Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple

The Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple stands near Changanassery in Kottayam district and is administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board. It is counted among the 108 Shiva temples said to have been founded by Parasurama, and tradition credits its construction to the first Chera king of Kodungallur. Legend tells of Brahmin families who brought a Shiva lingam here from Neelamperoor when that temple was to become a Buddhist monastery, and of Parasurama advising a shrine on the Ardhanarishvara idea.

The temple is one of the few in Kerala with two nalambalams and two flagstaffs. The round granite sanctum holds the Shiva lingam on its eastern side and Parvati on the western side, with Dakshinamurthy and Ganapati also inside. Wood carvings from the 17th century show figures from the epics, and a Vattezhuttu inscription records repairs finished in 1665.