A very important and famous Christian pilgrimage of Kerala, the Malayatoor Church of Cochin attracts a large number of devotees from not just Kerala, but also all over India. The annual festival of this church is known as 'Malayatoor Perunal' and it is celebrated in the months of March-April. It is believed that St. Thomas prayed at this church when he landed in Kerala. St. Thomas was the one who took initiative to begin a Christian community over here. He is supposed to have come here in 52 A.D. Situated near the church is a hill that is supposed to have his footprints on a rock. Read on further to know more about Malayatoor Church of Kochi.

      St. Thomas founded churches in different places in Kerala including Kollam, Kodungalloor, Nilakkal, Niranam, etc. One can easily seek spiritual happiness and satisfaction amidst the calm and serene locales surrounding Malayatoor. In fact, this center is the most popular and largest St. Thomas shrine in India. It is a popular tourist center and many people throng this place to have a look at this magnificent church. It is a must visit while traveling to Cochin.

      Every year on the first Sunday after Easter, thousands throng this shrine to seek his holy blessings. The architecture of the church is very interesting and uses a combination of unique styles that are a delight to the eyes. It is a combination of Greco-Roman architecture with a traditional Greek styled altar. The front of the church has been built in the typical Roman Catholic architecture. The church has been decorated with beautiful carvings, designs and paintings that depict the life of Jesus Christ. There are facilities for confession and adoration also in this church. The church also has an ancient pond that was sued for baptism purposes and a traditional pulpit that is considered to be of much historical significance.

      Kerala, located on the west coast of India, is known as 'God's Own Country' because of its scenic beauty, and Kochi is the shining jewel in this beautiful state. Vallarpadom, which forms part of Kochi, is a small idyllic island on the Vembanad lake, with a serene and calm atmosphere. The serenity and peace, which is a salient feature of this island, can only be attributed to the presence of the historic church of Our Lady of Ransom. This church forms part of the diocese of Verapoly and revered by Catholics as a very sacred church.

      The church was built by Portuguese missionaries in 1524. It is said that the missionaries discovered a painting of the Lady of Ransom, and later in a dream, they were asked to establish a church in Vallarpadam, which they dutifully did. Many miracles have been attributed to the Lady of Ransom and most are of people being saved from accidents at sea. As per tradition the church was earlier known as the church of the Holy Spirit. The original building was destroyed by floods in the 17th century and rebuilt later. The present building is said to have built in 1676.

      As per local folklore, a lady and her child from a Hindu family who were shipwrecked, survived for three days, sheltered under a rock. The lady prayed that she would commit her life to serving the Lady of Ransom, and she was saved. Even today, all processions in connection with festivities of the church begin from the ancestral house of the Hindu lady, which is called Paliath. The images of the lady and child are also seen in the picture of the Lady of Ransom inside the Vallarpadom church

      Kerala is a land of temples; perhaps the best known pilgrimage destination in Kerala is Sabarimala, high up in the Sahyadri Mountains (Western Ghats). Sabarimala Sri Dharmasastha Temple is the most famous and prominent among all the Sastha Temples. It is believed that "Parasurama Maharshi" who retrieved Kerala from the sea by throwing his axe, installed the idol of Ayyappa at Sabarimala to worship Lord Ayyappa.

      The pilgrimage begins in the month of November and ends in January. The temple attracts pilgrims not only from the southern states of India, but also from other parts of the country and abroad.

      The shrine gets thronged with devotees especially during the main pilgrim season from November to January.

      Mandalapooja(Nov.17th)and Makaravilakku(Jan.14th)are the two main events of the pilgrim season. The temple stays closed during the rest of the year except for the first five days of every Malayalam month and during Vishu (April).

      Certain customs are to be strictly observed if one has to undertake a pilgrimage to Sabarimala. A pilgrim attending the Mandalapooja should observe austerities for 41 days. During this period, the pilgrim should abstain himself from non- vegetarian habits and cardinal pleasures.

      Guruvayur, near Thrissur in South Kerala, is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrim centers in India .It has the famous temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. Just as the Tirumala Venkateshwara has become popular in Andhra Pradesh, So is this Krishna temple of Guruvayur in Kerala. Like Tirumala, Guruvayur temple also rests on the faith of the devotees, that the Lord fulfils the desires of the devotees.

      Known as the ‘Dwaraka of the South', Guruvayur temple has very interesting traditions around it. The idol of Sri Krishna at Guruvayur is believed to be an ancient one, which was being worshipped by Brahma himself at Dwaraka. After the pilgrim city of Dwaraka became submerged in the sea, Sri Krishna decided to leave His mortal body at Prabhasa Kshetra in Sourashtra for His heavenly abode. According to tradition, it is believed that Sri.Krishna Himself gave his idol which was at Dwaraka, to His foremost disciple and devotee, Uddhava to be installed in a safe place.

