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
Kurumba Bhagavathi
The Kodungallur temple, linked in local tradition with the Chera capital and with Kannaki of the Silappathikaram, holds the goddess as Kurumba, the fierce mother. Her Bharani festi...
Karthyayani
Karthyayani is the form of Durga born to the sage Katyayana, invoked in the Devi Mahatmya as the slayer of the buffalo demon Mahisha. She is the sixth of the Navadurgas and is wors...
Bhuvaneshwari
As the fourth Mahavidya, Bhuvaneshwari is the cosmic mother whose form contains all the worlds. She is worshipped with the Sri Yantra and the sounds of the three bijas, and is hono...
Rajarajeshwari
As Lalita, the goddess arose from the fire of the churning of the ocean and defeated Bhandasura with her Sri Chakra army. At Chottanikkara she is worshipped in both her fierce and...
Mookambika
The Kollur temple tradition tells of the goddess who killed the demon Mookasura and who blessed Adi Shankara. She is worshipped as a form of Parvati and as the source of the arts a...
Vanadurga
In Kerala's kavu tradition, Durga is honoured in her forest form at groves that are left uncut and protected. She guards the boundary between the village and the wild, and her wors...
Karinkali
Karinkali is honoured as Bhadrakali in her darkest aspect. At Kannenkavu in Malappuram, the Karinkali Pooram gathers ritual dancers painted black, embodying the goddess's furious p...
Karuppaswamy
Karuppu is honoured as a warrior guardian who stands at the entrance of the village and the temple, armed with a sword and a whip. In the Tamil and Kerala border traditions he is o...
Vamana
When Mahabali's rule became too proud, Vishnu took birth as the dwarf Vamana and asked for three paces of land. With two steps he covered earth and heaven, and with the third he pr...
Temple histories
Avanavanchery Sri Indilayappan Temple
Avanavanchery Sri Indilayappan Temple near Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram district is counted among the oldest temples of Kerala. The presiding deity is Indilayappan, identified in...
Chathannoor Sree Bhoothanatha Temple
Chathannoor Sree Bhoothanatha Temple in Kollam district is one of the largest temples of its kind in the region and shares a long festival tradition with the adjoining Meenadu Sast...
Ammathiruvadi Temple
Ammathiruvadi Temple at Urakam near Thrissur is one of the foremost Durga temples of Kerala and is counted first among the 108 Durgaalayams of the old Kerala tradition. Its age is...
Thiruvanchikulam Mahadeva Temple
Thiruvanchikulam Siva Temple at Kodungallur in Thrissur district is believed to have been built in the Chera period and is a classical example of Kerala temple architecture. Shiva...
Kottiyoor Temple
Kottiyoor Temple in Kannur district is a Shiva shrine of unusual form, with two temples on opposite banks of the Vavali river. The permanent complex, Vadakkeshwaram or Ikkare Kotti...
Jagannath Temple, Thalassery
The Shree Jagannatha Temple at Thalassery in Kannur district was established by Sree Narayana Guru in 1908, making it one of the later great temples of Malabar. A statue of the gur...
Haripad Sree Subrahmanya Swamy temple
The Sree Subrahmanya Swamy Temple at Haripad, known as Perumthrikkovil or Kerala Palani, is one of the oldest and largest temples of the region and holds the longest golden flagsta...
Erumely Sree Dharmasastha Temple
Erumely Sree Dharmasastha Temple stands in the heart of Erumely town in Kottayam district and is dedicated to Ayyappa, or Dharma Sastha. It is one of the key staging points of the...
Elamgulam Sree Dharma Sastha Temple
Elamgulam Sree Dharma Sastha Temple stands on the Main Eastern Highway in Kottayam district and is best known for its Gajamela and Aanayoottu, when around fifteen elephants are bro...