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
Bhadrakali
In the Devi Mahatmya tradition the Goddess manifests as Bhadrakali to slay the asura Darika, whose boon made him invulnerable to all male beings. Kerala retells the Darika Vadham i...
Muthappan
Tradition tells of a boy found and raised by a humble couple who was later recognised as the presence of Shiva and Vishnu. He wandered as a hunter and ascetic with his dogs, breaki...
Nagaraja
The serpents Ananta, Vasuki and Takshaka belong to the race of Nagas who dwell in Patala and serve as the couch of Vishnu. In Kerala the Naga deities are believed to guard ancestra...
Vishnumaya Kuttichathan
Tradition holds that Vishnumaya was born to Shiva and Parvati and took the form of a child to defeat the asura Bhrugasura through illusion, or maya. In northern Malabar he is linke...
Mariamman
Mariamman is honoured as the goddess who cools the heat of summer and wards off epidemics. Her shrines stand at the edge of the village, where she guards the settlement, and her fe...
Chamundi
When the asuras Chanda and Munda attacked the Goddess, she manifested from her brow as Kali and destroyed them, earning the name Chamundi. In Kerala her shrines often stand on hill...
Vettakkorumakan
When Shiva assumed the form of a Kirata, a hunter, and Parvati joined him in the forest, their son Vettakkorumakan was born. Shiva gave him a churika, the curved sword, and sent hi...
Yakshi
In Kerala folklore Yakshis are otherworldly beings who dwell in banyan and pala trees. A Yakshi honoured with lamps and offerings becomes a benevolent guardian; neglected, she is f...
Muchilottu Bhagavathi
Muchilottu Bhagavathi is remembered as a learned girl of Perinchellur who was humiliated in a challenge of scholarship and later revealed as divine. She is the tutelary goddess of...
Temple histories
Kapalikkulangara Sree Mahavishnu Temple
The shrine shares the temple town of Taliparamba with the Rajarajeshwara Temple and serves the local Vaishnava community.
Cherai Gowreeshwara Temple
Known locally as Gowreeshwara, the temple is a focal point of the Cherai villages and draws visitors during its annual festival.
Altharakkal Sree Muthappan Madapura
Local tradition regards Muthappan here as a manifestation of Shiva. The madapura keeps the theyyam-based ritual tradition of the Kanhangad countryside.
Maramkulangara Krishna Temple
The principal deity is Krishna in his child form. The shrine is counted among the Abhimana temples of Vishnu in the Kochi region.
Anandeswaram Mahadeva Temple
Anandeswaram Sree Mahadeva Kshethram is counted among the oldest shrines of Pandanad in Chengannur taluk, and forms part of the village's traditional temple cluster.
Makaliyam Sreerama Swamy Temple
Local tradition holds that the temple was built during the Chera dynasty and that a major fire once destroyed much of the original structure; the present shrine was rebuilt around...
Adichikkavu Sree Durga Devi Kshetram
Also called Adichikavu Devi Temple, it is one of the oldest temples of Pandanad in Alappuzha district and is closely linked with the village's other old shrines.
Thamaramkulangara Sree Dharma Sastha Temple
The temple is a familiar landmark of Tripunithura and its festival, with caparisoned elephants and traditional ensembles, is one of the town's best-attended celebrations.
Manakkattu devi temple
The temple stands about four kilometres east of Harippad in Karthikappalli taluk. It is administered jointly by the Thekkummuri, Kottakkakam, Naduvattom and Thrikkunnapuzha karayog...