Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple

Getting there

• By road

  Ambalappuzha is a coastal town near National Highway 66, 14 km south of Alappuzha. The temple is 1.5 km east of the town junction.

Why devotees come here

Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Krishna in Ambalappuzha, Alappuzha district, Kerala. It is one of the seven greatest Vaishnava temples in Travancore, and is counted among the 108 Abhimana Kshethrams. Rice and milk payasam is served to pilgrims inside the temple.

Legend says Krishna once came to the court of the king of Chembakassery as a sage and challenged him to a game of chess. The king lost, and the sage asked for the prize they had agreed on. The king paid off the debt by serving payasam to pilgrims at the temple every day until it was cleared.

The temple is believed to have been built in the 15th century by the local ruler Chembakasserry Pooradam Thirunal Devanarayanan Thampuran. It is counted among the 108 Abhimana Kshethrams of the Vaishnavite tradition. During Tipu Sultan's raids in 1789, the Krishna idol from the Guruvayoor temple was brought here for safe keeping for three years.

Another legend tells of Puradam Tirunal and Vilvamangalam Swamiar, travelling in a canoe on the Pampa river. They heard flute music from a banyan tree on the south-east side of the present temple. Devotees tell this as a legend.

Festivals

• Moolam day of the Mithunam month of the Malayalam eraChambakulam Moolam water festival

  Marks the bringing of a Krishna idol to the temple from Karinkulam.

• Thiruvonam day, March to AprilAaraattu festival

  Held on the Thiruvonam day in March and April.

Tips for your visit

• Look for the Parthasarathi idol: it holds a whip in the right hand and a conch in the left.
• The inner walls of the chuttambalam are decorated with paintings.

Questions people ask