Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple

Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple was constructed in the year 1542. This temple is located in Kottayam district. The deity here is Lord Shiva also called as Ernakulathappan and this idol faces the sea. The inner and outer walls are decorated with mural paintings whose themes are obtained from Mahabharata and Ramayana. One of the best wall paintings in India is the Dancing Shiva. Inside the temple lies a golden staff with an idol of a bull on top of it.

The annual festival is conducted in the February month and concludes with the Arattu festival. A very important festival is the 10 days long ‘Ezharaponnana Ezhunallathu’. In this seven and a half elephants made of gold that weigh around 13 kgs are kept for public view on the 8th day of the festival. The 7 statues are each 2 feet tall with the small one having a height of 1 foot. These statues were donated by the Travancore ruler. This temple is considered to have the wealthiest Devaswom. It is held in the months February / March.

An important ritual carried out in this temple is the Thulabharam. For this ritual the offerings to the God are calculated based on the weight of the person. These offerings can be fruits, ghee, gold or any material. There is a huge lamp near the entrance of the temple and the devotees can offer oil to it. The soot that is collected from the burning oil is considered to have medicinal values.