10 most famous temples in Kerala

Kerala is one of India's most famous tourism destinations. Kerala truly is "The Land of Gods," as they say. Some of the oldest temples are found in Kerala; they date back over 2000 years and are mostly devoted to the gods Siva, Vishnu, and Ayyappan.

 

10 Famous temples of Kerala

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of Kerala, India.The temple is built in an intricate fusion of the Chera style and the Dravidian style of architecture, featuring high walls, and a 16th-century gopura.The principal deity is Padmanabhaswamy (Vishnu), who is enshrined in the "Anantha Shayana" posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the infinite serpent Adi Shesha.Padmanabhaswamy is the tutelary deity of the Travancore royal family. The titular Maharaja of Travancore, Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, is the current trustee of the temple

Inside the Temple, there are two other important shrines, Thekkedom and Thiruvambadi, for the Deities, Ugra Narasimha and Krishna Swami respectively.The foundation of the present gopuram was laid in 1566.The temple has a 100-foot (30 m) high 7-tier gopuram built in the Pandyan style.The temple stands by the side of a tank, named Padma Theertham (meaning the lotus spring).

There are many festivals associated with this temple. The major festivals are bi-annual. The Aipasi festival and the Panguni festival in the Tamil month of aipasi (October/November) and Panguni (March/April) respectively, lasts for 10 days each. On the ninth day the Maharajah of the Travancore, in his capacity as Thrippappoor Mooppan, escorts the deities to the vettakkalam for Pallivetta.

In line with the Temple Entry Proclamation, only those who profess the Hindu faith are permitted entry to the temple and devotees have to strictly follow the dress code. Men wear "vesti" with "angavastram" (the South Indian version of dhoti and shawl both of which are plain white in color) and women wear sari.

Sabarimala Sastha Temple 

Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, is the most famous and prominent among all the Sastha temples in Kerala.Sabarimala is situated 72 km from Pathanamthitta town, 191 km from Thiruvananthapuram and 210 km from Kochi. It is the ‘Sacred Abode of Lord Ayyappa’ and one of the most important Hindu pilgrim centre in the country.t is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world with an estimate of over 10 to 15 million devotees visiting every year.Millions of pilgrims from all over the Country assemble here during the most arduous festivals called as ‘Vishu Vilakku’ in April, ‘Mandalapooja’, in the months of Vrichikam Dhanu (Nov. – Dec) and ‘Makaravilakku’ in mid January, coinciding with Sankramam. The pilgrimage includes a unique tradition, that of offering prayer at a mosque of Vavar, a Muslim devotee of Ayappan

.Harivarasanam is recited before closing the temple door every night. The Harivarasanam prayer, which is sung at Sabarimala is a Urakkupattu. It is composed by Kambangudi Kulathur Srinivasa Iyer in Sanskrit. It is said that Srinivasa Iyer used to recite the composition after the Athazha Puja, standing in front of the shrine of Ayyappa in the main temple. With the efforts of Swami Vimochanananda, it came to be accepted as the lullaby by the Tantri and Melshanthi. The composition has 352 letters, 108 words in 32 lines in 8 stanzas.

The devotees are expected to follow a Vratham (41-day austerity period) prior to the pilgrimage. This begins with wearing of a special Mala (a chain made of Rudraksha or Tulasi beads is commonly used, though still other types of chains are available.). During the 41 days of Vratham, the devotee who has taken the vow, is required to strictly follow the rules that include follow only a lacto-vegetarian diet (In India, vegetarianism is synonymous with lacto-vegetarianism), follow celibacy, follow teetotalism, not use any profanity and have to control the anger, allow the hair and nails to grow without cutting.

Click here to visit official Sabarimala website for Virtual Q & Pooja booking

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple 

The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a Hindu religious shrine at Attukal in Kerala, India. Goddess Bhadrakali (Kannaki), mounted over 'vethala', is the main deity in this temple. Bhadrakali, a form ofThe temple is renowned for the annual Attukal Pongal festival, in which over three million women participate.A festival that has figured in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the single largest gathering of women for a religious activity, the Attukal Pongala continues to draw millions of women with each passing year Mahakali, who killed the demon king Daruka, believed to be born from the third eye of lord Shiva.

