Location: The holy Ettumanoor Shiva Temple is housed is Ettumanoor, falling under the district of Kottayam in the state of Kerala.
Description: Ettumanoor Shiva Temple is better known by the name of Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple. It is one of the most important as well as most visited shrines of Kerala and South India. As the name clearly mentions Lord Shiva is the main deity worshipped in this temple. Besides Lord Shiva, a few other Hindu Gods and Goddesses are also worshipped in the temple. Some of them are Lord Sastha, Lord Ganapathy and Yakhshi, along with Goddess Bhagavati. The Mukhamandapam lying opposite to the temple carries two idols of Nandi. One of the idols shows Nandi bounded by little bells and banyan tree leaves shown with the help of metal leaves. Another one is carved out of stone. The back portion of the temple is considered to be the shrine of Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva. However, there are no idols of Goddess Parvati here.
Activities: One of the major festivals celebrated here at the Ettumanoor Shiva Temple is the Aarattu Festival. During the celebration a march of Ezhara Ponnana or seven and a half elephants made from gold is carried out during the Thiruvathira day in the month of February.
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