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Top Most Famous Temples in Kerala
June 2, 2023
Tourists flock to Kerala for many reasons, like the beautiful beaches, serene backwaters, delicious cuisine, exquisite art forms, fascinating culture, lush landscapes, etc. But there are also many who visit God’s own country in search of God himself. The reason? This little sliver of land near the southern tip of India has numerous temples that are famous for their antiquity, architecture, history, and legends that speak of the power of the divine.
Here are some famous temples in Kerala that figure high on the list of must-see places for spiritual seekers and religious people from all parts of the country and even abroad.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram
Sree Padmanabhawamy Temple, dating back to the 8th century, is one of the most famous temples in Kerala and, supposedly, the world’s richest temple. This imposing temple is in East Fort, Thiruvananthapuram (the capital city). It is dedicated to Vishnu. It finds mention in the Skanda Purana and Padma Purana. The city gets its name from the main deity (Anantha) here. The architecture is a blend of the Kerala and Dravidian styles. This temple is a Divya Desam of Vishnu. The presiding deity is Vishnu, reclining on Anantha, the hooded serpent. King Marthanda Varma is responsible for the temple’s present-day structure. He also introduced the Murajapam and Bhadra Deepam festivals in the temple. Murajapam (continuous chanting of prayers) is still conducted here once every six years. The Temple’s location is at a spot that is regarded as one of the seven Parasurama Kshetras. In 1750, Marthanda Varma dedicated the Travancore kingdom to Padmanabha. He pledged that the royal family would rule the State on behalf of the deity, and he and his descendants would serve as Padmanabha Dasa or the servant of Padmanabha. After this, the title, Padmanabha Dasa, preceded the names of all Travancore kings.
Sabarimala Sastha Temple, Pathanamthitta
Sabarimala Temple is a very famous temple in Kerala, near the Periyar Tiger Reserve. It stands at an altitude of 914 m above sea level. It is accessible only by foot from Pamba (4 km). The temple enshrines Ayyappa. The temple stands amidst dense forests in the rugged terrains of the Western Ghats and is home to many wildlife species. The pilgrim season here is from November to mid-January. Mandalapooja and Makaravilakku are the two main events. The Temple will be closed during the rest of the year except for the first 5 days of every Malayalam month and during Vishu (April). Around 50 million visitors from all over the world visit it every year. Pilgrims have to undertake a rigorous fast for 41 days to visit the temple. Legends claim that Ayyapan meditated here for a long time after killing the demoness, Mahishi.
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, a famous temple in Kerala, is the venue for the famous Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam, a 10-day festival in which over 3 million women come together and cook Pongala, an offering for the presiding deity, Goddess Bhadrakali. She is also referred to as Kannagi, the wronged heroine of the Tamil epic, Silappatikaram. The Temple is only 2 km away from the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The Pongala festival achieved the Guinness World Record for the single largest gathering of women for a religious activity. The Goddess is often worshipped in 3 forms – Maha Saraswati (Goddess of knowledge, arts, and language), Maha Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth, auspiciousness, and power), and Mahakali/ Parvati (Goddess of marriage, time, and death).
Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna Temple, Ambalapuzha
Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna Temple is a famous Vaishnava temple in Alleppey, Kerala. The main deity is Krishna. Vishnu, the presiding deity, appears here as Parthasarathy, the charioteer of the Pandava prince, Arjuna.
Pooradam Thirunal Devanarayanan Thampuran, king of the Chembakassery kingdom, built this famous temple in Kerala during the 15th – 17th CE.. The temple has Kerala-style architecture and is well-known for its Chuttambalam (building around the sanctum sanctorum), which has beautiful wall paintings. The main offering here is Paal payasam, a delicious sweet milk porridge.
