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
Shaktheeswaram Temple
Adi Parashakti is venerated here as the supreme being of Shaktism. The temple has long functioned as a centre for astrology, tantric upasana and the study of Sanathana Dharma.
Ramapuram Sree Rama Temple
The east-facing Rama shrine is the principal deity of a temple complex that has served the Meenachil countryside for centuries.
Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada Temple
Malanada shrines have no roofed sanctum in the usual sense. Devotees hold that the deity here is Duryodhana, making the temple one of the most unusual in Kerala.
Perunna Subrahmanya Swami Temple
Krishna, Shiva, Ayyappan, Mahaganapathi and the Sarpa Devas are also worshipped here. The temple is a major religious centre of Changanassery town.
Kadakkal Devi Temple
Kadakkal's Devi temple is the ritual heart of a village known for its spice trade and for the social reform movements of the pre-independence period.
Ammachiveedu Muhurthi
The temple is open to devotees of every caste and religion. Rather than an idol, the goddess is worshipped through ritual symbols, a rare practice in Kerala.
Sree Balakrishna Swamy Temple
The temple serves the island villages around Kuzhuppilly and is one of several old Krishna shrines in the Vypeen belt.
sreerajarajeshwara temple
The temple lies about two kilometres from Taliparamba town and is closely associated with the Kolathiri rulers. A 14-foot bronze image of Shiva weighing 4,200 kg has been installed...
Lakshmi Venkateswara Temple
Prathishta ceremonies began in 1864 and the installation of Sri Lakshmi Venkatesha was completed on Akshaya Tritiya in 1865 under Srimad Bhuvanendra Tirtha Swamiji.