Kerala wakes up to some festival or the other every day of the year and Keralites are addicted to the festivals. In short ‘ Keralisation’ of the festivals of different communities is the unique feature of Kerala life.

Chottanikkara Temple

Chottanikkara temple, located near Ernakulam enshrines Bhagawati - the mother Goddess, is one of the most popular deities in Kerala. On way is the Poornatrayesa temple at Tripunittura. The goddess is worshipped along with Lord Vishnu. People who have mental illness seek refuge in the divine mother, who graciously cures all her devotees. Goddess Rajarajeswari is the presiding deity.

This deity is worshipped in three different forms - as Saraswati in the morning - draped in white, as Bhadrakali at noon draped in crimson, and as Durga in the evening decked in blue. The image in the shrine is not fixed to the ground and is mounted on loose sand. Water offered during ablution ceremonies percolates underground.

Guruvayoor Temple

Guruvayoor, where the famous Sri Krishna Temple is situated, is one of the most sacred and important pilgrim centers of kerala. The walls of the sanctum sanctorum are inlaid with exquisite mural paintings and carvings.

In Kerala, this is probably the only temple that hosts the maximum number of marriages and rice feeding ceremonies (the ritual first meal for infants). It was also the hub of the 'Guruvayoor Sathyagraha' , a historic movement demanding temple entry rights for the 'so called' lower castes.

The historic temple is shrouded in mystery. According to local belief, the temple was created by 'Guru', the 'preceptor of the gods' and 'Vayu', the 'god of winds'. The eastern 'nada' is the main entrance to the shrine.

In the 'Chuttambalam' (outer enclosure) is a 33.5-m tall gold-plated 'Dwajastambham' (flagpost). There is also a 7 m high 'Deepastambham' (pillar of lamps), whose thirteen circular receptacles provide a truly brilliant spectacle, when lit.

The square 'Sreekovil' is the sacred sanctum sanctorum of the temple, housing the main deity. Within the temple, there are also the images of Ganapathy, Sri Ayyappa and Edathedathy Kavil Bhagavathy. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple. Punnathoorkotta, which is at a distance of 2 kms. from Guruvayoor is home of 50 temple elephants, offers unusual spectacles of the gentle pachyderm.

Sabarimala Temple

This holy shrine, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa is a renowned pilgrim centre atop the rugged hills of the Western Ghats. The sanctum sanctorum nestles 914 m above sea level, amidst the virgin forest wilderness of the Western Ghats.

The main pilgrimage is undertaken between November and January. Regardless of caste, creed, colour, they wear black dhotis and carry on their heads, bundles containing traditional offerings like coconut filled with ghee, camphor and rice.

The Sabarimala Temple festival is celebrated in honour of Lord Ayyapan who is revered by all in India. There are two main pujas called the Mandal Puja and the Makara Sankranti Puja, which are celebrated 
from November to Middle of January in Kerala, during which time the devotees perform austerities and 
penance.


Vadakkumnathan Temple

This temple is in the park, right in the center of the city. It is one of the largest temples in Kerala and has excellent carved woodwork. On the walls there are excellent murals of the Mahabharata and of Lord Vishnu reclining on Ananta.

It has three main shrines. One is dedicated to Vadakkunnathan (Lord Siva) and another to Sankara Narayana (Vishnu). South of these two shrines is a shrine dedicated to Lord Rama. Vadakkunnathan (Ten-Kailasanath) is a Maha-linga that is covered with offerings of hundreds-of-years-old ghee (clarified butter). The linga cannot be seen because the traditional abhisheka (bathing) with cow ghee over centuries has formed a 3m (10 ft) mound around the linga. This covering even makes it difficult for the priest to walk around the inner sanctum. The shrine dedicated to Sankara Narayana has beautiful 
paintings of the Mahabharata. There is also a Deity of Krishna in the temple and a Ganesh deity between
the two northern altars.

The famous kuttambalam, or theater hall, is on the left of the entrance. Non-Hindus are not permitted in the temple except during the Pooram festival, when the restrictions are lifted. Open 4 to 10:30 am and 4 to 8:30 pm.