Aryankavu Sastha Temple

The Aryankavu Sastha Temple in Punalur taluk, Kollam district, is one of five major Sastha temples in Kerala, alongside Kulathupuzha, Achankovil, Sabarimala and Kanthamala. It lies near the Tamil Nadu border on NH 744, about 73 km from Kollam and 21 km from Tenkasi. Tradition holds that Parashurama consecrated the idol, and the Travancore Devaswom Board runs the temple.

Built in a mix of Kerala and Tamil styles, the temple sits 11 m below road level, has 18 steps as at Sabarimala and preserves murals of Hindu deities; its rituals follow Tamil tradition. Sastha appears as a youth seated on an elephant with his consort Pushkala and with Shiva, in an image of panchaloha that replaced an older stone one. Every December, during the Sabarimala season, the Thiru Kalyanam marks his legendary marriage to Pushkala of the Saurashtra community, with Saurashtra rites in a special mandapa.