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