Stories of gods and temples.
The origin stories of Kerala's deities and the histories of its temples — legends of creation and courage, of saints and rulers, and of the shrines that keep them alive.
Stories of the gods
Shiva
When Brahma and Vishnu quarrelled over who was supreme, Shiva appeared between them as a pillar of fire without beginning or end, and neither could find its limit. During the churn...
Vishnu
Vishnu is the preserver of the cosmos, the deity who sustains dharma whenever it declines. He reclines on the serpent Ananta in the milky ocean and returns to the world in avatar a...
Krishna
Born to Devaki and Vasudeva in a prison cell and raised by Yashoda and Nanda in Gokul, Krishna grew up as the playful cowherd of Vrindavan. He defeated the tyrant Kamsa, guided the...
Rama
Rama, prince of Ayodhya, accepted fourteen years of exile to honour his father's word. With Sita and Lakshmana he lived in the forest, where Ravana carried Sita away to Lanka. Aide...
Narasimha
Hiranyakashipu won a boon that made him almost invincible: he could not be killed by god or man, inside or outside, by day or night. When he tormented his own son Prahlada for wors...
Venkateswara
Venkateswara is the form of Vishnu enshrined on the Tirumala hills in Andhra Pradesh, revered across South India as the lord of the seven hills. The temple tradition tells of Srini...
Lakshmi
Lakshmi emerged from the churning of the milky ocean seated on a lotus and chose Vishnu as her consort, bringing abundance to the three worlds. She is honoured as the goddess of pr...
Durga
When the buffalo demon Mahishasura could not be defeated by the gods, their combined energies took the shape of Durga, who rode a lion and battled him for nine nights, slaying him...
Kali
Kali sprang from the brow of the goddess to defeat the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha, and her wild dance afterwards threatened to shake the world. Shiva lay beneath her feet to calm...
Temple histories
Avanavanchery Sri Indilayappan Temple
Avanavanchery Sri Indilayappan Temple near Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram district is counted among the oldest temples of Kerala. The presiding deity is Indilayappan, identified in...
Chathannoor Sree Bhoothanatha Temple
Chathannoor Sree Bhoothanatha Temple in Kollam district is one of the largest temples of its kind in the region and shares a long festival tradition with the adjoining Meenadu Sast...
Ammathiruvadi Temple
Ammathiruvadi Temple at Urakam near Thrissur is one of the foremost Durga temples of Kerala and is counted first among the 108 Durgaalayams of the old Kerala tradition. Its age is...
Thiruvanchikulam Mahadeva Temple
Thiruvanchikulam Siva Temple at Kodungallur in Thrissur district is believed to have been built in the Chera period and is a classical example of Kerala temple architecture. Shiva...
Kottiyoor Temple
Kottiyoor Temple in Kannur district is a Shiva shrine of unusual form, with two temples on opposite banks of the Vavali river. The permanent complex, Vadakkeshwaram or Ikkare Kotti...
Jagannath Temple, Thalassery
The Shree Jagannatha Temple at Thalassery in Kannur district was established by Sree Narayana Guru in 1908, making it one of the later great temples of Malabar. A statue of the gur...
Haripad Sree Subrahmanya Swamy temple
The Sree Subrahmanya Swamy Temple at Haripad, known as Perumthrikkovil or Kerala Palani, is one of the oldest and largest temples of the region and holds the longest golden flagsta...
Erumely Sree Dharmasastha Temple
Erumely Sree Dharmasastha Temple stands in the heart of Erumely town in Kottayam district and is dedicated to Ayyappa, or Dharma Sastha. It is one of the key staging points of the...
Elamgulam Sree Dharma Sastha Temple
Elamgulam Sree Dharma Sastha Temple stands on the Main Eastern Highway in Kottayam district and is best known for its Gajamela and Aanayoottu, when around fifteen elephants are bro...