Vadakkunnathan Temple, Kerala

The Vadakkunnathan temple bears a fine example of the architectural majesty of Kerala and features monumental towers on the four sides along with Kuttambalam. It also has mural paintings that showcase many epic scenes from the Mahabharata. It also houses different shrines and vignettes that are carved in wood in the temple. It is also the first ever temple built by the Parasurama, who was the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu. The Vadakkunnathan temple follows a rule and that is Non-Hindus are not allowed to enter into the temple.

It is said that Parsuraman killed Kshatriyas twenty-one times and to cleanse himself performed a holy Yagna and later on gave lands to Bhramins as Dakshina. He wanted to retire on some new land and as a reason asked the Lord of the seas to allow him a new land from the sea. This, in turn, became the land where the state of Kerala is. He then asked Lord Shiva to abode himself in the region and the temple is where Lord Shiva’s shrine was built.

The Vadakkunnathan temple is easily accessible via the means of transportation in the form of air, road, and rails. The road transportation is easiest of the lot with great connectivity. The temple has visitors visiting throughout the year.