Vaikom Mahadeva Temple

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 demon Khara received three lingams from Shiva at Chidambaram, and on his southward journey one of them would not be moved again, fixing the temple's site, where the sage Vyaghrapada later became its custodian.