Chengannur Mahadeva Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Trivandrum International Airport is about 115 km from Chengannur by Main Central Road.

• By train

  Chengannur railway station, code CNGR, is an important station between Kollam and Kottayam.

• By road

  State Highway 1, the MC Road, runs through the town toward Thiruvananthapuram and Angamaly. The KSRTC depot at Chengannur runs an inter-state bus service, including to Kanyakumari.

Rules to know

• Only the main priest, the Thantri, and the second priest, the Melshanthi, may enter the sri-kovil, the inner shrine.

Why devotees come here

Chengannur Mahadeva Temple is a prominent Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, in the town of Chengannur in Kerala. It stands in the heart of the town, very close to the Pamba River. It is counted among the major Shiva temples of Kerala.

Shiva is the main deity of Chengannur Mahadeva Temple, and Parvati is worshipped here with equal importance. Legend says Parvati came to this town after she married Shiva in the Himalayas. Bhadrakali, considered a reincarnation of Sati, is also honoured here, and her festival images travel with those of Shiva.

The temple has a two-storeyed gopuram, or gateway tower. Its upper storey has wooden rails above the kottupura, the hall where drums are beaten during festivals. The sanctum stands on a raised platform with a single door. The roof and some of the pillars are carved in wood and stucco with scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Chengannur is one of the 32 Namputiri towns of Kerala, and Mahadeva, or Shiva, is believed to be the deity of the town. The temple is counted among the major Shiva temples of Kerala, alongside Ettumanoor, Kaduthruthy, Vaikom, Ernakulam and Vadakkunnathan.

Festivals

• December to JanuaryVaarshika Ulsavam

  The yearly festival of the temple. It lasts 28 days.

• At least three times a yearThiruppooth Aratt

  The festival images of Mahadeva and Bhadrakali go in procession on decorated elephants to the Pamba River. Hundreds of women devotees offer traditional Thalappoli lamps, escorting the procession.

• Thiruvathirai month of Dhanu and of MakaramDhanu flag hoisting and Makaram Aaraattu

  The two major festivals of the temple, the flag hoisting in Dhanu and the Aaraattu in Makaram.

Tips for your visit

• The sanctum sits on a raised platform, reached by five steps to a single door.
• Chengannur is about 43 km southeast of Alappuzha, the district headquarters, and about 117 km north of Thiruvananthapuram.

Questions people ask