Tirtha Atlas

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

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
High medieval · Hindu · India

Padanilam Parabrahma Temple

Padanilam, Alappuzha, Kerala · 9.1900°, 76.6320°

Parabrahma (worshipped as Omkaram)Undetermined—
Sacred since
1000 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
dating unrecorded
Undetermined

History & significance

An unusual Kerala shrine with no enclosing wall or roof and no conventional idol, where a stone Om symbol beneath open tree cover is worshipped as Parabrahma. It was one of the major temples of the former Travancore state and served as the administrative centre of the Nooranad region.

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.

The name Padanilam is traced to pada, battle, after the fighting between local chieftains over control of the temple and its villages, which is said to have ended when Pazhoor Panamana Thampuran intervened by fasting.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Undetermined