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
Sree Puthenkavu Bhagavathy Temple Elavoor
Puthenkavu Bhagavathy Temple is widely known for its annual festival and for the traditional art forms performed in its precincts.
Sree Narayanapuram Thrikkayil Temple
The idol represents the world-enchanting form of Krishna, holding the conch, discus, mace and lotus. The temple is a focal point of the Perissery villages.
Srinivasa Venkatachalapathy Temple
Also called Srinivasar Kovil, Perumal Kovil or Desikar Sannidhi, the temple follows the pooja traditions of Kerala's Namboodiri priests while serving a largely Tamil-speaking congr...
Neendoor Subrahmanya Swami Temple
Local tradition holds that the Pandavas and the sage Vyasa worshipped at this shrine. It is a historic temple that has long been a source of pride for the Neendoor area.
Keraladeshpuram Temple
Temple tradition links the shrine to a period roughly 3,000 years ago. Thanur was among the earliest settlements of the Malabar Coast, and the temple remains its ritual centre.
Chennamangalam Temple
Shiva, Ganesha, Vishnu and Annapurneshwari are also worshipped here. The temple is regarded as one of the oldest in Kerala and a major Ayyappa shrine of the Vatakara coast.
Abhimanyu Temple, Vayotthidam
Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, is the presiding deity here, making the shrine unique among Kerala temples linked to the Mahabharata.
Kozha Sree Narasimhaswami Temple
The temple is dedicated to Narasimha, the fourth incarnation of Vishnu, and serves the farming villages around Kuravilangad.
Kadamuri Narasimhaswamy Temple
The presiding deity is Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of Vishnu. The temple is a noted Narasimha shrine of central Travancore.