Kallil Temple

Kallil Temple, whose name means in stone, is a cave temple near Methala, about 10 km from Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district and a short way from Odakkali on the Aluva–Munnar road. It sits on a 28-acre plot, is reached by climbing 69 steps and is protected by the Kerala archaeology department. The Kallil Pisharody family owns it.

It began as a Jain shrine, and rock-carved images of Parshvanatha, Mahavira and the goddess Padmavati remain; Padmavati is worshipped locally as Bhagavathi, and the shrine is believed to have become a Bhagavathi temple in the ninth century. Because the goddess is enshrined in a rock cave, devotees cannot walk behind the sanctum and complete their circuit by bowing to the stone. A huge rock above the shrine does not touch the ground. Devotees make vows with stones and brooms, and an eight-day festival begins on Karthika in Vrischikam.