      As instructed by Sri.Krishna, Uddhava sought the help of Guru, the preceptor of the Gods and his disciple Vayu, the God of Winds, in finding an equally holy spot for installing the idol of Krishna . After a long quest for a most suitable site, they entered Kerala, which had been created by Parasurama. They approached Shiva and Parvathi who were staying near a beautiful lake of lotus flowers in Kerala, called Rudra Tirtha. As suggested by Shiva and Parvati and by their blessings, the idol of Krishna was duly installed at the spot beside the lake. As the side was selected by Guru and Vayu, the place came to be called as “Guruvayupura”, which later on became popular as ‘Guruvayur'. Krishna was lovingly called as 'Guruvayurappan' or the Lord of Guruvayur. Shiva and Parvati stayed on the opposite bank of the lake, which came to be called as Mammiyar, where a Shiva temple has now been constructed. It is believed that he original shrine of Krishna at Guruvayur, according to mythology, was built by Vishwakarma, the celestial architect at the instance of Guru and Vayu.

      Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple is one of the most celebrated Hindu shrines of Kerala. The temple is located in Chottanikkara town, 17kms away from Ernakulam. Rajarajeswari (Adiparasakthi) alias Durga Bhagavathy - the mother Goddess, is the presiding deity of the temple. It is said that this deity was brought from Mookambika Temple in Kollur, Karnataka and therefore there is a presence of Mookambika (Saraswathy) Devi till 7am in the morning. 

      The 'Devi' in the temple is known for the healing powers, particularly relating to mental illness and disorders. The temple situated in a hilly region, is surrounded on all sides by green farms. The entry is through the west and the spiritual atmosphere in the temple gives mental peace and harmony to devotees.

      In the main temple, the golden hued idol of Bhagavathy 4 to 5 ft. high, is bedecked with flowers, garlands, jewels and bathed in myriad of lights splendidly. The idol has four arms. The upper right holds the disc, the upper left bears the conch, the lower right hand is held in a boon-conferring pose and the lower left indicates the abhaya (fearlessness) pose. The Bhagavathy is worshipped in three different forms as Saraswathy in the morning clothed in an impeccable white garment, Lakshmi at noon with crimson red cloth and Durga in the evening wearing a bright blue dress. Durga is a much milder form. The original idol of Bhagavathy, three or four feet high which faces east, is of laterite and is believed to be self-born (swayambhoo). This image called 'Rudraksha Sila' is irregular in shape, red in colour and is untouched by the human sculptor. This image can be seen only in the wee hours of morning at 4 am when the Nada opens for nirmalyam.

      Thrikkuratti Mahadeva Temple is located at Mannar,an an upcoming business town mid way between Mavelikara and Tiruvalla, in Alappuzha District of Kerala state, India, on State highway no. 6. It is situated on the banks of the Pamba River. It is one of the famous 108 Sivalayas built by Lord Parasurama. It is believed that the mammoth temple compound wall was built by a troup of Bhoothas of Lord Paramasiva in one night.

      The unique festivities of Thrikkuratti temple (Sahasra kalasam, Maikatti puja and Sivarathri Nritham) attracts lot of pilgrims. The antique wooden carving of temple sricovil came to lime light recently through visual media, attracting lot of art lovers including foreigners. At a special Nada (gate) on east side of the temple compound wall, other religious members, in particular, Muslims, present offerings on daily basis. This practice is believed to be centuries old and this is considered to be a true embodiment of religious harmony.

      The Thrikkuratti Mahasivarathri Festival (only next to Aluva sivarathri in terms of mass congregation) and Its well known procession with decorated floats, Kavadi aattam, Amman Kudom, Thaiyyam, and cultural stills etc, attracts thousands of devotees and tourists. The west nada (Parvathi) open once in a year for ten minutes during sivarathri nritham on Sivarathri day. The Major daily offering of the temple is "Satha Kalasam". The Thrikkuratti Mahavishnu temple sricovil is built in North indian architecture.

      Believed to be the first mosque in India, Cheraman Juma Masjid where the Juma prayers were started is situated in Methala Village of Kodungalloor taluk in the state of Kerala. Built around 629 AD, the mosque is unique in its appearance as it is based on a mixture of Arab and traditional Kerala art and architecture.

      The Oral tradition is that the Arab world had trade contacts with Kerala coast from very early times. Interaction with the Arabs brought Cheraman Perumal(the last Chera king to rule Cheranad (ancient Kerala)) closer to Islam. Later the king partitioned his kingdom among several chieftains for smooth governance, went to Mecca and converted to Islam and accepted the name Thajuddin. He married the sister of King of Jeddah and settled down there. As the tradition goes, Cheramanperumal, when he was Other Mosques in India Dargah Sharief Haji Ali Mosque Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti Jama Masjid (The Friday Mosque) More... convinced of his imminent death, wrote letters to his relatives in Kerala seeking their help to propagate the tenets of Islam in Kerala. After his death, when Malik Bin Dinar (a disciple of Prophet Mohammed and a contemporary of Cheraman Perumal) came to Kerala, he brought the letters written by Perumal. The rulers of Kerala honoured the letter and permitted Malik Bin Dinar and his fellow Arab Muslim traders to establish mosques at different places in Kerala. This mosque at Kodungallur was the first to be established and Malik Bin Dinar himself became the first Ghazi of the mosque. Later Malik Bin Dinar appointed his son Habib Bin Malik as the next Ghazi, travelled all around Kerala establishing mosques in different parts of the state.