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
Veda Vyasa
Vyasa, also called Krishna Dvaipayana, is the sage who divided the single Veda into the Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva Vedas so that its knowledge could be preserved and taught. Trad...
Dhanwanthari
Dhanvantari is the physician of the gods and an avatar of Vishnu, and the tradition of Ayurveda honours him as its divine source. During the churning of the Ocean of Milk he rose f...
Abhimanyu
Abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, and while still in his mother's womb he learned how to enter the Chakravyuha, the wheel formation of the Kaurava army. On the thirteen...
garuda
Garuda, the king of birds, is the son of the sage Kashyapa and Vinata. When his mother was enslaved through a wager with her sister Kadru, Garuda flew to the heavens, defeated the...
Temple histories
Chakkulathukavu Temple
Chakkulathukavu is one of Alappuzha district's most visited shrines. Women devotees gather in large numbers for the Nari Pooja, and the temple's annual festival draws pilgrims from...
Madhur Sree Madanantheshwara Siddhivinayaka Temple
Madhur Temple near Kasaragod, on the Madhuvahini river, honours Shiva as Madanantheshwara but is best known for its Ganapathy shrine. Tradition says an elderly woman named Madaru f...
Kalarivathukkal Bhagavathy Temple
Kalarivathukkal Bhagavathy Temple near Valapattanam enshrines the fierce form of Bhadrakali and is honoured as the mother of Kalaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala. The name is l...
Peralassery Sree Subrahmanya Temple
Peralassery, on the Anjarakandy river in Kannur district, is home to the well-known Sree Subrahmanya Temple. The shrine has long been a centre of devotion for the surrounding villa...
Trichambaram Sree Krishna Temple
Trichambaram Temple at Taliparamba in Kannur district enshrines Krishna in a fierce posture after the slaying of Kamsa. The temple is listed among the Abhimana Kshethrams, the hono...
Rajarajeshwara Temple, Taliparamba
Rajarajeshwara Temple at Taliparamba in Kannur district is one of the 108 ancient Shiva temples of Kerala. Tradition credits its founding to Parashurama, with Vishwakarma as archit...
Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple
Parassini Madappura Sree Muthappan Temple at Parassinikadavu, on the Valapattanam river in Kannur, worships Muthappan, a deity who combines aspects of Shiva and Vishnu. The temple...
Thirunelli Maha Vishnu Temple
Thirunelli Temple lies on the slope of Brahmagiri in Wayanad, close to the Karnataka border and about 900 metres above sea level. It is dedicated to Maha Vishnu and counted among t...
Valayanad Devi Temple
Sree Valayanad Devi Temple near Kozhikode is the family deity of the Zamorin kings. The goddess is worshipped as Bhagavathy, and the shrine is closely tied to the political and dev...