Sivagiri Sree Sarada Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is about 57 km from Varkala.

• By train

  Varkala railway station serves the town.

• By road

  National Highway 66 passes through the Varkala taluk. Thiruvananthapuram city is about 50 km away.

Rules to know

• Food offerings (naivedyam) and abhishekam are not practised at the temple; devotees worship by reciting hymns.

Why devotees come here

Sivagiri Sree Sarada Temple stands at Sivagiri, a pilgrimage centre in Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. It is dedicated to Devi Sarada, and the samadhi of Sree Narayana Guru is also at Sivagiri. Food offerings and abhishekam are not practised here.

Sivagiri is a pilgrimage centre in Varkala town. Varkala is about 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram city. The tomb, or samadhi, of Sree Narayana Guru lies here. The Sivagiri Matha, built in 1904, stands atop the Sivagiri hill.

The foundation of the Sarada temple was laid in 1909. Sree Narayana Guru consecrated the Sarada idol in April 1912. The temple is dedicated to Sarada Devi. It is octagonal in shape, and Guru called it Sarada Mutt.

Worship here differs from many temples. Food offerings and abhishekam, the pouring of oil or ghee on the idol, are not practised. Devotees worship by reciting hymns. The Sivagiri pilgrimage days run from 30 December to 1 January, and the Guru's birthday and samadhi day are marked in August and September.

Festivals

• 30 December to 1 JanuarySivagiri Theerthadanam

  The Sivagiri pilgrimage days.

• August or SeptemberSree Narayana Jayanthi and samadhi day

  The Guru's birthday and the day of his samadhi.

Tips for your visit

• Kerala Tourism lists Sivagiri Mutt among Varkala's pilgrim attractions, so it can be part of a visit to the town.
• Anjengo Fort at Anchuthengu is near Varkala, if you want to see a site beyond the temple.

Questions people ask