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
Jenardhanan Swamy temple
Also known as Varkala Temple, it is dedicated to Vishnu as Janardanaswamy, locally called Varkaleswara. The shrine is one of the best-known pilgrimage stops of southern Kerala.
Kamaleswaram Mahadeva Temple
The temple serves the Kamaleswaram neighbourhood and follows the traditional Kerala pooja schedule.
Sree Vayillamkunnu bhagavathi temple
The shrine sits on the route to Cherpulassery and is one of the traditional Devi temples of the Valluvanad region.
Pariyanempatta Bhagavathi Temple
The temple and its precincts are often compared with the Mookambika temple at Kollur. Its annual festival remains a major gathering for the villages of Valluvanad.
Palakkavu Bhagavathi temple
The Edava Palakkavu Bhagavathi temple is one of the older shrines of south Kerala and holds its annual festival with traditional processions.
Meenkulathi Temple
Meenkulathi serves the Tamil-speaking villages around Pallassena and keeps a distinct ritual calendar influenced by both Kerala and Tamil traditions.
Mangottu Bhagavathi Temple
Mangottu Bhagavathi is regarded as the younger sister of Parakkattu Bhagavathi, whose temple stands nearby at Kavasseri.
Manapullikavu
Manapullikavu is closely tied to the agricultural calendar of the Palakkad plains and celebrates a large annual pooram.
Kadampuzha Devi Temple
The main deity is Parvati in the form of a huntress. There is no idol; the goddess is worshipped in a pit, and the presence of Ganesha is also believed to be felt at the shrine.