Hearitage

  The beautiful language of Malayalam that one speaks today has been present for centuries but the usage of proper words & letters that one finds quite simple today is the work of Thunjathu Ramanajun Ezhuthachan who is said to be the Father of Malayalam language. The place that helps one remember this revered poet & simple human being is at the Thunjan Memorial at Tirur. Established in the year 1964 it is a place close to where the man himself is said to have lived. For centuries after the death of Ezhuthachan this place was in neglect & it was only in the year 1901 upon the insistence of Zamorin crown prince who first had the idea to have a memorial for the Malayalam poet that discussions were made. This idea to become a reality took many more years as the land had to be acquired from donations which were hard to come. Finally the foundation stone was laid in the year 1961. The government also formed a committee to look after the development of the memorial & emine...

  For over 300 years the Korome mosque has stood witness to changing times & generations in Wayanad. The mosque like none other has an architecture which is similar to the Kerala Hindu temple & stories attached to the mosque stamp the belief of secular values. The mosque is open for Muslims but the communal harmony is seen when people from all faiths are allowed to participate in the annual Uroos festival here. The beauty of the architecture & the values associated with the mosque is one reason why the site is included in the pilgrim tourist circuit of Wayanad along with Valliyoorkavu temple & Pallikunnu church. Korome is a small town near Mananthavady in Wayanad & it was part of Thondarnadu which was looked after by Thondar Nambiar. The exact year of when the mosque was built is not clear but it is believed that the Athilian family is responsible for constructing the structure. The land to build the mosque was granted to the family by the Nambiar & this is ...

Built along the banks of the beautiful Achankovil River, the Pandalam Palace holds a significant importance in the heritage of Kerala & its beliefs. The palace is where Lord Ayyappa is said to have lived & played. It is also a place that is important in the rituals of Sabarimala temple as it’s the place from where the Thiruvabharanam (divine ornaments) is brought to the temple for the culmination of the season which happens with the unique Magaravilakku & Makara Jyothi darshan. The palace today has lost its old charm as many portions of the old ancestral property have been divided among families & lost over the years. The most important parts of the palace are still available for all to see which include the palace complex, Valiya Koyikkal temple, Thevarapuras, Thiruvabharana Scrambical palace & Puthenkoikal. The Pandalam family is said to be descendants of the Pandya Kings who ruled the South during the 6 th century. The Pandya rule over the centuries became we...

  The dam is the most visited spot in Munnar & its beauty is enhanced by the presence of still water, lush gardens around, dense mountains in the background and the famous tea gardens complete the picture for all tourists. The dam was constructed as a concrete gravity structure where the weight of the structure holds the water in the reservoir. Apart from generating hydro electricity for the state, the dam has a lake which is still water & so makes it easy for tourists to engage in boating. There have been issues with the salinity of the water which has hampered the use for irrigation purposes which has now been addressed to a small extent. The stillness of the water also attracts wild animals & a huge collection of birds which is another attraction at the dam. The dam was commissioned after independence & was completed in 1953 & the sole purpose of the dam was to generate electricity. The place around the dam is called cattle village & the name is based on ...

A pilgrimage is always about the journey and its completion, one such pilgrimage is the hike to Kurisumala or the hill of the Cross in Vagamon. The devotees from far & wide come to this hill and endure the walk up the slopes carrying small crosses as a remembrance to the trouble experienced by Christ himself. The pilgrimage has been happening for over 60 years now & it is necessary for people from all faiths to endure such a pilgrimage to understand the divinity of the place. The hike to the top of the mount is performed by the devotees singing, chanting prayers & carrying the cross all while stopping in intervals all to commemorate the journey of  Christ to Golgotha. This way of endurance is to experience the healing touch of God & praying for relief from heart breaking thoughts & emotional crises one may have in their life. The mount one sees was an infertile rock plateau where humble farmers by the name of George & Esthron resided in a cave and experience...

  One among the powerful trisome of Shiva temples, the Vaikom temple or the place of Vaikathappan as the deity is fondly called is one of the oldest temples in Kerala. The other temples which complete the trisome are in Ettumanoor & Kaduthuruthy. As per legends, a devotee can fulfil all his desires if one completes a visit to these three temples before noon. The temple is also revered by both sects of Hinduism – the Shaivaites & Vaishnavaites. The temple is a place of a beautiful story & great spiritual divinity. The temple has been present here from the time of Treta yuga & so the exact date of its construction is not clear. The presence of the vembanad lake near the temple also adds to the beauty of this ancient temple The legend of the temple is related to the story of Kharasura who was a demon considered to be an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. Once he performed a penance to please his God & acquire boon from him. Lord Shiva fulfilled his penance & appear...

  As per Hindu Mythology there are many legends associated with different events in Mahabharata. One such legend is the story of Vettakorumakan which is a common tale one hears in the north Malabar region of Kerala & parts of Tamil Nadu. The tale is from the Mahabharatha when during the fifth year of exile, Lord Krishna asked Arjuna to please Lord Shiva & acquire his most destructive weapon – the Pashupatastra .  Arjuna walked to the Himalayas & conducted penance.  As the wish was to get the most destructive weapon Lord Shiva decided to test the will of his devotee. He along with his consort Goddess Parvathy took the form of Kiratha & Kirathi who were tribal hunters. Lord Shiva made a wild boar attack Arjuna & disturbs his penance which the wild boar did with grace. Arjuna, unable to concentrate on his penance, became angry & used his Gandiva Bow to shoot the boar with an arrow. At the same instance, Lord Shiva as the hunter also struck the arrow. ...

