📍 Location

• Thiruvanchikulam, Kodungallur, Thrissur District, Kerala

• One of the oldest Shiva temples in Kerala, very close to the Arabian Sea.

Main Deities

• Lord Shiva – Mahadeva (Sundareswarar / Thiruvanchikulathappan)

• Parvathi (Umadevi / Kunkumavalli)

🌳 Sacred Elements

• Temple Tree: Bilva (Bael)

• Sacred Tank: Manikarnika Theertham

📖 Legends

• Sundarar’s Liberation: When Sundarar (the Nayanmar) was ready to leave his mortal body, Lord Shiva sent him a white elephant here. He ascended the elephant and reached Kailasa (heaven) from this very temple – a huge honor.

✨ Specialties

• Considered a Padal Petra Sthalam (sung in Thevaram hymns).

• Believed to be over 2000 years old.

• Famous for “Pradosha Pooja” and Shivaratri celebrations.

• Ancient Kerala-style architecture with large compound walls, gopurams, and murals.

📜 Scriptural Importance

• Sung in Thevaram Hymns:

  • Appar (Thirunavukkarasar)

  • Sundarar (very significant – his last pathigam here, before attaining Kailasa).

🙏 Benefits of Worship

• Worship here is believed to:

  • Remove ancestral karmas

  • Fulfill prayers for health and family prosperity

📖 Thevaram Connection (Naalvar)

• Appar (Thirunavukkarasar) → Yes, sang in praise of this temple.

• Sundarar → Yes, sang here; his final hymn (pathigam) was at Thiruvanchikulam before ascending to Kailasa.