, Tiruvarppu and Ambalappuzha. The temple has fine murals from the 18th century.

This temple  is situated on the banks of the river Pampa. The sacred jewels of Ayyappan (Thiruvabharanam) are taken in procession to Sabarimala each year from Pandalam, and Aranmula Temple is one of the stops on the way. Also, the Thanka Anki (golden attire) for Ayyappa, donated by the king of Travancore, is stored here and taken to Sabarimala during the Mandala season (late December). Hundreds of devotees, including women and children, come to this small temple town of Aranmula to worship the sacred attire and to witness the ceremonial procession.

Some of the main festivals celebrated here are Thiruvonam(Chingam), Ashtami Rohini Vallasadya(Chingam), Thiruvaranmula Thiruvulsavam, Makara Sankranthi, Kumbha sankramam(Kumbham), Vishu  and  Ramayana Parayanam

Apart from the famous temple, Aranmula is also known for the watersports involving a spectacular procession of snake boats .The Aranmula Vallamkali, the world famous water carnival is the main important event related to this place and The famous Aranmula Mirror, locally known as  Arunmula Kannadi, meaning mirror, is made here. This mirror is made out of high tin bronze. Other than that the is famous Aranmula palace  which is a traditional keralite palace which has a history of 200 years. Aranmula palace (Also known as Aranmula Vadake kottaram or Aranmula Kottaram) is the halt place of the holy journey 'Thiruvabarana khosayatra' at Aranmula.

Ambalapuzha temple

The famous Ambalapuzha temple is situated in Alleppey district of Kerala, The temple is dedicated to lord Sri Krishna. This temple was built by an old ruler named Chembakasserry Pooradam Thirunal-Devanarayanan Thampuran.

Ambalapuzha temple is directly related to the famous Guruvayoor temple because the idol of Sri Krishna from the Guruvayoor temple was brought to the Ambalappuzha Temple for safe keeping during a raid of Tipu Sultan in 1789. The architecture of this temple is very famous and is believed to be one of the seven greatest Vaishnava temples in the Travancore. The inner walls of the Chuttambalam of the temple are decorated with various paintings. The famous  art for Ottanthullal was first performed from this temple premise. The poojas in this temple is performed by the Namboothiri Brahmins belonging to the Puthumana Thanthri family.

The Old Ruler Devanarayanan Thampuran was believed to be very religious so he decided that an idol of Lord Krishna was to be brought to the Amabalapuzha Sree Krishna Swamy Temple from the Karinkulam temple. The celebration in bringing of this idol of Lord Krishna is the origin of the Amabalapuzha Temple Festival, also referred to as the Chambakulam Moolam water festival. This festival is conducted every year on the Moolam day of the Mithunam month of the Malayalam era. Some other festivals festival in this temple is conducted yearly in the Malayalam month Meenam which comes in the months March/ April. It is a 10 days long festival and feast will be conducted in the temple hall. Other than that a  12 day long Kalabham festival during the Malayalam month Makaram which comes in the months January/February and ‘Pallipana’ is performed which is done once in twelve years.

The Ambalapuzha  Payasam served in the Ambalappuzha Temple is very famous . This sweet pudding made of rice and milk has an interesting mythological legend behind it. It is believed that Lord Sree Krishna reaches here daily at the time of Palpayasa Nedyam to have it.

Vadakkunnathan temple

The famous Vadakkunnathan temple is situated in Thrissur district of Kerala. This temple is dedicated to lord shiva and it is believed that the founder of this temple is Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of lord Vishnu .

This temple has a legend behind it which says; back in olden days some sages approached Parasurama at the end of a yajna and requested him to give them some secluded land. Parasurama then made the request to  lord Varuna for their sake, who gave him an axe  and asked him to through it into the sea, as he did a large territory of land was emerged out the sea; this territory that rose out of the sea was Kerala.

This temple is a classic example of the architectural style of Kerala and has monumental towers on all four sides and also a Kuttambalam. Mural paintings depicting various episodes from Mahabharata can be seen inside the temple. The construction of the temple was done at the time of Parumthachan. It is said that Parumthachan lived during the seventh century; so the temple  may be 1,300 years old. Encircling the Vadakkunnathan Temple, is the main venue of the famous Thrissur poram .Non-Hindus  are not allowed to enter into the temple.

Some of the important festivals celebrated here are Maha Shivarathri, Thrissur poram , Anayoottu , the of feeding of elephants,etc.

Under Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act. This  temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by India.

Mannarasala Temple

Mannarasala Temple is located  in Haripad, in Alleppey district of Kerala, The temple is dedicated to “ Nagaraja” the  serpent god and his consort, Sarpayakshini.. This temple is situated in forest area which has around  30,000 images of snake along the path and among the trees, and is the largest such temple in Kerala, In this temple, the rites are presided over by a priestess.

