Kozha Sree Narasimhaswami Temple

Kozha Sree Narasimhaswami Temple is at Kozha in Kuravilangad village, Kottayam district, about 23 km north-east of Kottayam and 27 km east of Vaikom. It is dedicated to Narasimha, the man-lion form of Vishnu, and its image is believed to be the only swayambhu, or self-manifested, Narasimha in Kerala.

Until around 1752 Kozha was largely uninhabited woodland within the Vadakkumkoor principality. Tradition says a forest hunter found the image in the jungle, and local people consecrated it, the shrine growing over time; some hold that the hunter was Shiva himself, and a nearby temple to Vettakkarumakan is seen as support for that story. Narasimha is worshipped here in his calm, benevolent form, as he became after Prahlada's prayers cooled his rage at the slaying of Hiranyakashipu. Devotees invoke him for protection from danger, and legend counts it among the most ancient Narasimha temples in Kerala.