Attukal Temple is situated near the heart of the city, 2 kilometres away from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

Festivals 

• Mandala Vratham – Festival in connection with the annual Utsavam of Sabarimala
• Vinayaka Chathurthi – Pooja to the Lord Ganapathy
• Pooja Vaypu – Identical to Dussera festival (Saraswathy Pooja and Vidyarambham)
• Sivarathri – Siva Pooja
• Karthika – Karthika Deepa
• Ayilya Pooja – Milk, flowers etc. offered to serpent God and special rites
• Aiswarya Pooja – On all full moon (Pournami) days
• Nirayum Puthariyum (Ramayana Parayanam) – During the month of Karkadakam
• Akhandanama Japam – 4th Sunday of every month

Temple timings

4:30 am – 12:30 pm
5:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna Temple 

The temple is believed to have been built during 15th century AD by the local ruler Chembakasserry Pooradam Thirunal-Devanarayanan Thampuran. It is one of the seven greatest temples in Travancore.
The idol at Ambalappuzha is likened to Parthasarthi form of Vishnu, holding a whip in his right hand and a conch in his left. During the raids of Tipu Sultan in 1789, the idol of Sri Krishna from the Guruvayoor Temple was brought to the Ambalappuzha Temple for safe keeping for three years.Payasam, a sweet pudding made of rice and milk is served in the temple and is believed that the Lord Guruvayoorappan visits the temple daily to accept the offering.

he Amabalapuzha Temple Festival was established during the fifteenth century AD.The celebration in commemoration of the bringing of this idol of Lord Krishna is the origin of the Amabalapuzha Temple Festival, also referred to as the Chambakulam Moolam water festival. This festival is conducted every year on the Moolam day of the Mithunam month of the Malayalam era. The Aaraattu festival takes place on the Thiruvonam day in March–April.

Temple Timings 

4 AM to 12.30 PM and from 5 PM to 8 PM

Chottanikkara Temple 

The Chottanikkara (correction of Jyotiannakkara) Devi Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu mother goddess Bhagavati.also seen as a form of Mahalakshmi.She is believed to be residing in Chottanikkara along with her husband Maha Vishnu. The temple is located at Chottanikkara, a southern suburb of the city of Kochi in Ernakulam district, in the state of Kerala, India and is one of the most popular temples in the state.

The annual Chottanikkara Makam Thozhal is the major festival in Chottanikara temple. It is believed that it was on this day (mithuna lagna on Makam) that the Vilvumangala Swamiyar saw the goddess at the temple and the devotees worship the goddess at this time.Chingam - Thiruvonam is celebrated in the temple with Thiruvonam feast (annadanam) to all Pilgrims.

Festival

Chingam - Thiruvonam is celebrated in the temple with Thiruvonam feast (annadanam) to all Pilgrims.
Navarathri aghosham is a famous festival, which attracts large number of devotees. On Vijayadasami day of the Navarathri utsavam, Vidyarambham is conducted.

Timings

4am–12:30pm, 4–8:30pm

Guruvayur Temple 

Timings 

3:00 AM - 12:30 PM, 4:30 PM - 9:15 PM, All days open

Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Swamy Temple is one of the most renowned pilgrim centres in South India. It is considered the holy abode of Lord Krishna and is situated in the cultural capital of Kerala, Thrissur.The Punnathur kotta, also known as the Anakotta (Elephant Yard in English), houses the 56 elephants belonging to the temple. This place is the home to the largest population of captive male Asian elephants in the world

The presiding deity of the Guruvayur Temple is Guruvayurappan: Krishna. The central icon is a four-armed standing Vishnu carrying the conch Panchajanya, the discus Sudarshana, the mace Kaumodaki, and a lotus with a tulsi garland. This image represents the majestic form of Vishnu as revealed to Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki around the time of his birth. Worship proceeds according to routines laid down by Adi Shankara and later written formally in the Tantric way, the inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, by Chennas Narayanan Nambudiri. The Chennas Nambudiris are the hereditary tantris (high priests) of the Guruvayur Temple.

Dress Code

Strict dress code exists for people who wish to enter the Guruvayur Temple. Men are to wear mundu around their waist, without any dress covering their chest. But it is allowed to cover the chest region with a small piece of cloth (veshthi). Boys are allowed to wear shorts, but they are also prohibited from wearing a shirt. Girls and women are not allowed to wear any trouser like dresses or short skirts. Women are allowed to wear sari and girls are to wear long skirt and blouses. Presently the dress code for women have been relaxed with shalwar kameez ( churidar pyjamas) being allowed.