Chottanikkara Temple, Chottanikkara
Located in the suburbs of Kochi, this famous temple in Kerala dates back to the 10th century CE. The deity here has the power to cure mental illness. The presiding deity is Goddess Rajarajeswari, who devotees worship here in 3 forms – Saraswati in the morning, Lakshmi during noon, and Durga in the evening. An idol of Vishnu shares the same pedestal, and hence the deity is called Ammenarayana. One can also see idols of Brahma, Siva, Ganesha, Subramanya, and Sastha on the same pedestal. The temple complex also houses the Kizhukkavu Bhagavathy temple, temples for Shiva, Sastha, Ganapathi, Nagas, and other Upa-Devas.
Makam Thozhal is one of the major festivals here. It occurs on Makam Nakshatra in the Malayalam month of Kumbham (mid-February – mid-March). Locals believe that Bhagavathy gave darshan to Vilwamangalam Swamiyar on Makam day in her full attire and also appears on the same day every year for giving darshan to devotees. The Bhadrakaali at Kizhukkavu supposedly has the power to exorcise evil spirits. Women with mental ailments like schizophrenia, who come here during the Valiya kuruthy ritual on Fridays, are believed to be permanently cured. There is an ancient ‘Pala’ tree on the northeastern side of the sanctum sanctorum, which has many long iron nails hammered on it by possessed women with their foreheads.
Guruvayoor Sree Krishan Temple, Guruvayoor
This famous temple in Kerala is often called the Dwarka of the South and is in Thrissur district. According to legends, the temple has healing powers to cure mental illness. The temple is in the traditional Kerala architectural style. A very popular offering here is Thulabharam, where devotees are weighed against sugar, bananas, jaggery, and coconuts equivalent to their weight on a huge pair of scales.
One can see structures like Nalambalam (a structure surrounding the sanctum sanctorum), Balikkal (sacrificial stone), and Deepastambam (pillar of lights) within the temple premises. The wall of the sanctum sanctorum has ancient 17th-century murals.
Apart from a 10-day festival in Feb -March, the temple has many other festivals like Guruvayoor Ekadashi, Vaishakam, and Ashtami Rohini are some among them. Guruvayoor Aanayottam (elephant race) is a famous event here.
Ettumanoor Mahadev Temple, Kottayam
Ettumanoor Mahadev Temple is 12 kilometers away from Kottayam. The temple, supposedly built in the 16th century, is dedicated to Shiva. Temple lore says that the Pandavas and Sage Vyasa had worshipped here. The name comes from the word ‘manoor’, meaning “the land of deer.” This temple is a major Shiva temple in Kerala. It is famous for its unique Ezharaponnana procession, held during the 10-day annual festival at the temple. ‘Ezhara’ means seven-and-half while ‘Ponnana’ means ‘golden elephant’. Seven elephants are two feet tall, but the eighth one is only one foot tall. Hence, the name.
The festival occurs in the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February – March). On the festival’s 8th night, one can see the procession. The elephants were offered to the deity by the then- Travancore ruler, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma.
Tali Temple, Kozhikode
This famous temple in Kerala was erected in the 14th century by the Zamorin King, Swamy Thirumulapad. This Shiva Temple in the heart of Kozhikode was also the family temple of the Zamorins who ruled Kozhikode long ago. Supposedly, the Jyotirlingam in the sanctum was installed towards the end of Dvapara Yuga by Parasurama. The deity in the sanctum is Umamaheswara.
One of the major festivals here is Revathi Pattathanam. It is a 7-day cultural and intellectual event held in Thulam month (October – November). According to myth, the Zamorins began the festival as atonement for killing the Namboothiris, who maintained the original temple before taking over the temple.
Scholars and philosophers attended this function and took part in learned discussions of philosophical treatises and grammatical texts like Bharatha Meemamsa, Prabhakara Meemamsa, Vedanta Meemamsa, and Vyakarana at the function. During the 15th and 16th centuries, 18 poets took part in this function. The function takes place even now, and performing scholars get rewards.
Maha Shivaratri and Malayalam New Year are also celebrated at the temple. The temple has majestic wood carvings, beautiful wall paintings, and roofs that have intricate designs. The walls of the Sreekovil, or sanctum sanctorum, are in the shape of a chariot that has brass designs and mural paintings.
