Kerala tourism Guide

Vaikom Mahadeva Temple is in a small town called Vaikom in Kottayam District of Kerala and it is the most admired Shiva Temple in South India. This temple is situated on 8 acres of land filled and leveled with river sand and surround by a boundary wall with towers on four sides. The western side courtyard door of this temple is closed permanently for centuries and it believed that the Lord closed the door after a Namboothiri who disrupted the pooja got bitten by a snake and died outside the western gate. Vaikkath Asthami is the important festival of Vaikom Mahadeva Temple and Sandhya Vela is the main ritual of this temple done before the flag is hoisted. The inner shrine of the temple has two chambers and one has to cross six steps which denotes kamam, krodham, lobham, moham, madam and matsaryam.The deity here is also known as Lord Vaikathappan and Annadana Prabhu and the lamp in front of the sanctum is never put off. There is also a huge lamp known as Purakil Vilakku behind the deity meant for goddess Parvathy.