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Sasthamkotta, Kollam district, Kerala · 9.0417°, 76.6297°
One of the five ancient Sastha temples of Kerala, alongside Sabarimala, Achankovil, Aryankavu and Kulathupuzha, standing on high ground ringed on three sides by the state's largest freshwater lake. Its resident monkeys are treated as sacred and are cared for by a trust fund set up in 1996.
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.
Rama is said to have stopped here on his return from Lanka to honour Dharma Sastha, leaving behind Neelan, chief architect of his vanara army, whose descendants are held to be the temple's monkeys.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Undetermined
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…