The state of Kerala is a treasure trove of antiquity. Her ancient temples are unique and distinctive in style and architecture, with slanting pyramid-shaped wooden roofs and single storey basic design, beautiful and practical- in keeping with the predominantly monsoon climatic conditions of the state.
Major temples have a walk path to circumvallate the main deity and a designated area for temple recitals, dance and cultural events.
Along the Malabar coast from Kozhikode in the north till Kanyakumari (TN) in the south, here are 7 must-visit holiest places in Kerala that will leave you spiritually awestruck!
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| Temples of Kerala (a blog) |
Before you begin your temple tour of Kerala here are some pointers :
Dress code :
Whether you visit a temple or church the dress code is real and sombre to maintain the dignity and reverence of the place. The traditional Kerala cotton mundu in mute cream with gold or any other color is usually worn by locals. These are available for both men and women and easily bought anywhere for as low as 150 rs to 500 rs (based on quality). Alternately saris for women and regular semi formal for men are fine. Team with some nice simple jewelry and viola!
Footwear :
As with all temples, you will be required to deposit your footwear outside before entering the temple.
Mobile phones and other electronic devices :
Will also need to be deposited (in most cases) and no photography allowed..
→ Only Hindus are allowed in certain temples.
→ Temple timings- Temples are generally closed during afternoons from 12 noon to 4.30 / 5pm
#1 Kozhikode
At Kozhikode the best part is the temples are within the city limits. So after breakfast, we hired an auto and asked the auto driver to take us on a temple tour. Few of the important temples are- Thiruvannur Siva temple, Thali Maha Shiva temple and Valayanad devi temple.
Thiruvannur Siva temple : Inscriptions indicate it was built sometime during the reign of Chola rulers dating back to 1044 AD.
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| Thali Siva Kshetram, temple at Kozhikode Kerala |
Thali Maha Shiva temple : yet another Shiva temple, it was built in the 14th ce. The first puja starts at 4.30 am, the temple closes at 11 am and reopens from 5 to 8.30 pm.
Valayanad devi temple : is the family goddess of the Zamorin of Calicut. Temple is open from 8am to 7 pm.
Related read : Mahé, Kozhikode : Kerala by train
#2 Thrissur
The most prominent temples in around Thrissur are Vadakkumnathan Paramekkavu Bhagavathy, Triprayar Sri Rama temple and Koodalmanikam temple at Iranjalkuda.
Vadakkumnathan temple dedicated to Lord Shiva who is also called as Vadakkumnathan. The temple itself is a remarkable example of Kerala's architectural style- a big courtyard that hosts the extravagant pooram festival, the murals, wood carvings and ancient art works are indeed rare and beautiful. What impressed me most was the generous inner circumambulatory pathway for pradakshina or clockwise circumambulation by worshipers.
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| Vadakkumnathan temple, Thrissur well-lit in the evening |
The most eventful moment of the temple was during the reign of Sakthan Thampuran (1751- 1805) who introduced the Thrissur pooram festival here. The pooram at Vadakkumnathan temple is indeed at the crescendo of cultural and spiritual experiences in Kerala, and to witness this grand event you need to be in Thrissur during April-May. Kindly check the temple official website for the exact dates.
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| Vadakkumnathan temple, Thrissur main entrance |
Related read : Thrissur is-more-than Thrissur pooram
Right opposite Vadakkumnathan temple is the Paramekkavu Bhagavathy temple, dedicated to Bhagavathy Amman (goddess) also known as Kali, and is associated with the Tantrik tradition of worship.
Yet another 22 kms away in a serene location lies the Triprayar Sri Rama temple. The temple dedicated to Lord Ram dates back to Dwapara yuga. Note the elaborate wood carvings and ancient murals here as well. If you missed out the pooram festivala at Vadakkumnathan, you can witness it at Sree Thriprayar Rama temple. The pooram here is held during March-April and Nov-Dec respectively each year in the similar grand manner with elephant processions. The lunch prasadam is quite popular with devotees.
Iranjalkuda Koodal Manikyam temple- dedicated to Bharata the brother of Sri Rama, is a located 22kms south of Thrissur. The temples architecture, design and style is elaborate and so is the evening worship. The walls seems like seasoned polished wood with geometric gaps for placing diyas which are all lit up during the evening worship which is grand and elephants are also used to a great extent. No photos allowed.
Last but not the least, is the Indo-Gothic styled basilica of Our Lady of Dolours. The church is as old as 1814, but was reconstructed in 1929. The flagpole which is typical of hindu temples is seemingly new, but looks impressive nevertheless.
