Temples Of Kerala

This ancient temple of Lord Shiva is situated on the banks of the Achankovil River in Kandiyoor near Mavelikkara in the Alappuzha district of Kerala. The place once served as the capital of Odanadu (Land of Bamboo) in the southern tip of India. The principal deity is worshipped as Dakshinamoorthy (Lord Shiva as a guru) in the morning, Umamaheswaran (Lord Shiva as the consort of Goddess Parvathy) at noon and Kirathamoorthy (Lord Shiva as a hunter) in the evening.

The temple has puranic stone inscriptions. It is said that the compound wall was made in the style of Gajaprishta (Back of the elephant) architecture. Its height is about 10 feet and the devout believe it was built by the Bhoothaganas (Shiva’s followers) in a single night. The temple is also noted for its stone sculptures.

The 10-day-long annual temple festival falls in the Malayalam month of Dhanu (mid-December – mid-January) with arattu (holy bath) on Thiruvathira day.