Famous Temples in India

Religious Significance

The most significant legend associated with the temple says how Parashurama once came across an ancient shrine which had a significant spiritual power lying in ruins, which left him grief-stricken and he wanted to know how this shrine landed in such a neglected state. To know more about the shrine, he called for Narada who came here and narrated the fall of the temple. According to the story, a sage named Sanaka and others had churned a disk of the sun to lessen its heat. They had mixed the dust which arose while churning with Amrutha, the divine nectar of immortality and divided it into three parts which was presented to Brahma, Parvathi and Shiva. Parvathi handed over the lingams to three kings who were offering her intense prayers to invoke her. One of the three idols was given to the Maandhatha in the Thretha Yuga and the other two to Muchkunda and Shathasoman in the Dwapara Yuga. Each of them was advised to install the idols in a place where no death of any creature had taken place naturally or any dead body cremated. After a long search, Maandatha found a small place which matched the description and could accommodate only a small plate. The Taliparamba temple also was subject to attack by Tipu Sultan. One finds relics of the old gigantic gopuram at the entrance, which was demolished by Tipu's army. The story goes that when the temple was under siege, the head priest was inside the sanctum sanctorum and prayed ceaselessly day and night. It is further said that a black snake bit the commander of the army and a hooded serpent appeared before every soldier thus immobilizing the army and saving the temple from total destruction.