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
Sai Baba
Sai Baba arrived as a young ascetic at Shirdi and stayed for decades, living in a ruined mosque and radiating love to Hindus and Muslims alike. He performed no public miracles for...
Navagraha
The Navagraha are the nine planetary deities — Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Budha, Guru, Shukra, Shani, Rahu and Ketu — whose movements are believed to shape time and destiny. Most Hin...
Surya
Surya is the son of Kashyapa and Aditi and the father of Yama, Manu and the Ashvins. The Aditya Hridayam, a hymn to the sun, was taught to Rama before his battle with Ravana, and t...
Chandra
Chandra, the moon god, emerged from the churning of the ocean and married the twenty-seven Nakshatras. His special fondness for Rohini is told in the Puranas, and his waxing and wa...
Shani
Shani is the son of Surya and Chhaya, and his stern gaze tests the deeds of every being. He is the lord of Saturn, the great teacher of karma, discipline and patience, and his dela...
Lakshmi Narasimha
After Narasimha slew Hiranyakashipu, his fierce energy would not subside, and the gods feared it might consume the worlds. Lakshmi came to him, and her presence calmed the lord; th...
Ardhanareeshwara
When Parvati embraced Shiva, their forms merged into one body, half male and half female. The image of Ardhanareeshwara reveals that the divine masculine and feminine are not two t...
Panchamukha Hanuman
To rescue Rama and Lakshmana from the underworld, Hanuman took five faces — Hayagriva, Narasimha, Garuda, Varaha and his own — and blew out the lamps that guarded the demon Ahirava...
Family Deities (Kuladevata)
Each family lineage preserves its own kuladevata, the guardian deity of the household, honoured at weddings, naming ceremonies and family festivals. The deity is often a local godd...
Temple histories
Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple
Pazhavangadi Maha Ganapathy Temple stands at East Fort in central Thiruvananthapuram, close to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The deity is Ganesha seated with one leg folded, and the...
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram is one of the 108 Divya Desams, dedicated to Vishnu reclining on the serpent Anantha. The shrine is praised in the Divya Prabandha...
Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple
Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple in Kottayam is among Kerala's major Shiva temples, grouped in tradition with Vaikom and Kaduthuruthy. Its name is traced to a deer — 'man' — that is sai...
Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Temple
Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple in the Western Ghats is Kerala's greatest pilgrimage centre, where Ayyappa is worshipped as an eternal brahmachari, the son of Shiva and Mohini...
Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple
Guruvayur Temple in Thrissur district enshrines Guruvayurappan, a form of Krishna-Vishnu, and is one of the most visited shrines in Kerala. The Gurupavanapura Mahatmya of the Narad...
Ananthapura Lake Temple
Ananthapura in Kasaragod is Kerala's only lake temple, set in the middle of a tank and dedicated to Anantha Padmanabhaswamy. Tradition holds that this was the original seat of the...
Arattupuzha Sree Sastha Temple
Arattupuzha Sastha Temple, near Thrissur, claims an antiquity of some three thousand years and is best known for its Devamela, a festival in which gods and goddesses are believed t...
Aluva Mahadeva Temple
Aluva Mahadeva Temple stands on the sandy manappuram of the Periyar river near Kochi, with Shiva facing east. It is counted among the 108 Shivalayas of Kerala, and folklore credits...
Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple
Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple, near Ernakulam, worships the Divine Mother as Rajarajeswari. She is adored in three moods through the day — as Saraswati in the morning, Lakshmi at...