Sreevallabha Temple

Getting there

• By train

  Thiruvalla railway station is 2.5 km from the temple. The KSRTC bus stand is 2 km away.

• By road

  The temple is on the Thiruvalla-Ambalappuzha state highway, 500 metres south of the Kavumbhagom junction. KSRTC, private buses and auto-taxis serve it.

Rules to know

• Devotees should not use sacred ash (vibhuti) inside the temple wall.

Why devotees come here

Sreevallabha Temple stands in Thiruvalla, Kerala, and is dedicated to Vishnu as Sreevallabha. It is counted among Kerala's oldest and biggest shrines and among the 108 Divya Desams. Its 8.5-acre complex on the Manimala River is the largest of any Travancore temple.

Sreevallabha means consort of Sree, another name for Lakshmi, and the temple is dedicated to this form of Vishnu. Legend says Vishnu appeared here as Sreevallabha for the sage Durvasa and for Khandakarnan. The Alvars valued the temple, and it is reportedly mentioned in the Garuda and Matsya Puranas.

By 1100 CE the temple had become a spiritual and educational centre. In 1752-1753, Marthanda Varma of Travancore captured it from Pathillathil Pottimar.

The round, copper-roofed, golden-domed sanctum is decorated with etched murals of many avatars of Vishnu and other deities. These include Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Rama, Krishna, Kalki and Garuda. The murals also show Dakshinamurthy, Ganapathy, Parashurama, Balarama, Lakshmi, Sudarshana and the Purusha sukta. The Garuda flagstaff is made of black granite, was built in 57 BC, and stands 53.5 feet high. Its lower end reaches the water table.

Festivals

• Minam month (March-April)Uthra Sreebali

  The temple's largest festival. The northern gate opens only on this day to receive three deities from Bhagavathy temples.

Tips for your visit

• Walk four clockwise circumambulations (parikramas): one outside the temple and three inside.
• Kathakali is performed each evening.
• The temple is 750 metres south of Ramapuram vegetable market, a landmark for directions.

Questions people ask