Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva Temple

Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva Temple is a Shiva temple in Thiruvananthapuram, more than 700 years old, run by the Travancore Devaswom Board; the nearby Pazhaya Sreekanteswaram Temple is considered the god's original home. Legend says an old woman who swept that temple, resting at this spot, discovered a self-manifested linga and had a vision of Shiva here.

Shiva is worshipped as Gowri Shankara: Parvati has no idol, yet she is said to dwell always in the sanctum. Sastha has a shrine within the chuttambalam, while Ganesha, the serpent gods and Krishna are outside, and Hanuman and Murugan, carved on pillars near the flagmast, also receive worship. Beside Ganesha stands an image of the goddess Parashakti, once worshipped in a nearby kalari. All the deities face east. Many devotees attend the Nirmalya darshan. The ten-day festival in Dhanu (December–January) ends with the Aarattu on Thiruvathira, Shiva's birthday, and on Shivarathri the linga is anointed with ghee all day.