Peruvanam Mahadeva Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery is the nearest airport to Thrissur, about 50 km away.

• By train

  Thrissur Railway Station is one of the major stations in India. Poonkunnam station lies to the north of Thrissur.

• By road

  National Highway 47 passes Mannuthy, 6 km from Thrissur city, and private and KSRTC buses run on this route. Cherpu is 12 km south of Thrissur town, on the Thriprayar road.

Why devotees come here

Peruvanam Mahadeva Temple is a Shiva temple in Cherpu, Thrissur district, Kerala. Its main deity, Erattayappan, is worshipped as two shivalingas on one pedestal. The village of Peruvanam takes its name from this temple.

Peruvanam Mahadeva Temple is a Shiva temple in Peruvanam, Thrissur district, Kerala. The main deity is Shiva, locally called Erattayappan. The presiding deity of the main sanctum is worshipped at a pedestal that holds two shivalingas, one larger than the other.

Legend says a sage named Puru did penance here when the place was still forest. Because the region was a forest, or vanam, it came to be called Peruvanam. The village still takes its name from the temple, which stands near the centre of the village area.

The temple stands on 7 acres inside a compound wall. Its main shrine is of the square type. A second sanctum for Madathilappan sits on the first floor of a three-storey tri-tala-vimana beside it. A 120-feet-tall shrine is also dedicated to Madathilappan. Six Vattezhuthu and Malayalam inscriptions have been found in the temple. The Manipravalam work Chandrostavam praises it, and Peruvanam was traditionally one of the leading Namboodiri villages of Kerala.

Festivals

• Meenam month, usually AprilPeruvanam Pooram

  Held at this temple in Cherpu. Near midnight, deities from other temples come into the temple yard.

Tips for your visit

• Each visiting deity walks around the temple yard, then rests at its own spot in the Mandapam of Irattayappan.
• The midnight Vilakku is lit by oil lamps, with no artificial light, outside the temple's western entrance.

Questions people ask