Thrikkakara Temple

Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple in Thrikkakara, Kochi, is dedicated to Vamana, a form of Vishnu, and is listed among the 108 Divya Desams. It is said to be about two thousand years old and to have been founded by Parashurama, and its records hold the earliest known reference to Onam, dated 861 CE. The image shows Vamana about to set his foot on the asura king Mahabali, who in the legend offered his own head for the god's third stride and was granted immortality for his humility.

Onam, in August or September, is the great event of the year. In the Travancore period it was organised jointly by 61 local rulers under the Maharaja, and today people of many faiths gather in large numbers for the Onam feast. The large complex also has shrines to Bhagavati, Sasthavu, Gopalakrishna and others, a Shiva temple beside the main shrine, rows of thousands of lamps around the inner walls, two ponds, one used for the deity's bath at Onam, and three performance halls.