During their life in the jungles, Pandavas the five brothers during their journey in south found this place, an embodiment of nature’s beauty with divine peace spread everywhere. They decided to stay there for a while. They built temples and installed idols for their pujas and worship. Arjuna installed the idol of Lord Vishnu. This is considered as the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Other idols of Lord Vishnu installed by Darma, Beema, Nakula and Sahadeva are in separate shrines in the prakara-corridor. There also shrines for Lord Sastha, Nagar and Mother Bhagavati. Lord Ganapathy and Lord Dakshinamurthy grace the devotees at the entrance of the temple.
It is said that Pandavas spent a longer period of their forest life in this place. After a long time, a Pandya king built the compound wall.
About 2000 years back, a sage of this place went to Kasi and stayed there for a long time. He came to know that his mother was terminally ill and started to see his mother. Lord Kasi Viswanatha also accompanied him hiding himself in the umbrella of the sage.
Reaching this place, the sage left the umbrella and went for a bath. Returning, he saw the umbrella disappearing and the stone blasted and a Shivalinga in the place. It is believed that Lord Kasi Viswanatha with all His grace came to this place to stay here installed by Pandavas through the sage.
The first worship goes to Lord Shiva before approaching Lord Vishnu in the temple. People of Kerala respect this place as a place with five Murthys. |