Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple

Ettumanoor Mahadeva temple is located in Ettumanoor, Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. It is said that the statue of the temple was donated by a Travancore Maharaja.
 In addition to the presiding deity, Lord Shiva, this pilgrim center has a few sub-deities like Ganapathy, Sastha and Dakshinamurthy. Visiting this beautiful ancient temple can be a spiritual experience for each pilgrim. The Ezharaponnana procession of this temple is very famous and draws thousands of devotees.
Though the idol of Shiva is an eight handed figure and is in a 'roudra bhava' (a very angry posture), the devotees only see him as a merciful god. Devotees refer to the Lord in this temple as "Ettumanoor-Appan".
The temple legend states that once Lord Parameshwara/Shiva created a deer named Harina and also made an island in the sea called Harinadweep. When Parasurama created Kerala from the sea, this island also became part of the newly created land of Kerala. The original island came to be called Harinapura.

The major worship in this temple is the lighting of lamps. An ever glowing, very big lamp can be seen as soon as you enter the temple. The devotees pour oil on to this lamp. Lately, since the oil is being received more than needed for the lamp, a vessel has been kept nearby where if the lamp is full, devotees can pour the oil they have brought into it. There is apparently a story behind this. It appears a brass metal worker once made a huge bronze lamp, brought it to this temple and pleaded with its management to buy it from him. They simply laughed at him and informed him that the temple had no necessity to buy a lamp since they already had sufficient lamps. Crestfallen, the metal worker pleaded with the Lord consecrated there and lo ! Suddenly a big storm started around the temple. The temple management realized that God was angry at their behaviour and bought the lamp and installed it there. From that time the lamp has been constantly burning in front of the deity.

Renovated in 1542 AD (717 ME), the shrine is popular for its magnificent gopuram (monumental gatehouse tower), roofs covered in copper plates, a golden flagstaff and outstanding wall paintings. The temple premises consist of a sanctum sanctorum, the chief idol of Lord Shiva, and smaller shrines dedicated to Lord Ganapathi and Lord Shasta. One of the wealthiest Devaswoms in Kerala, this temple is thronged by tourists and pilgrims all through the year. However, it literally comes to life during the grand festival of Arattu celebrated in the month of February – March.

Getting there
Nearest railway station: Ettumanoor Railway Station, about 2 km
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 76 km
Google map coordinates: MHF6+F4 Ettumanoor, Kerala