Vaikom Temple

The Vaikom Sree Mahadeva Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in Vaikom, Kottayam, Kerala, India. The temple, along with the Ettumanoor Shiva Temple and the Kaduthuruthy Shiva Temple is considered a powerful place of Shiva. The belief is that if a devotee worships all the three temples before the Ucha puja, all his/her wishes are fulfilled. It is one of the oldest temples in Kerala and is famous for its Vaikom Ashtami festival. The temple is one of the few temples which is held in reverence by both Shaivas, the adherents of Shiva and Vaishnavas, the adherents of Vishnu. In Vaikom, Shiva is fondly called as Vaikkathappan, the lord of Vaikom. The lingam here is believed to be from the Treta Yuga, the second age of Hinduism and is considered one of the oldest temples in Kerala where puja has not been broken since its inception. The temple is one of the major Shiva temples in Kerala held in reverence along with the temples in Ettumanoor, Kaduthuruthy, Vazhappally, Chengannur, Ernakulam, Vadakkunathan, Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Punnayam Mahadeva Temple, Thirunakkara.

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