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
Bhagavathi
Bhagavathi is the mother goddess honoured across Kerala in her many forms — Bhadrakali, Durga, Kali and the countless village deities who protect the land and its people. The word...
Parvati
Daughter of the mountain king Himavan, Parvati performed severe penance to win Shiva, who had withdrawn into grief after Sati. Their marriage is celebrated as the union of matter a...
Saraswati
Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, speech, music and learning, seated on a white lotus with a veena in her hands. As the river Saraswati faded from the earth, the goddess withd...
Murugan
Born to Shiva and Parvati, Skanda was raised by the Krittikas and by the fire, and grew into the youthful commander of the divine army. With his vel, the spear of divine wisdom, he...
Ayyappa
Manikandan, the son of Shiva and Vishnu as Mohini, was adopted by the Pandala king and saved the kingdom from the demoness Mahishi. He then withdrew to Sabarimala, where he blesses...
Hanuman
Hanuman, the son of the wind, leapt the ocean to Lanka, found Sita, carried the Sanjivani mountain to save Lakshmana and served Rama with perfect devotion. His strength is always o...
Ganesha
Parvati created Ganesha from clay to guard her door. When Shiva returned and did not recognise the boy, he cut off his head in anger, then restored him with the head of an elephant...
Subrahmanya
Subrahmanya received the vel from his mother Parvati and led the divine army against Surapadma. The demon's defeat is celebrated in the Skanda Purana, and the spear remains the god...
Dattatreya
Anasuya, wife of the sage Atri, pleased the Trimurti by her devotion, and they were born to her as the single child Dattatreya. He grew up as a wandering avadhuta, and the traditio...
Temple histories
Chettikulangara Devi Temple
Chettikulangara Sree Bhagavathi Temple near Mavelikkara enshrines Bhadrakali and is one of central Kerala's most popular Devi shrines. One tradition says local chieftains, humiliat...
Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple
Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple was built in the 15th century by the Chembakasserry ruler Devanarayanan Thampuran and is counted among the seven great temples of old Travancore. T...
Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple
Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple on the Pamba river is dedicated to Krishna as Parthasarathy, Arjuna's charioteer, and is one of the 108 Divya Desams. Legend connects it to the Pandav...
Asramam Sree Krishna Temple
Asramam Sree Krishna Swamy Temple stands on the shore of Ashtamudi lake in Kollam and enshrines Krishna as Navaneetakrishna, the child holding butter. The shrine sits on a small mo...
Aazhimala Shiva Temple
Aazhimala is a coastal Shiva temple near Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram district, built in a style close to Tamil temple architecture. Fishermen and coastal families have long wor...
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram is dedicated to Bhadrakali, identified by devotees with Kannagi, the heroine of the Tamil epic Silappatikaram. Legend tells of a rad...
Shri Padmanabha Demo Temple
Shri Padmanabha Demo Temple is a centuries-old shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu in Anantha Shayana posture.