Kerala Pilgrimage

Kerala Pilgrimage Centers pictures the secular co-existence and religious harmony. The temples, mosques and churches located in different parts of Kerala, offers the holistic feeling, peace, happiness and calmness. There are several pilgrimage destinations all over Kerala. Some of the popular pilgrimage destinations in Kerala are Sabarimala and Guruvayoor temple.

Alleppey, Kerala

Arthunkal - St. Sebastian's Church
The St. Sebastian’s Church at Arthunkal is an important Christian pilgrimage centre, near Sherthallai, 22 kms North of Alappuza. This church was built by Portuguese missionaries. The annual festival, Arthunkal Perunnal is celebrated in the month of January in this church.

Chavara Bhavan
Chavara Bhawan is situated about 6 kms. from Alappuzha and accessible only by boat. The Chavara Bhawan is the ancestral home of blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara. It is now a holy shrine and spiritual resort where thousands of devotees gather for prayer, receive favours and feel gratified. A 250 year old beacon of light is preserved here in its original and primitive form.

Chettikulangara Bhagavathy Temple, Mavelikkara
The Kettukazhcha festival at this temple draw large crowds of devotees. This festival is celebrated in February-March. The processions of tall decorated structures on chariots, brightly decorated effigies of horses and bullocks and cultural performances make a spectacular pageant.

temples in Kerala, under the patronage of a Brahman family, headed by a priestess. This ancient pilgrimage shrine is dedicated to the Serpent God, Nagaraja. It is believed that the deity is given the form of Hari (Lord Vishnu) and the spirit of Lord Shiva. According to the legend, the first priestess of Mannarsala gave birth to a five headed snake, which resides in the ancestral house to safeguard the family. It is also believed that at Mannarsala, the barren women are believed to be blessed with children and a special turmeric paste is available at the shrine which is credited with the powers to cure even leprosy.

Parthasarathy Temple
This ancient temple is said to be one of the five temples built by the legendary Pandava brothers, along the river Pamba. It is dedicated to Lord Krishna as Parthasarthy, the charioteer who preached Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.

Edathua Church
Edathua Church is situated about 24 kms. from Alappuzha. This church was established in 1810 and dedicated to St. George. It is believed that prayers offered in this church help to heal all mental disorders and other ailments. Pilgrims from all parts of South India, irrespective of caste and creed, visit this church and seek blessings from the saint during the 3 days feast held on 5th, 6th and 7th of May.

The sculptures on the walls of the temple are very unique. The annual temple festival, usually held in March, is a very colourful festival held in this temple.

Thodeekulam Siva Temple
Thodeekulam Siva Temple is located about 2 km from Kannavam on the Thalasseri-Mananthavady road in the Kannur district. This temple is famous for its mural paintings. This temple was constructed 2,000 years ago and was closely connected with the Pazhassi Raja family of Kottayam.

Sree Ramaswami Temple, Thiruvangad
Sree Rama Swami Temple is located in Thiruvangad, about 23 kms. from Kannur. This temple is dedicated to Sri Rama and one of the most important temples in Malabar. The exquisite carvings in the temple were done about 400 years ago.

Madayi Para
The Madayi Kavu Temple, the Vadukunnu Temple and the 12th century mosque built by Malik bin Dinar with white marble imported from Arabia, are the major attractions in Madayi Para.

Cherukunnu
Cherukunnu is famous for its Anna Poorneswari Temple. The weeklong annual festival falls in April. There is a Kathakali Panchavadya school called Ashtikalaya near the temple.

Kottiyoor
There is a famous Siva Temple here, on the banks of the River Bavali. During the month of May or June, lakhs of devotees attend the annual festival that lasts for 27 days.

Kasaragod, Kerala
Sree Mahalingeswara Temple
Sree Mahalingeswara Temple is located in Adoor, about 45 kms. from Kasaragod. This temple is located in the wooded surroundings on the southern banks of the Payaswini river. This ancient Siva Temple contains a Sanskrit inscription in Kannada script which has been described to the Western Chalukya King Kirthivarman II.

