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
Thirupaal Kadal Sreekrishnaswami Temple
The central icon is a four-armed standing Vishnu holding the conch, discus, mace and lotus. The temple is counted among the early Vaishnava shrines of south Kerala.
Pazhaya SreekanteswaraTemple
Historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai held that the temple has existed since at least 1000 AD. It is the original abode of the deity later installed at the new Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva...
thripayya temple
The four-armed Rama holds a conch, discus, bow and garland. The temple stands on the river bank at Triprayar and is a major centre of the Thrissur temple festivals.
Mitranandapuram Trimurthi Temple
Mithrananthapuram is one of the few Kerala temples with shrines to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva together, making it a distinctive stop on the Thiruvananthapuram temple circuit.
Valliyoorkkavu
Valliyoorkkavu is the most important temple of the Wayanad tribal and farming communities. Its long annual festival is one of the biggest in the district.
Sree Shivashakthi Mahaganapathi temple
The temple brings the Shaiva family deities together in one compound and serves the villages of the Chenkal belt.
Mukkolakkal Bhagawathi Temple
Mukkolakkal Bhagawathi Temple is an old city shrine whose annual festival is part of the Sreevaraham temple calendar.
Gandhari Amman Kovil
The compound also houses shrines to Ganesha, Muruga, the Naga Devathas, Bhairavar and the Navagrahas. Chithra Poornima is among its important observances.
Padiyannor Devi Temple
Padiyanoor Sree Chamundi Devi Temple is one of the older Devi shrines of the Kattakada countryside and keeps a traditional annual festival.