Religious/ Spiritual

This Temple is located around 18 km north of Kannur on the banks of Valapattanam river and is dedicated to a hunter form of Lord Vishnu, Shri Muthappan. The legend associated with temple states that a childless couple found and adopted an abandoned baby boy. As the boy grew, much to the disappointment of his conventional father, he became a flesh eater. When the desperation of the father grew, he decided to give up his life. At this point of time, Lord Vishnu revealed his identity and took the name of Muthuppan.

This beautiful ancient mosque was originally built in 1124 AD by Malic Iben Dinar, a Muslim preacher. A block of white marble in the mosque is believed to have been brought from Mecca by its founder, who came to India to spread the word of the prophet. Near by dilapidated fort believed to have been built by Tipu Sultan: the ruler of Mysore.

Standing on the banks of Bavali river, Kotiyoor has a famous Shiva Temple that attracts a number of devotees from all over. The 27 day annual festival sees a lot more people pouring in to offer their prayer to Lord Shiva.

One of the major attraction in Kalady is the Vamanamoorthy temple located at Thrikkakara near Kalady. This is one of the rare temples dedicated to Vamanamoorthy, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The temple showcases the architectural beauty and workmanship of ancient Kerala. Inscriptions dating back to 10th to the 13th centuries are seen in this shrine.

It is believed that Lord Vishnu took incarnation as Vamana to send the Asura King Mahabali to “Pathalam”. Mahabali was a generous and efficient king and his fame even reached to the ears of Indra, the King of Gods. He saw a threat in the growth and fame of Mahabali. He prayed Lord Vishnu and Lord Vishnu pushed him under the earth with his form as Vamana.

The Sringeri Mutt, a renowned Ashram dedicated to the great saint, philosopher and visionary Adi Sankara, houses many small temples apart from the Ashram. The Sringeri Mutt is established at the place where Adi Sankara’s house once stood. It is situated on the northern bank of the famous river Periyar (Purna River).

There are two important temples within the Mutt complex. One temple enshrines Sankaracharya and the second temples is dedicated to Goddess Saradamba. A small temple dedicated to Sankara’s mother is also located here.

The Sri Ramakrishna Advaita Ashram in Kalady is a world renowned Ashram in India. It was established in 1936. The Ashram is a monument to the great visionary Sri. Ramakrishna. The Ashram has a simple prayer hall adorned with images of Gods and pictures of visionaries in all religions and faiths. An imposing lively statue of saint Ramakrishna is also housed in this Ashram. The Ashram is perfectly placed near the Sringeri Mutt complex and Keerthisthambam. Ashram offers classes on preaching of Adi Sankara and Sri Ramakrishna.

Thiruvairanikulam Mahadev Temple is located near to Kalady, south of Aluva in Ernakulam District. This temple is very famous as a Shiva temple. There is a separate temple dedicated to Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. The deity in this temple faces east.

Kuzhipillykavu Jaladurga Temple is located at the heart of the Perumbavoor town, which is not far away from Kalady. Legends points to an incident of digging a pond while the tool struck on a 'rudrakshashila' (sacred stone) which started bleeding profusely. Locals believed that the stone has divine power of Goddess Devi as Shakti. A temple was constructed at this site. As the idol had come from water (jalam in Malayalam), the goddess at this temple is known as Jaladurga. Kuzhippilli means the temple in a pit dug.

Kallil Devi temple located at Kalady is a revered Jain shrine established in 9th century. Kallil literally means in stone. The temple, located in a vast expanse of 28 acres, is a rock cut temple demanding the climbing of 120 steps to reach the temple. The temple is managed presently by Chenkottukonam Sree Ramadasashramam. It was originally owned by the Kallil Pisharody family and hence name Kallil Devi temple.

Adi Sankara's Keerthisthambam (pillar of fame) in Kalady is a large open structure on the banks of the River Periyar. On the top of the multi-storey structure built as a monument for Adi Sankara by Kanchu Mutt, a lively statue of Adi Sankara is adorned. One can climb up to the top to get a full view of the statue.

There are many inscriptions describing the episodes from the life and mission of Adi Sankara on the walls surrounding the image. One can get the bird’s eye view of the surrounding natural landscapes from this top of the Keerthisthambam.