Thirunelli Temple 

Temple timings

Morning: 5:30 am to 12:00 pm, Evening: 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Thirunelli Temple is the only temple in the world where the devotees can perform all the rituals related to one’s life, starting from birth to death and life after death.It is one of the most ancient temples in Kerala. It is believed that here the prathishta of Lord Vishnu was performed by Lord Brahma. It is also known as ''Sahyamala Kshetram'' and ''Kashi of the South''

The temple lies at an altitude of 3000 feet and can be reached by driving through three wild life sanctuaries. Thirunelli Temple can be accessed from Mananthavady or Kalpetta. The Periya ghat road connects Mananthavady to Kannur and Thalassery. The Thamarassery mountain road connects Calicut with Kalpetta. The Kuttiady mountain road connects Vatakara with Kalpetta and Mananthavady. The Palchuram mountain road connects Kannur and Iritty with Mananthavady. The road from Nilambur to Ooty is also connected to Wayanad through the village of Meppadi.

Vadakkunnathan Temple 

Temple timings

4 –11:30am, 5– 8:15pm

Vadakkumnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva at city of Thrissur.This temple is a classical example of the architectural style of Kerala and has one monumental tower on each of the four sides in addition to a kuttambalam.According to popular local lore, this is the first temple built by Parasurama, the sixth avatara of Vishnu. Thekkinkadu Maidan, encircling the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is the main venue of the renowned Thrissur Pooram festival.

Thrissur Pooram is called the mother of all Poorams in Kerala. In Malayalam it's called "poorangalude pooram". This is conducted in the Malayalam month of Medam. The deities from Parmekavu and Thiruvambady temple along with other small poorams come engage in festivities in front of Vadakkumanathan. It's a 36 long hour festival which attracts thousands of enthusiasts from all over the state as well as visitors from other regions and abroad. The main attractions of Pooram are Madathilavaravu panchavadhyam, Elanjithara melam, Kudamattam and Vedikettu. The festival is a visual feast for all those who enjoy it.

Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple 

Temple Timings

4am–12pm, 5–8pm

The Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple is a Hindu temple located near Aranmula.It is dedicated to the God Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, who is worshipped as Parthasarathy (Arjuna's charioteer). Constructed in the Kerala style of architecture, it is one of the "Divya Desams", the 108 temples of Vishnu revered by the Alvar saints.It is one of the most important Krishna temples in Kerala and is one of the five ancient shrines in Kerala, connected with the legend of the Mahabharata, where the five Pandavas are believed to have built one temple each; Aranmula is built by the Pandava prince Arjuna.

Festivals

As per Hindu legend in Mahabharata, Arjuna, one of the Pandavas was returning with the image of Krishna after along penance. He faced a huge flood in the Pamba river. A poor low caste Hindu helped him cross the river with a raft made with six bamboos. It is believed that the Aranmula Boat Race is celebrated annually on the Pamba river to commemorate the poor Hindu.The race is held on the last day of the Onam festival when snake boats around 100 ft (30 m) with four helmsmen, 100 rowers and 25 singers participate.

Sree Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple 

Timings - 07:30 AM - 08:00 PM - Everyday

Parassini Madappura Sree Muthappan Temple located on the banks of the river Valapattanam is one of the famous shrine in Kerala. The shrine is dedicated to Sree Muthappan.Thiyya community urayima Principal deity of the temple is Sree Muthappan, whose divinity is presented as a ritualistic theyyam enactment in two versions called Thiruvappan and Vellattam. According to the local tradition the presiding deity is a manifestation of Lord Shiva.

Parassinikkadavu muthappan temple FestivalThe annual puthari thiruvappana begins on vrischikam 16 malayalam era (Normaly December 1 or 2).The festival is associated with the harvest celebration of local people.

Parassinikkadavu muthappan temple TimingsGeneral Timings -

05:30 - 08:30 - Thiruvappana & Vellattam
06:30 - 08:30 - Vellattam

Lunch & Dinner

12:30 - 01:30 - Lunch
08:30 - 09:30 - Dinner

Prasadham

07:30 AM - 08:00 PM - Everyday
Tea, steamed pear and a piece of coconut

Parassinikkadavu muthappan temple - Pooja

Thiruvappana - ₹50
Payamkutti vellattam - ₹20
Oattum vellattam - ₹30
Karimkalasham -₹40
Choroonu ( Child)-₹40

How to reach

Railway station -: Kannur
Airport -: Kannur
Busstand -: Kannur
Nearest town-: Dharmashala
Nearest Hotels - Indian cofee house Dharmashala

Amenities

Parassini madappura provides free accommodation for devotees.Separate halls are there for male and females.Sleeping mattress also provides for devotees.A number of lodges are ther in parassinikkadavu town and nearest dharmasala town.