Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Late medieval · Hindu · India

Avanangattilkalari Vishnumaya Temple

Peringottukara, Thrissur district, Kerala · 10.4369°, 76.1296°

Vishnumaya (Chathan), shown in fierce form riding a buffaloKingdom of CochinKerala
Sacred since
1500 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
over 500 years old; rebuilt under Sakthan Thampuran
Kingdom of Cochin

History & significance

Regarded as the head shrine of the Vishnumaya (Chathan) temples of Kerala, more than five centuries old and reconstructed with the financial backing of Sakthan Thampuran. It keeps Shakteya usages now rare in Kerala, including the niyogam oracle pronounced by a possessed velichappadu, and holds the ten-day Vellattumaholsavam in Kumbham.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.

Vishnumaya is said to have been born one of four hundred brothers, ten of whom swallowed the brahmastra in battle and helped Shiva's bhutas destroy the rakshasa.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Kingdom of Cochin