Tirtha Atlas

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

2271 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · India

Pazhaya Sreekanteswaram Temple

Puthenchantha, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala · 8.4875°, 76.9433°

Shiva as the Sreekanteswara lingaUndeterminedDravidian
Sacred since
900 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
attested by c. 1000 CE
Undetermined

History & significance

The older of the two Sreekanteswaram temples of Thiruvananthapuram, at Puthenchantha, which the historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai held to have existed since at least 1000 CE. Its linga is traditionally said to have been installed by Parashurama.

Sthala katha — the legend

The temple's legend tells of a Yadava prince cursed by the sage Athiyara Potti into a centaur-like form, who won release after ten years of servitude and devotion to Sreekanteswara.

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Sources

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