Pandalam Mahadeva Temple is situated in between Thottakkonam and Mulampuzha villages of

Pandalam Pandalam is a municipality in Pathanamthitta district Kerala, India. Pandalam is known for its connection with Ayyappan and Sabarimala. It recognised ''as the cultural capital of Travancore'', Pandalam hosts educational institutions rang ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, on the bank of

Achankovil river Achankovil is a long west flowing river in Kerala, India. It flows through the districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha. The river drains vast tract of fertile plains of Upper Kuttanad in the Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts. It ...

. The main deity of the temple is Lord

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, who is considered to be in a pleasant mood with his consort Parvati on his lap. Yearly Kettukazhcha festival is one of the attractions for tourists. 10 days major festival is celebrated in 'Dhanu masa' (November–December) every year. The festival starts by hoisting traditional flag names 'kodiettu' and ends by 'aarattu'. The administration of this temple held by Mahadeva Seva Samithi participated by 12 villages '12 karakal' in Pandalam. It is believed that Lord Parasuram has installed the main idol of the

Garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for ...

in this temple. Pandalam Mahadeva Temple is one of the oldest temples out of the 108 Shiva temples consecrated by the great 'Sanayasin Khara Muni'. The sacred and world-famous temple is located on the left banks of the

Achenkovil Achankovil is a long west flowing river in Kerala, India. It flows through the districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha. The river drains vast tract of fertile plains of Upper Kuttanad in the Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts. I ...

river; one side of this temple is in the banks of Achankovil river so this temple is also known as 'Mukkal Vattom' 3 km away from Pandalam town in Kerala State. Pandalam is also world-famous as the home town of Lord

Ayyappan Ayyappan, also known as Dharmasastha and Manikandan, is the Hindu deity of truth and righteousness. According to Hindu theology, he is described as the son of Shiva and Mohini (the female avatar of Vishnu), thus representing a bridge between S ...

. The temple is unique with its natural procession route around the Sanctorum. The river flows touch the feet of Mahadeva Sanctorum, just like the

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

flows from Shiva's 'Jada' (hair). The temple is also known as ''Mukkal Vattam'', since the north-eastern side of the temple is taken by the river. In addition to Lord

, the idols of Lord

Ganesh Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

(Ganapathy), 'Maya- Ekshi Amma', Lord Ayyappa,

Nagaraja A Nagaraja ( ', ) is a king of the various races of the nāga, the divine or semi-divine, half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld ( Patala), and can occasionally take human form. Rituals devoted to these supernatural being ...

(Lord Snake), Lord

Subramanian Subramaniam, Subrahmaniam, Subramaniam or Subramanian (; ) is a South Indian male given name. Due to the South Indian tradition of using patronymic surnames it may also be a surname for males and females. The etymology of the name is from Sanskri ...

, Brahma Rakshas and Rakshas are also worshipped here. In effect the temple acts as the symbol and replica of 'KAILASAM'.

References

External links

GeoHack - Pandalam Mahadeva Temple
* Hindu temples in Pathanamthitta district Shiva temples in Kerala {{Kerala-hindu-temple-stub