Sightseeing Highlights

Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple: Padmanabhaswamy temple is a Hindu temple located in Kerala’s state capital Thiruvananthapuram, India. This temple is a blend of the Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture. It is believed to be the world’s richest temple. The history of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple dates back to the 8th century. It is one of the 108 sacred Vishnu temples or Divya Desams in India. Divya Desams are the holiest abodes of Lord Vishnu that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars (saints). The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Vishnu, reclining on Anantha, the hooded Serpent.

Guruvayur Temple: Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu god Guruvayurappan, located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus of Kerala and is often referred to as Bhuloka Vaikunta, which translates to as “Holy Abode of Vishnu on Earth”.It is also called as the Dwaraka of the South. The central shrine is believed to have been rebuilt in 1638 C.E. Only Hindus are allowed inside the Temple.

Vadakkunnathan Temple: Vadakkunnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva at city of Thrissur, of Kerala state in India. This temple is a classic example of the architectural style of Kerala and has monumental towers on all four sides and also a kuttambalam. Mural paintings depicting various episodes from Mahabharata can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Kuttambalam display vignettes carved in wood. According to popular local lore, this is the first temple built by Parasurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu.The temple is also renowned across the world for its Pooram Festival. Lakhs of devotees and tourists gather every year to witness the famous “Thrissur Pooram” at the temple premises where ceremoniously decorated elephants are paraded amidst much fanfare and which also involves a spectacular display of fireworks.

Ananthapura Lake Temple: Ananthapura Lake Temple is a Hindu temple built in the middle of a lake in the little village of Ananthapura, Kasaragod District of Kerala, South India. The rectangular lake, supplied with regular spring water, hosts this magnificent temple. It is considered the moolasthanam (original abode) of Lord Ananthapadmanabha, the deity of the famous Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Babia, the vegetarian crocodile and temple guardian, is popular among all the visitors. The drive to the temple in itself is extremely peaceful and calming.

Kadampuzha Devi Temple: Kadampuzha Devi Temple is a Hindu temple and pilgrimage center at Kadampuzha in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. The main deity of this temple is Goddess Parvati/Durga in the form of a huntress. There is no idol of Goddess in this temple, and she is worshipped in a pit. Dedicated to Goddess Kirathaparvathi, ceremonies are held at a hole where she is supposed to have disappeared after appearing to Adi Sankaracharya, the 8th century Indian philosopher and theologian. The hole is said to have been built by the arrow of the Hindu God, Lord Shiva himself.

Thirumandhamkunnu Temple: Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavthy temple is one of the ancient and famous Mahakshethras of Kerala. This shrine is the foremost in the Bhadrakali temples. This Temple is located at Angadippuram in Malappuram district. The temple stands prominently on the top of a hillock with an attractive look and majestic appearance. The scenic beauty, the bliss of solitude and mental pease imparted by this place will ever be in the mind of a devotee who had at least been once to this place.

Padiyanoor Devi Temple: Padiyanoor Sree Chamundi Devi Temple or Padiyanoor Devi Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Chamundi located in Poovachal, Thiruvananthapuram, India. The temple enshrines an idol of the goddess Padiyanooramma – an incarnation of Chamundi. Chamundi Devi herself is considered a fierce form of Kali.

Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple: Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple, located in Kottayam district, is famous for its murals. The most famous of these being the painting of Nataraja (depiction of Lord Shiva as the cosmic dancer) in the gopuram (ornate temple tower). The temple is also renowned for the annual Ezharaponnana (the seven-and-a-half elephants finished in gold) Ezhunallathu (procession).

Thali Maha Shiva Kshetram: Tali Shiva Temple or Tali Mahakshetram is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Lord Shiva, situated in the heart of the Kozhikode city, Kerala. The temple was built in the 14th Century by Zamorin of Calicut. Legends say that Parasurama, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, worshipped Shiva at this temple. Revathi Pattathanam, an annual cultural and intellectual seven-day event is the main festival of the temple.

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. The 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. Devotees believe that all of their wishes will be fulfilled by the goddess, provide prosperity and can attain salvation.

Chottanikkara Devi Temple:  The Chottanikkara Devi Temple is a famous temple of mother goddess Lakshmi Devi known as Sree Bhagavathi. Lakshmi is believed to be residing in Chottanikkara along with Supreme Deity Paramatman Maha Vishnu. The temple is located at Chottanikkara, a southern suburb of the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India.

It is believed that Chottanikkara Devi possesses supernatural powers and can cure any disease; for this reason, a lot of patients suffering from mental illnesses visit the holy temple. ‘Guruthi Pooja’ is an important ritual performed at the temple every evening to invoke Goddess Mahakali. The pooja is done at ‘Keezhkkaavu’ temple within the complex itself. ‘Keezhkkaavu Devi’ is believed to be a fiercer form of Mother Kali; she was born out of the third eye of Lord Shiva to kill the demon king ‘Daruka’.

Sabarimala temple:  The Sabarimala temple is at Sabarimala inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu celibate deity Ayyappan also known as Dharma Sastha, who according to belief is the son of Shiva and Mohini, the feminine incarnation of Vishnu. The temple remains open only for 127 days a year. The journey to the temple is to be taken through difficult paths in the forest as the vehicles can go only up to Pampa.