The fort also known as Kanhangad fort is flanked on three sides by the Kanhangad town, Talapady River & Arabian Sea. The word Hosdurg also means New Fort in Tulu & is a contemporary to the Bekal fort which is another huge fort in these parts of Northern Kerala. The fort is a colossal structure & stands on a hillock which is also the largest fortification structure of North Kerala built as a garrison. This fort is different from others in the way one can view the round bastions from afar. The fort was built by one of the most celebrated fort builder in history – Somasekhara Nayak. When the Vijayanagara Empire lost prominence, the Nayaks took over the rule in the Northern Tulu area of Karnataka.  The Kolathiri chieftains were the most prominent people in the Northern Kerala area & when the Ikkeri dynasty came, Somashekhara Nayak took prominence. The fort was built in 1733 & it was done to expand the Malabar rule. The Ikkeri dynasty gave importance to trade & c...

  The Paradesi synagogue as it is locally known is the oldest Synagogue in India & one that is still open for services of the Jews. The name Paradesi is given to the synagogue to highlight the importance of the foreigners in moulding the fabric of Kochi. Synagogues for Jews were not just places for liturgical service but also a place of study & assembly which the Paradesi Synagogue offered the Jews in the old Jew Town of Cochin. The synagogue was built in the year 1598 long after the Jews came to the shores of Kerala. The synagogue is said to have been built by Spanish & Dutch Sephardic Jews with architecture reflecting the tastes of different cultures present here during the times, European, Chinese, Indian, and Arabic. The Jews who built the church were also unique as they were referred to as White Jews. The Synagogue is a white walled rectangular building with tiled roof & an iron gate at the front decorated with the Star of David. The central structure also hous...

  The great renowned social reformer, philosopher & spiritual leader Sree Narayana Guru graced the lands of Kerala with his divinity uplifting people who felt their existence meant nothing for others. Fondly & respectably called Gurudevan, the Sivagiri Mutt is the headquarters of Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham which was initiated by Gurudevan himself for betterment of Ezhava people, disciples & his followers. The Sivagiri Sacred hill is the place where one can find the Mahasamadhi Mandiram of Gurudevan. The place was earmarked by Sree Narayana Guru himself because of its natural beauty with springs & short waterfalls which gave the sight of the elusive Mount Kailasa of Lord Shiva.  The mutt was built in 1904. Varkala has always been known as Dakshin Kashi & Gurudevan had come to Varkala many times, his request to the Travancore government to build a hermitage on the hill was granted at a small token & people around the hill gifted their land to Gurudevan ...

  This temple in Malappuram is unique due to the absence of an idol which is unseen in a Hindu temple. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Kiratha Parvathy. It is said that the Goddess vanished after giving darshan to the revered sage Adi Sankaracharya. The temple was consecrated by him in the 8 th century which is the time he was said to have lived. The Goddess is worshipped here in the form of Vidya Durga in the morning, Vanadurga in Twaritha form in the noon & Aadi Durga in the evening. The three forms of Goddess Parvathy blesses her devotees with good health as Durga, Saraswathi blesses all with good intellect & Lakshmi invokes prosperity. Sankaracharya who is known to have consecrated many temples on his pilgrimage along the land was once travelling from Mookambika in the North to Chottanikara in the south when he stopped along the path as he felt a divine presence. It was unclear to him what it was & to know better sat in meditation. Sankaracharya had attained t...

This church also called locally – Valiya Palli is the oldest in Kozhikode & it’s believed to have been built around the early 16 th century. The Portuguese are credited for building the church when they signed a treaty with the Zamorins to build a factory & church. The church built was dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Immaculate Conception. The façade has the words “Matri Dei '' which in Latin means ‘Mother of God’ & it celebrates Virgin Mary in its spirit. The inscription at the entrance of the cathedral remembers Madre De Deos who was a Portuguese trader who came to Calicut in the 18 th Century. By the 18 th Century the church was in a state of dilapidation & so the Portuguese again made a treaty with Zamorins to rebuild the church with stone & mortar, a parochial house & belfry with bell. This church was built in 1725 & then over the years 2 schools were also started in the same compound – in 1793 the Boys School which & is now the St Joseph...

  Most people fear a spider more than a snake bite as the sight of the eight-legged insect is enough to send a person into a phobia. So imagine if you are bitten by one. In Kerala there is a temple which heals spider bite & is possibly the only temple in the world which is dedicated to a spider. This beautiful simple temple is in Kodumon, a small town close to Pathanamthitta. So how did spiders become the cause of such divinity at the temple? There are many legends to this belief. The temple is around 1300 years old & was not conceived by anyone in the current form but some incidents brought about the formation of such a temple. The most believed legend is related to the erstwhile sovereignty of the Chenneerkara Swaroopam, the king by the name of Ravindran Vikraman. He was said to be a great Ayurvedic physician & was knowledgeable about different medicines which could heal venomous bites. People from all over came to him for treatment & he took good care of all....