Temples in Kerala

Kerala, known as God’s own Country” is rich with numerous ancient temples and religious places. Here is a list of the famous Hindu temples in Kerala. We have prepared the list of Kerala temples district wise to make is easier for people finding a special Kerala temple. The list of temples in Kerala include the Pancha Pandavas Temples – the Five temples of Kerala associated with Pandavas in epic Mahabharatha; Divya Desam of Lord Vishnu - the 11 temples of Kerala associated with the Tamil Alwars; the famous Mannaarsaala Temple dedicated to the Snake Gods, Guruvayoor Temple – known as the Bhoolokavaikundam; the Thiruvanaya Navamukunda Temple; Sabarimala Ayyappa Sannidhanam; and the Thiruvallam Sree Parasurama Temple – the only temple in Kerala dedicated to Lord Parashurama.

Purpose of visiting temples

For what purpose we are going to a temple? Simple, but difficult to answer. Each one has their own reason for visiting. The most common answer we found is, it’s for religious or spiritual prayer or upasana. Some says its part of their daily routine which they are used to. As we concerned about famous temples in kerala, it represents more than just a pilgrim center. It has number of other roles to play in day to day life. It acts as a social welfare centre, a tourist place, an art and cultural centre and a place where all human being gets mental peace and harmony. But no one really knows that the main intention behind building temples was for protecting our environment and nature. This specialty can be seen throughout in Kerala. Thus, we can say temples in kerala are echo friendly. Moreover, it is supposed to be a 'Sanathana Dharmacharana Saala'. Ancient times, it was referred as "Kavu" which means "Kaadu" (forest). By building a "kavu" in a village, its environment is protected by default. There were times in olden years that, temples acted as the focus point in a particular village, where villagers are gathered together and find solution for their day to day problems.

Architecture of Kerala Temples

The temples of Kerala exhibit the traditional architectural style, which is incomparable and quite different from the other regions of country as well. The temples are generally made of wood, brick and lateritic stone. The geographical conditions of the region are also responsible for the unique architectural style. Surrounded with dense lush green forest, this region is blessed with heavy monsoons, this is why the roofs of temples are made, are pointed and steep, covered with copper sheets. The roofs of the temples you may find, are of pyramidal or conical shape.

Temples in Trivandrum

Pazhavangadi Maha Ganapathi Temple
Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Srikanteswaram Shiva Temple