Kanhangad
The Bhadrakali temple at Kanhangad in Hosdurg is famous for its Bhutha dance (pootham) performed in connection with the annual festivals in May - June and December - January.

Manjeswaram
Manjeswaram is the famous pilgrimage centre. A large number of temples and fifteen mosques are located in this town.

Madhur Temple
Madhur Temple is situated about 8 km north of the town of Kasaragod. The Srimad Anantheswara Vinayaka Temple, with its rich architecture and copper plate roofing, rises majestically against the beautiful landscape of the Madhuvahini River.

St. Francis Church is located at the Fort Cochin. This church is one of the India's oldest European church. This church was established by the Portuguese Franciscan friars in 1503. This church was restored in 1779 by the Protestant Dutch and thus became a Protestant church. Later in 1795 this church was converted into an Anglican church by the British. Now this church is used by the Church of South India. In 1524, the remains of the Vasco da Gama was buried in the churchyard of this church and later moved to Lisbon, Portugal. His tombstone still remains in the church.

Jewish Synagogue
The Jewish Synagogue is located very close to the Bolghatty Palace. This synagogue was built in 1568 and is the oldest synagogue in the subcontinent. This church was destroyed in a shelling during the Portuguese raid in 1662, and was rebuilt two years later by the Dutch. This simple building at the end of a narrow lane has a marvelously rich interior. There are clusters of colored glass lamps hanging from the ceiling and the floor has 18th century hand printed, willow pattern tiles which were brought from the Canton in China. In the synagogue are the clock tower, carefully preserved land deeds inscribed on copper plates and Hebrew inscription on stone slabs.

Kaladi
Kaladi is the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya, the great Advaita philosopher of the 8th century. The temples dedicated to Sri Shankaracharya, Sharada Devi, Sri Krishna and Sri Ramkrishna are also located here. A place called Crocodile Ghat is also situated here where Sri Shankaracharya took his vows of renunciation. According to the legend, a crocodile caught hold of him and refused to release him until Shri Shankaracharya's mother Aryamba permitted him to accept Sanyas (renunciation).

Malayatoor
Malayatoor is famous for the Catholic Church built on the 609 m high Malayatoor hill. This hill is dedicated to St. Thomas. Thousands of devotees visit this shrine to participate in the annual festival of Malayatoor Perunnal, in the month of March. St. Thomas is believed to have prayed at this shrine.

Sasthamkotta
The ancient Sastha temple which lends its name to the Sasthamkotta town, is an important pilgrimage centre. The vast fresh water lake in Sasthamkotta is surrounded by the hills on three sides and the largest of its kind in Kerala.

Ochira
Ochira is the famous pilgrim centre located about 34 kms. from the Kollam town. The unique feature of this famous pilgrim centre is that there is no deity or idol at the famous Parabrahma temple dedicated to universal consciousness. The two main annual festivals are Ochira Kali which is celebrated in mid June and the twelve day Pantharandu Vilakku which is celebrated in November and December. Ochira Kali is a mock fight enacted between groups of men dressed like warriors on the battle field. They perform a martial dance, standing in knee-deep water, with swords and shields and water in every direction.

Mayyanad
Mayyanad is known for its shrines and temples. The Subramanya temple at Umayanallor is the most important temple among the nine temples. This shrine is said to have been consecrated by the great Hindu philosopher Sree Sankaracharya.

Rameshwara Temple
The Rameshwara temple shows Pandyan influence in its designs and has inscriptions in Tamil, belonging from 12th to 16th centuries. The Vyala monster sculptures in the temple gives one the impression that the creatures are animated and actually climbing up the stairs with their outstretched paws.

Kottukal Rock Cut Cave Temple
Kottukal Rock Cut Cave Temple is situated on the Thiruvananthapuram - Kottayam MC Road. This temple is an excellent example of the rock cut temple architecture.

More...