What is the sthala katha — the legend — of Kattakampal Temple?

High medieval · Hindu · India

Kattakampal Temple

Kattakampal, Kunnamkulam, Thrissur district, Kerala · 10.6895°, 76.0372°

Shiva, with Kattakampal BhagavathyUndeterminedKerala

Sacred since

1000 CE

first attestation / structure

Standing structure

dating unrecorded; traditionally 2,000 years old

Undetermined

History & significance

A two-acre west-facing temple complex near Kunnamkulam with an east-facing Shiva sanctum and a separate west-facing sanctum for Kattakampal Bhagavathy; it is counted among the 108 Shiva temples of Kerala, and the seven-day Kattakampal Pooram in Medam is its great festival.

Sthala katha — the legend

Tradition credits the sage Parashurama with installing the Shiva here, and the festival's high point re-enacts Kali's war with Darika and the demon's killing.

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