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
Gandharva
In the Puranas the Gandharvas are the heavenly singers who play for the gods. In Kerala's groves they are honoured as nature spirits, and shrines to Gandharva and Yakshi are found...
Bhairava
When Brahma's fifth head grew arrogant, Shiva cut it off and was afflicted with the sin of Brahmanahatya. He wandered as Bhairava until the sin was released in Kashi, where he beca...
Veerabhadra
When Sati immolated herself at Daksha's yajna, Shiva tore a lock from his hair and created Veerabhadra, who destroyed the sacrifice and subdued the gods assembled there. He is wors...
Andal
Kodhai, a foundling raised in Srivilliputhur, grew up in devotion to Ranganatha and insisted on marrying him. She merged with the deity and became Andal, she who ruled the Lord, an...
Duryodhana
Duryodhana was the eldest of the hundred Kauravas, the sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari. His jealousy of his Pandava cousins shaped the rivalry that led to t...
Brahma
Brahma is the creator of the Trimurti, the trinity he shares with Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the dissolver. Puranic tradition describes him emerging from the golden egg Hiranya...
Gandhari Amman
Gandhari, princess of Gandhara, was married to the blind prince Dhritarashtra and blindfolded herself for life in solidarity with him. Through a boon she became the mother of a hun...
Bhoothanatha
Bhoothanatha means the lord of the bhootas, the hosts of spirits that attend Shiva. In Kerala the name is given to Shiva in his role as guardian of the sacred ground, and the deity...
Indilayappan
Indilayappan is the presiding deity of the ancient Avanavanchery temple near Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram district. Temple tradition identifies him with Shiva and Umamaheswara, a...
Temple histories
Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple
Thirunakkara Sree Mahadevar Temple in Kottayam is one of the 108 revered Shivalayas of Kerala. The temple is believed to have been built by a Thekkumkur maharaja around the 16th ce...
Kaduthuruthy Mahadeva Temple
Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam district is home to one of central Kerala's major Mahadeva temples. Tradition groups it with Vaikom and Ettumanoor as three lingas said to have been instal...
Vaikom Mahadeva Temple
Vaikom Sree Mahadeva Temple in Kottayam district is one of Kerala's major Shiva temples and is unique for its oval sanctum, roofed with copper sheets. Tradition groups it with Ettu...
Kandiyoor Mahadeva Temple
Kandiyoor Sree Mahadeva Temple near Mavelikkara stands on the Achankovil river, in a region that was once the capital of the Odanadu kingdom. It is counted among the 108 great Shiv...
Evoor Sree Krishnaswamy Temple
Evoor Major Sreekrishnaswamy Temple near Haripad traces its origin to the Khandava forest episode of the Mahabharata. Agni, unable to digest the ghee he had consumed, was advised t...
Mullackal Rajarajeswari Temple
Mullakkal Rajarajeswari Temple in Alappuzha is about five centuries old and takes its name from the jasmine — mullai — that once grew around it. The grounds are still filled with j...
Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple
Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple near Haripad is Kerala's foremost serpent shrine, set in a forest grove and filled with tens of thousands of snake images offered by devotees. The...
Kaviyoor Mahadeva Temple
Kaviyoor Mahadevar Temple near Thiruvalla enshrines Shiva with Parvati and is counted among Kerala's important Shivalayas. Its compound also holds a famous Hanuman shrine.Legend sa...
Sree Vallabha Temple, Thiruvalla
Sreevallabha Temple at Thiruvalla is one of Kerala's oldest and largest temples and one of the 108 Divya Desams. Its deity, Sreevallabha, is Vishnu as the consort of Sree, or Laksh...