The main festivals are on the day of Ayilliam  in the months of Kanni and Thulam (September and October), when  all the serpent idols in the grove and the temple are taken in procession to the illam (family connected with the temple) where the offerings of Nurum Palum (rice flour and milk), kuruthi (a red liquid made of turmeric and lime) and cooked rice are made. The oldest female member of the family carries the idol of the Nagaraja and the procession is conducted with great pomp and rejoicing. The Ayilyam in Kanni is the birthday of Nagaraja and that in Kumbham (Mahasivarathri) is the birthday of Anantha, the Muthassan of Nilavara (cellar).

During the festival days thousands of people assemble at Mannarasala to worship and propitiate the serpent gods. The most popular offering of this temple is ‘Uruli Kamazhthal’, the placing of a bell metal vessel upside down in front of the deity, which is believed to restore fertility to childless couples, Other than that silver and copper, grains of all kinds, pepper, tender coconuts, plantains, melons, sandalwood etc. are also offered.

Mannarasala is one of the main  pilgrim attraction in kerala.

Vaikom temple

Vaikom temple is  located at Vaikom Taluk in Kottayam district of Kerala, The main deity of the temple is Lord Shiva . Vaikom Mahadeva Temple is one of the most admired Shiva temples in South India. The Shiva Lingam installed in this temple is supposed to be dating back to ‘Treta Yuga’.

The temple makes an influential trio with Ettumanoor Siva Temple, Kaduthuruthy Thaliyil Mahadeva Temple. It is said that visiting all the three temples in a day makes the wishes come true.

Vaikom Sree Mahadeva Temple is one of the biggest temples of Kerala, spread over eight acres of land. The place is covered  with river sand confined by campus walls with four Gopurams on all the four sides. It also features a golden flag staff and Balikalulpura, where Stambha Ganesh has been established at its north-east corner. Namaskara Mandapa is also an important part of the temple, in the east of which, a huge Nandi made with stone is kept.The walls and pillars of the temples are very strong.

Vaikkath Asthami is the important celebration of the Vaikom Temple. Sandhya Vela is the main custom of this shrine, which is done before the flag is hoisted. Sandhya Vela is a tribute by the Devaswom, rulers and devotees of Vaikkathappan. The major Sandhya Velas are Mukha Sandhya Vela, Pully Sandhya Vela, Perumpadappu Sandhya Vela, and Samooha Sandhya Vela. At this day, Sri Bali is brought on an elephant into a grand procession.

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple

The Attukal bhagavathy temple also known as the Sabarimala of Woman, is a small temple located in the city of Trivandrum. This temple is situated 2 kilometers to the south-east from Padmanabhaswamy temple. It holds a very special position among the ancient temples in Kerala. This temple is dedicated to Goddess Attukal devi (Parvathi devi), the supreme power who is  believed to be the supreme preserver and destroyer, and capable of delivering all the wishes to her devotees.

The most famous festival celebrated here is the Attukal Pongala, which lasts for 10 days, starts with the musical recitation of Goddess’s (Parvathi)  story and ends with the part of the Goddess and defeating the Pandya King. The story signifies victory of good over evil, light over darkness and justice over injustice and at the end of the recitation, begins the rituals for Attukal Pongala, which begins with making fire in the temple hearth. The fire will then be passed to the women ready to offer pongala(rice cooked with jaggery, ghee, coconut as well as other ingredients) and the same fire spreads to all the tens of thousands of women, who are  present there to offer pongala to the Goddess and seek her blessings.. The rush of women is so intense that the Pongala ground spreads outside the temple premises and into the public roads, and the courtyards of houses, government offices, bus and train station, etc.... During the festival Kuthiyottam performed by boys below the age of 13 year, and Thalappoli is performed by the girls on the ninth day . The traditional dressing of young girls is major attraction who hold a Thaalam with flowers, a lighted oil lamp, and offerings to the Goddess Attukal Amma.

The Architectural style of the temple is a combination of both Kerala and Tamil styles of architecture. The Front part of the Gopurams are designed with beautiful icons from the story of goddess Kannaki (Parvathi) .The Exterior of the Attukal temple are covered with numerous sculptures of gods, Hindu gods, goddesses ,Goddess Parvathi and the stories of Dassavataram. The temple doors and internal wall of the temple are covered with several sculptures of Gods like Lord Ganapathi , Lord Siva, etc.

The most important and attractive feature of this temple is the Attukal Pongala festival itself because it has reached the Guinness Book of Records for largest annual gathering of Women. Every year hundreds of people from all over world come to seek the blessings and witness this amazing event at this time of festival.