Tirtha Atlas

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

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Late medieval · Hindu · India

Viswanatha Swamy Temple

കൽപ്പാത്തി വിശ്വനാഥസ്വാമിക്ഷേത്രം

Kalpathy, Kerala · 10.7949°, 76.6479°

Vishwanathar (Shiva), with VishalakshiPalakkad royal houseKerala
Sacred since
1400 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
early 15th c. (Palakkad royal house)
Palakkad royal house

History & significance

An early fifteenth-century Shiva temple on the bank of the Kalpathy river, endowed by Ittikombi Achan of the Palakkad royal family in an inscription of Malayalam Era 600 (1424-25) and ringed by four Tamil Brahmin agraharams. Its likeness to the Kashi Viswanatha temple at Varanasi earned it the name Dakshina Kashi, and it is the centre of the annual Kalpathi Ratholsavam.

Sthala katha — the legend

Lakshmi Ammal of Kollengode is remembered as having carried a Shiva linga home from Varanasi and installed it here with the Raja of Palakkad's support, endowing 1,320 gold coins for its upkeep.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Palakkad royal house