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
Shiva
When Brahma and Vishnu quarrelled over who was supreme, Shiva appeared between them as a pillar of fire without beginning or end, and neither could find its limit. During the churn...
Vishnu
Vishnu is the preserver of the cosmos, the deity who sustains dharma whenever it declines. He reclines on the serpent Ananta in the milky ocean and returns to the world in avatar a...
Krishna
Born to Devaki and Vasudeva in a prison cell and raised by Yashoda and Nanda in Gokul, Krishna grew up as the playful cowherd of Vrindavan. He defeated the tyrant Kamsa, guided the...
Rama
Rama, prince of Ayodhya, accepted fourteen years of exile to honour his father's word. With Sita and Lakshmana he lived in the forest, where Ravana carried Sita away to Lanka. Aide...
Narasimha
Hiranyakashipu won a boon that made him almost invincible: he could not be killed by god or man, inside or outside, by day or night. When he tormented his own son Prahlada for wors...
Venkateswara
Venkateswara is the form of Vishnu enshrined on the Tirumala hills in Andhra Pradesh, revered across South India as the lord of the seven hills. The temple tradition tells of Srini...
Lakshmi
Lakshmi emerged from the churning of the milky ocean seated on a lotus and chose Vishnu as her consort, bringing abundance to the three worlds. She is honoured as the goddess of pr...
Durga
When the buffalo demon Mahishasura could not be defeated by the gods, their combined energies took the shape of Durga, who rode a lion and battled him for nine nights, slaying him...
Kali
Kali sprang from the brow of the goddess to defeat the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha, and her wild dance afterwards threatened to shake the world. Shiva lay beneath her feet to calm...
Temple histories
Lokanarkavu Temple
Lokanarkavu Temple at Memunda near Vatakara enshrines Durga and takes its name from Lokamalayarkavu — the grove of the world-mountain. It is closely associated with the ballads of...
Tali Shiva Temple, Kozhikode
Tali Shiva Temple, or Tali Mahakshetram, stands at the heart of Kozhikode and is among the city's oldest shrines. Tradition holds that its linga was installed by Parashurama at the...
Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple
Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple on the Bharatappuzha in Malappuram district is dedicated to Vishnu as Navamukundan and is praised in the Divya Prabandha. The name comes from nine yo...
Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy Temple
Thirumandhamkunnu Temple at Angadipuram in Malappuram district was the family deity of the Valluvanad rajas. Its name and festival traditions are tied to the old kingdom and to the...
Meenkulathi Bhagavathy Temple
Meenkulathi Temple at Pallassena in Palakkad district is the oldest shrine of the village, dedicated to the goddess worshipped as Meenakshi. Tradition says three Veerashaiva Mannad...
Panniyur Sree Varahamurthy Temple
Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple at Kumbidi in Palakkad district is believed to be the first temple consecrated by Parashurama in Kerala. The deity is Varaha, Vishnu's boar avatar,...
Kalpathy Viswanatha Swamy Temple
Kalpathy, in Palakkad, is home to the Visalakshi Sametha Viswanatha Swamy Temple, known as Kasi Viswanathaswamy and locally as Kundukovil. It stands on the bank of the Kalpathy riv...
Uthralikavu Bhagavathy Temple
Uthralikavu, at Wadakkanchery in Thrissur district, is the shrine of Rudhira Mahakali and is famed for its annual pooram, one of the largest in central Kerala.The festival brings t...
Triprayar Sree Rama Temple
Thriprayar Shree Ramaswami Temple in Thrissur district enshrines Rama with four arms holding a conch, discus, bow and garland, standing on the bank of the Thirupurayar river. It is...