Nalpathaneeswaram Sree Mahadeva Temple

Nalpathaneeswaram Sree Mahadeva Temple is in Panavally village of Cherthala taluk, Alappuzha district, about 20 km from Cherthala and 11 km from Aroor. Shiva is worshipped here in his Kirata form and is called Nalppathenneswarathappan; tradition counts the shrine as the 48th founded by the sage Khara, also credited with the Ettumanur and Kaduthuruthy temples. A recent devaprashna put its age at more than 1,000 years. Three old Kaimal families, Kozhisseril, Payippattu and Mullakkeril, administer it.

Kathakali is the main offering to the deity, and the temple is well known for it. Sub-deities include Ganapathi, Varahamoorthy, Durga, Ayyappa and the serpent gods, and the Oorali Parambathu Sastha Temple to the north-west is its sister shrine. A seven-day festival is held in Kumbham. Local lore says the area was once called Pandavar Veli, and four large stones a kilometre east are believed to have been used by the Pandavas to heat milk.