Related read : Three top attractions from Thrissur
#3 Guruvayur
Driving down (by car or bus) from Thrissur to Guruvayur can be quite engaging during the festival season from April - May. You can see Theyyams- dance of gods; a procession of performers dressed like gods and dancing to the rhythm of drumbeats go down the streets. We enjoyed it a lot!
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| Guruvayur, temples of Kerala |
Guruvayur’s iconic temple is dedicated to Sree Guruvayurappan, the four-armed form of Vishnu, and is an important pilgrimage site for hindus. The puja rituals are laid out by none other that Adi Sankaryacharya. The most poignant spiritual experience is witnessing the Krishnattam performance from 9 pm onwards until the wee hours of the morning- a good reason to seek lodgings in this tiny pilgrim town.
There are plenty of good hotels that cater to pilgrims who hoteliers think are just families. In case you are traveling solo; before you even step foot into Guruvayur- have a plan in hand and strong will power- as the utter ignorance and lack of empathy at being disallowed a room will leave you dumbfounded. As a solo female traveler, it was only after stamping my feet at a police station nearby, that I was given a room at a small hotel.
When did Christianity come to India and who brought it?
2000 years ago, 33 CE Jesus of Nazareth was crucified in Jerusalem. Immediately after that 11 apostles picked lots as to where they should go to spread the word of Christ. St.Thomas the Apostle picked India. From the Mediterranean sea → Red sea → Arabian sea, he sailed until he finally landed in Kodungallur (a place nearby Kochi) in the year 52 AD.
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| The story of how Christianity started in India |
He then arrived at Palayoor (3km from Guruvayur) in this very boat. Thus Palayoor can be called as the birthplace of Christianity as it was here that St.Thomas first introduced the faith. Kerala has a significant traditional Syrian Christian community, and the St.Thomas Syro-Malabar church at Palayoor is the first original church established by St.Thomas the Apostle in India. The church has interestingly stood at the same place ever since. The polished teak antique walls looks incredibly beautiful to this day.
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| The first and original church in India, located at Palayoor Kerala. |
#4 Kodungallur
Previously known as Muzziris, Kodungallur was a harbor and seat of trade since ancient times. Merchants from West Asia, Mediterranean, East Africa, Europe, the Roman empire and even China arrived here to trade in spices, pearls, muslin, perfumes and precious stones. Its prosperity and importance diminished however in passing years owing to floods and other natural calamities.
Other than trade was Kondungallur's significance in ushering some of the major religons of the world; the very first being- Judaism, St.Thomas the Apostle brought Christianity and so did many Islamic preachers. Worth noting however is that the earliest churches and mosques had traces of the architectural style of Hindu temples.
The most important temple here is Kodungallur Bhagavathy Kshetram. This is a Sakthi site dedicated to goddess Bhadrakali who is ugra (fierce). The Bharani festival held during March-April is a popular event and involves sacrifice of fowl as an appeasement to the goddess. The festival ritual has worshipers (basically oracles) in a trance dressed in red, as they smite their head with sickles- this may appear hoary to the faint-hearted.
Kodungallur is roughly 40 kms/ 1.30 hr from Ernakulam-Kochi. There are many other temples around here which are worth visiting.
#5 Varkala
Besides being a popular tourist destination, Varkala is also a place of pilgrimage. To the south lies Papasanam beach which is considered holy by the devout, who scatter the ashes of their cremated relatives. While on the nearby hillock close to Varkala beach is an ancient 2000 year old Janardhana Swamy temple.
The Panayar Triporittakkavu Bhagvati is another unique and ancient devi temple, and is located near the Varkala bus stand.
Related read : Top 8 attractions of Varkala
#6 Trivandrum
People often ask; which is the richest temple in the world? Some say it's Tirupati balaji, others say Somnath in Gujarat and yet others say it is none other than Sree Padmanabhaswamy in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
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| Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala |
When the greed for worldliness and wealth supersedes spiritual objectives, there is bound to be challenges. In 2011 supreme court of India ordered the doors of two vaults be opened, and as expected they were found to contain vast riches.
But the 6th and last vault B was left untouched. The riches of vault 'B' we would imagine should be far more than those already opened. But they say; it would take only a sadhu who is adept at reciting the 'garuda mantra' to be able to do so.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Padmanabhaswamy, and is an incredible blend of architecture, astronomy and engineering. The temple is open only to Hindus and the dress code is traditional- mundu/ vashti (typically a sarong) and saris for women.
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| Kerala traditional mundu sari worn by women |
#7 Kanyakumari
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