Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple

Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple in Kottayam is a Shiva shrine whose name reflects the belief that the god appeared here in eight forms ('ettu' is eight, 'maanam' form and 'ooru' place). The complex was rebuilt in 1542 AD and is ringed by high walls with a gopuram. Its Dravidian murals include the Pradosha Nritham, a fresco of Shiva's cosmic dance counted among India's finest wall paintings. Tradition says the Pandavas worshipped here and the sage Vyasa meditated on the spot.

The temple's prized possession is the Ezhara Ponnana: seven and a half elephant figures carved from jackfruit wood and covered with 13 kg of gold, a gift of Travancore's founder Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, installed under his successor Karthika Thirunal. They are displayed at midnight on the eighth day of the ten-day festival in Kumbham (February to March).