Aluva Mahadeva Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Cochin International Airport offers both domestic and international connections.

• By train

  Aluva Railway Station is a grade-A station and the third busiest in Kochi, after the two Ernakulam stations.

• By road

  Aluva KSRTC bus station is one of the important KSRTC stations in central Kerala. Kochi Metro's feeder electric bus runs from Aluva metro station to the airport.

Why devotees come here

Aluva Mahadeva Temple is a Shiva temple on the bank of the Periyar River in Aluva, suburban Kochi. Its linga rises out of the river's sand banks rather than standing inside an enclosed shrine.

Aluva Mahadeva Temple is one of the 108 Shiva temples of Kerala. Folklore says the sage Parashurama installed the idol. A legend says Shiva held a poison in his mouth, and afterwards became a deity who lived in a temple at Aluva.

The linga is not enshrined in a sreekovil, the inner shrine room. It rises out of the sand banks of the Periyar River. The presiding deity sits in the main sanctum, which faces east.

The temple is best known for the Aluva Sivarathri festival. The town of Aluva lies in the northern part of the Kochi metropolitan area, in Ernakulam district. It is an important residential, commercial and transportation hub, and it sits on the banks of the Periyar River.

Festivals

• AnnualAluva Sivarathri

  The temple's best-known event, held on the sandbanks of the Periyar River. It is one of Kerala's largest religious gatherings.

Tips for your visit

• Aluva Railway Station has the IR code AWY, which you can use when searching for trains.
• Trains, KSRTC buses and the Kochi Metro all have stops in Aluva, so you can change transport in the town.

Questions people ask