Avanangattilkalari Vishnumaya Temple

Avanangattilkalari Sree Vishnumaya Temple, also known as Avanangatt Chathan Temple, is at Peringottukara in Thrissur district. It is considered the moolasthanam, or original seat, of Vishnumaya, also called Chathan, and the head of the Vishnumaya temples of Kerala. The east-facing image shows the deity in fierce form, riding a water buffalo and holding a magic wand and a pot of nectar. The name comes from the castor plants, avanakku, that once covered the area, and from a kalari, a school of kalaripayattu.

Tradition says Kellunni Panicker installed the deity beside his kalari, and the temple was rebuilt with help from Sakthan Thampuran. It sits on about ten acres ringed by paddy fields, with serpent groves, a pond and an annadhana hall feeding devotees daily. Oracles called Vellichapad go into trance before the shrine each day. People of all faiths, and women, may enter, and the ten-day Vellattu festival falls in Kumbham.