Koodalmanikyam Temple

Koodalmanikyam Temple in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur district, is the one ancient temple in India devoted to Bharata, Rama's brother, though the image is of Vishnu; the deity is also called Sangameshwara, Lord of the Confluence. It is one of the Nalambalam, four Kerala temples to Rama and his three brothers. Its earliest record is an inscription of the Chera king Sthanu Ravi, dated 854–55, leasing large areas of land to the temple.

Ritual here breaks with Kerala custom: three pujas a day rather than five, no daily procession, no deepa-aradhana, and no incense sticks or camphor. Only lotus, tulasi and thechi flowers are offered, and a prized offering is a garland of at least 101 lotuses. Four ponds lie in and around the walled compound, the largest being Kulipini Theertham within the walls and Kuttan Kulam outside them. The ten-day festival in Medam brings out seventeen elephants, seven wearing gold headdresses, with two young elephants walking either side of the one carrying the deity.