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
Kodungallur Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple
Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple at Kodungallur is dedicated to Bhadrakali, lovingly called Kodungallur Amma. Legend says Parashurama, troubled by the demon Darika, prayed to Shiva,...
Koodalmanikyam Temple
Koodalmanikyam Temple at Irinjalakuda is the only ancient temple in India dedicated to Bharata, Rama's brother. A stone inscription of the Chera king Sthanu Ravi, dated to 854–55 C...
Thiruvambady Sree Krishna Temple
Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple in Thrissur worships Krishna as a child together with Bhadrakali, both held in equal regard. The compound also has shrines for Ganesha, Sastha and B...
Paramekkavu Bhagavathy Temple
Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple is one of the largest Bhagavathy temples in Kerala, standing in the heart of Thrissur near Vadakkunnathan. Sakthan Thampuran organised the temples of t...
Vadakkunnathan Temple
Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur is a classical example of Kerala temple architecture, with a monumental tower on each side and a koothambalam for performances. Its murals depict...
Thrikkakara Vamana Moorthy Temple
Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple near Kochi is one of the major temples dedicated to Vamana, Vishnu's dwarf avatar, and is around two millennia old. It is counted among the 108 Div...
Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple
Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple at Thrippunithura, near Kochi, worships Vishnu as Santhanagopala Murthy, a form believed to bless childless couples with children. The deity was the fam...
Mangaladevi Temple, Thekkady
Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple stands high in the hills near Thekkady, close to the Tamil Nadu border and inside the Periyar region. It is dedicated to Kannagi, the heroine of the Sil...
Kumaranalloor Devi Temple
Kumaranalloor Devi Temple, a short drive from Kottayam, is one of central Kerala's best-loved Bhagavathy shrines. The goddess is worshipped as Katyayani, a fierce form of Parvati,...