5 Temples In Kerala That Are A Must Visit

Kerala is a state that is synonymous to nature’s beauty. This extremely beautiful place boasts of the best tea gardens, hills, waterfalls, beaches and backwaters. Kerala is also home to some of the finest temples in India. The religious history of this state is largely influenced by its neighbouring state, Tamil Nadu. Upto 3rd century, Kerala was under the influence of the Tamil culture, which can be noticed in the architecture of the ancient temples in Kerala. From 16th century, Kerala temples have inscriptions in Malayalam language and have their own style of construction. Kerala temples are usually simple constructions, unlike the Tamil temples. This article explores some of the most famous temples in Kerala.

* Pathiyanadu Sree Bhadrakali Temple, Mullassery

Pathiyanadu Sree Bhadrakali temple located in Mullassery, near Thiruvanthapuram is a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Bhadrakali. It has a shrine of goddess Bhadrakali as the presiding deity who is the daughter of Lord Shiva. There’s also an idol of goddess Kali. There are many festivals celebrated within the temple such as Swayamvara Parvathi puja, Grahalakshmi puja, Grahadosha Nivarana puja, Balithooval, Sarppabali, Kalamkaval, Dikkubali, Paranettu, Nilathilporu, Aaraattu and Pongala.

* Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, Attukal

The Attukal Bhagavathy temple is located in Attukal and is dedicated to Goddess Kannaki, a form of Parvati who is the presiding deity of the temple. The temple is world famous for its annual Attukal Pongala festival in which over a million women participate. The 10 days festival is a grand affair and the other festivals celebrated are Mandala Vratham, Pooja Vyapu, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Shivaratri and many others.

* Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvanthapuram

Padmanabhaswamy temple situated in Thiruvanthapuram is built in Dravidian style architecture is the richest Hindu temple in the world and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The deity is enshrined in the ‘Anantha Sayanam’ posture or the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Adisheshan. The temple only permits Hindu people and strictly follows a dress code. The main festivals celebrated here are Alpashy and Panguni.

* Andoor Kandan Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, Neyyattinkara

Andoor Kandan Sree Dharma Sastha temple is located in Neyyattinkara, south-east of Thiruvanthapuram. The presiding deity of the temple is God Kandan Sree Dharma Sastha. There are other deities too such as Ganapathy, Durga Bhagavathy, Easwara Kala Bhoothanan, Nagaraja & Nagayakshi and an idol of an elephant at the entrance. The annual festival celebrated in the temple is Makaravilakku Mahotsavam.

* Edava Palakkavu Bhagavathi Temple, Edava

The Edava Palakkavu Bhagavathi temple is located at Edava in Thiruvanthapuram district is dedicated to Bhadrakali Devi who is the presiding deity here. There are many sub deities such as goddess Annapurna, Lord Ganesha, Navagraham, Adithyan, Hanuman, Brahmarakkhas, Yogeswaran and NagaruKavu. Karthika Thirunal Mahatsovam held in the Malayalam month of Kumbham is the annual festival when the entire city focuses on the temple.