Historical Vaikom Sree Mahadeva Temple.
Vaikom in Kottayam
district of the southern state of India, Kerala, is one of the main pilgrim
centres of the south. Famous for the Vaikkath Asthami celebrations in
November/December, it is one of the few temples which is held in reverence by
both Shaivaites and the Vaishnavaites. Vaikkom’s Shiva is fondly called
Vaikkathappan. The Shiva Linga here is believed to be from the ‘Treta yuga’ and
considered as one of the oldest temples in Kerala where pooja has not been
broken since inception.
This is one of the huge property and a place to visit for having the prasadaootu and this temple has all the ingredients for a shiva temple.
The ancient Sanskrit texts, Bhargava Purana & Sanalkumara Samhita mention this place as Vaiyaghra geham and Vaiyaghra puram.
As per legends Vyaghrapada Maharshi got Siva darsana here, so it was fittingly called Vyaghrapadapuram. Later, when Tamil spread, the word Vaiyaghra got transformed as Vaikom.
Today Vaikom is one of the most revered Shiva shrines in South India. The temple along with Ettumanoor Siva Temple, Kaduthuruthy Thaliyil Mahadeva Temple is considered a powerful trisome. The belief is that if a devotee worships at these three temples before 'Ucha pooja', all the wishes are fulfilled.
