Thirumittakode Anchumoorthi Temple

The Thirumittakode Anchumoorthi Temple stands on the banks of the Bharathappuzha at Thirumittakode, some 5 km south of Pattambi, Palakkad district. It is sacred to both Vishnu and Shiva: Shaivas count it among Kerala's 108 Shiva temples, said to have been installed by Parasurama, while for Vaishnavas it is one of the 108 Divya Desams, where Vishnu is worshipped as Uyyavandha Perumal and Lakshmi as Vithuvakootuvalli. It holds a rare Kerala inscription of the Chola emperor Rajendra I, and Hindus perform last rites on the riverbank here, much as at Varanasi.

Built in Kerala style, the temple has five shrines, to Shiva, to Vishnu as Abhayapradhan, to Vithuvakootuvalli, to Vinayaka and to Ayyappan. There is no gateway tower, only an arch from the road. A low wall encloses the shrines, and inside are a flagstaff, an outer pavilion and the nalambalam around the central sanctum. Thiruvonam and Vaikunta Ekadasi are the main festivals.