Rajarajeshwara Temple, Taliparamba

01Shiva of the three lingas

The kshetra’s tradition tells that Mata Parvati gave three lingas to Mandhata, a king of the Ikshvaku line, and that each, after the age of its keeper, sank into the earth here, so that the linga at Taliparamba is held to hold the power of all three; Shri Rama, returning from Lanka, is said to have worshipped here too. The temple was rebuilt and renovated many times under the Kolathiri rajas of north Malabar. A deva-prashna, the astrological inquiry by which Kerala temples seek the will of the deity, is often held here, and its answers are respected across Malabar.

02Customs of the temple

The temple keeps its own rules. Women may enter the inner enclosure only after the night puja, at about 7 in the evening. The great offering is the ponninkudam, a pot of gold placed before the deity for the fulfilment of a wish. There is no flagstaff and no annual utsavam with processions, unlike most Kerala temples. Nearby, on the same road, is the Trichambaram Krishna temple, with which Taliparamba shares many customs.