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Chirakkadavu, Kanjirappally taluk, Kottayam district, Kerala · 9.5167°, 76.7833°
A Shiva temple about 32 km east of Kottayam and 3 km south of Ponkunnam, reckoned a thousand years old, whose lingam is held to be swayambhu and was found beneath a bilva tree. The village takes its name from the chira, or pond, on its eastern side.
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.
A king who built his ashram by the bilva tree and performed austerities there is said to have had the Lord appear to him in a dream; he continued his penance and passed to heaven, remembered as Kuwala Maharshi.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Undetermined
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…