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
Thirupaal Kadal Sreekrishnaswami Temple
The central icon is a four-armed standing Vishnu holding the conch, discus, mace and lotus. The temple is counted among the early Vaishnava shrines of south Kerala.
Pazhaya SreekanteswaraTemple
Historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai held that the temple has existed since at least 1000 AD. It is the original abode of the deity later installed at the new Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva...
thripayya temple
The four-armed Rama holds a conch, discus, bow and garland. The temple stands on the river bank at Triprayar and is a major centre of the Thrissur temple festivals.
Mitranandapuram Trimurthi Temple
Mithrananthapuram is one of the few Kerala temples with shrines to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva together, making it a distinctive stop on the Thiruvananthapuram temple circuit.
Valliyoorkkavu
Valliyoorkkavu is the most important temple of the Wayanad tribal and farming communities. Its long annual festival is one of the biggest in the district.
Sree Shivashakthi Mahaganapathi temple
The temple brings the Shaiva family deities together in one compound and serves the villages of the Chenkal belt.
Mukkolakkal Bhagawathi Temple
Mukkolakkal Bhagawathi Temple is an old city shrine whose annual festival is part of the Sreevaraham temple calendar.
Gandhari Amman Kovil
The compound also houses shrines to Ganesha, Muruga, the Naga Devathas, Bhairavar and the Navagrahas. Chithra Poornima is among its important observances.
Padiyannor Devi Temple
Padiyanoor Sree Chamundi Devi Temple is one of the older Devi shrines of the Kattakada countryside and keeps a traditional annual festival.