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The holy town of Adoor has its own story to speak. It is here that the Lord Ayappa was found by the then Pandalam King. It is said that this town is blessed as it is the home of the God. Even till date the palace where the God grew up stands here and the royal family overlooks his valuables. This is the only princely town which has a King till date.
With the passage of time this town has grown and today is the nerve centre of festivity in Kerala. With the many temples here there is some festivity or the other always happening here. Tourists coming here are sure about two things which are firstly they would be entertained by the festivity and secondly travelling here means like taking a spiritual sojourn.
Some of the tourist places to visit in Adoor include the Pandalam Palace, the Pandalam Mahadeva Temple, the Trichende Mangalam Mahadeva Temple, Parthasarathy temple and many more.
Pandalam Palace
One of the major tourist places in Adoor is the Pandalam Palace, which lies on the banks of the Achankovil river. The royal family is believed to be descendants of the Pandya Kings of Madurai. What garners attraction to the palace is the legend that Lord Ayyappa was born in this family. The people of Kerala consider this palace as a temple and the family as blessed by divinity. The sacred ornaments of the Lord are kept within the palace, and is only brought out for public view during the Makaravilakku festival. Even today the eldest member of the family is called King by the people of Kerala. Tourists can come here and visit the humble home of the God and be amazed that greatness does not lie in grandeur but in simplicity.
Photo Courtesy: Anoopan
Pandalam Mahadeva Temple
A must visit place in Adoor is the Pandalam Mahadeva Temple, which is one of the oldest temples in Kerala. This temple stands on the banks of the Achankovil river and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The shrine also has idols of Lord Ganesha, Maya-Ekshi Amma, Lord Ayyappa, Nagaraja, Lord Subramanian, Brahma Rakshas and Rakshas. In olden days the temple belonged to the royal family, today however, everyone can come and pray here. A ten day festival which is flagged of by the king and various other events are held on the temple grounds. Visitors come from far and wide to enjoy the picturesque view of the place and also to find spiritual peace.
Photo Courtesy: Anoopan
Parthasarathy Temple
The Parthasarathy Temple is another old temple in Kerala and is dedicated to Lord Parthasarathy who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The idols of Lord Ganesh and Lord Shiva are also worshipped here. Visitors throng the temple during the annual festival called Gajamela, wherein nine adorned elephants are brought before the lord, and thereafter a grand procession is held. During this festival visitors get to treat their eyes to the traditional art performances.
Photo Courtesy: Pradeep717
Sree Narayanapuram Maha Vishnu Temple
Another tourist place to visit in Adoor is the Sree Narayanapuram Maha Vishnu Temple that is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This temple stands in a small and secluded village of Manankala. This is one of the few temples in Kerala that celebrates the Dasavatarachartu festival. This festival spanning across ten days, sees a huge crowd of devotees and visitors gather here. The speciality of the festival is that on each single day, one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu is worshipped. Visitors come here to lose themselves in the spiritual din and to enjoy the celebrations of the town.
Photo Courtesy: Sandeep Sukumar
Trichende Mangalam Mahadeva Temple
Well if you still have an appetite for celebrations, the next place to visit in Adoor is the Trichende Mangalam Mahadeva Temple, dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. Kettukazhcha is the name of the festival and thousands of pilgrims come to participate in it. Visitors will be awed by the huge crowd that collects here to be a part of it. What actually amazes tourists is the sight of a large wooden structure of a chariot and a bull which is pulled by devotees with great zeal.
Photo Courtesy: Sandeep pranavam
St. George Orthodox Church
Another tourist place in Adoor is the St. George Orthodox Church that is regarded as one of the biggest churches in South India. The architecture of this church is inspired by Christian, Hindu and Muslim designs. The stand out feature of this church is a stone cross which has the images of saints and angels carved onto it. Tourists coming here are left amazed by the architectural brilliance of the church.
Photo Courtesy: Native Planet
St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral
The St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral is one of the oldest church in Kerala. It is believed to have been constructed in the year 717 A.D. The small church attracts many tourists as they are curious to know about the history and culture of the region. Visitors can also enjoy the picturesque view of the surroundings here.
Photo Courtesy: Native Planet
How to Reach Adoor
By Air: The airport nearest to Adoor is the Kochi International Airport, which is located at a distance of 140 km. Kochi Airport has good connectivity to and from all major cities in India such as Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad.
By Train: The nearest railway station to Adoor is the Chengannur Railway Station, located about 25 km away. Ernakulam is a major railhead, around 125 km away, and there are regular trains running to all parts of the country.
By Road: Adoor enjoys good connectivity by road. Buses are available to the town from major cities like Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. Kayamkulam, Punaloor, Pathanamthitta, Kottarakkara, Guruvayoor, Chavara, Kollam, and Karunagapally are also connected to Adoor by road. There are luxury bus services available from Bangalore to Adoor.
Photo Courtesy: Dhruvaraj S
