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
Dakshina Mookambika Temple, North Paravur
Dakshina Mookambika Temple at North Paravur in Ernakulam district is a southern seat of the goddess Mookambika of Kollur. The sanctum stands in the middle of a lotus pool, and the...
Cochin Thirumala Devaswom
Cochin Thirumala Devaswom, also called Gosripuram, is the principal religious institution of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin community of Kerala. It stands in the Cherlai quarter of Mat...
Cherthala Karthyayani Temple
Karthyayani Devi Temple at Cherthala in Alappuzha district is one of the famous Devi shrines of the Kerala coast. The goddess is honoured as Mangalya Dayini, the giver of auspiciou...
Chengannur Mahadeva Temple
Chengannur Mahadeva Temple in Alappuzha district is one of the great Shiva temples of Kerala, counted alongside Ettumanoor, Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom, Ernakulam and Vadakkunnathan. Shiv...
Chakkamkulangara Siva Temple
Chakkamkulangara Siva Temple at Thrippunithura in Ernakulam district is an ancient Shiva shrine, more than a thousand years old and built in the Kerala-Dravidian style. Parvati is...
Aryankavu Sastha Temple
Aryankavu Sastha Temple stands near the Tamil Nadu border in Kollam district, one of the five principal Shasta temples of Kerala. The name is read as the sacred grove of the Arya,...
Annapurneshwari Temple, Cherukunnu
Annapoorneshwari Temple at Cherukunnu in Kannur district is dedicated to Annapurna, the goddess of food, and is unusual in keeping Krishna as a co-deity in the same shrine. The sit...
Achankovil Sastha Temple
Achankovil Sastha Temple lies on the banks of the Achankovil river in Kollam district and is one of the five major Shasta temples of Kerala, with Kulathupuzha, Aryankavu, Sabarimal...
Ernakulathappan Temple
Ernakulam Shiva Temple, known to devotees as Ernakulathappan, is regarded as the guardian deity of Kochi. The temple's traditions are linked to the Cheranalloor Kartha family, and...