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
Thrikkadavoor Sree Krishna Swamy Temple
Thrikkadavoor Sree Mahadeva Temple in Kollam district is one of the 108 Shiva temples of Kerala, administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board and known for its golden flagstaff an...
Kulathupuzha Sree Dharma Sastha Temple
Kulathupuzha Sastha Temple in Kollam district is one of the five great Sastha shrines of Kerala, along with Aryankavu, Achankovil, Sabarimala and Kanthamala. Its idol is said to be...
Ochira Parabrahma Temple
Ochira Parabrahma Temple, on the Kollam–Alappuzha border, is unusual in Kerala for worshipping the formless Parabrahma rather than an installed idol. It is counted among the state'...
Kottarakkara Sree Mahaganapathy Temple
Kottarakkara Sree Mahaganapathy Kshethram is best known for its shrine of Mahaganapathy, though the temple's principal deity is Shiva. The complex also honours Parvati, Murugan, Ay...
Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swamy Temple
Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swami Temple, south of Thiruvananthapuram, enshrines Krishna as Unnikannan in the Navaneetha Krishna form, holding butter. The temple is believed to have...
Karikkakom Chamundi Devi Temple
Karikkakom Sree Chamundi Devi Temple in Thiruvananthapuram is more than six centuries old and enshrines a panchaloha image of Karikkakathamma, worshipped in three forms — Maha Cham...
Vellayani Devi Temple
Vellayani Devi Temple near Thiruvananthapuram, on the eastern bank of Vellayani lake, is a highly revered Bhadrakali shrine under the Travancore Devaswom Board. Its rituals preserv...
Sarkara Devi Temple
Sarkaradevi Temple at Chirayinkeezhu in Thiruvananthapuram district is dedicated to Bhadrakali and has a long association with the Attingal royal house. The Attingal Ranis, linked...
Janardanaswamy Temple, Varkala
Janardanaswamy Temple at Varkala, near Thiruvananthapuram, worships Vishnu as Janardana, the lord of the people, and is also known locally as Varkaleswara. The shrine is believed t...