Rajarajeswara of Taliparamba: the temple with no festival

At Taliparamba in Kannur, the Rajarajeswara temple is counted among the oldest and most revered Shiva temples in Kerala — one of the 108 ancient Shivalayas ascribed to Parasurama, and one of the Dwadasha Shivalayam, the twelve great Shiva temples that once ran the length of the old Kerala coast.

A linga older than memory

The Shivalinga in the sanctum is worshipped here as Rajarajeswara — “the emperor of emperors” — and is held to be one of the jyotirlingas, its stone believed to be thousands of years old. The temple’s scale and antiquity have made it a centre of Shaiva worship for North Malabar for as long as records reach back.

The sage’s search

Legend explains how the linga came to rest here. Shiva is said to have given sacred lingas to be worshipped, and the sage Maandhata, after long penance, was granted one — on the condition that it be installed only where no cremation ground had ever existed. Searching far and wide for such an untouched, pure place, the sage is said to have found it at Taliparamba, and set the linga there.

Two customs found almost nowhere else

Rajarajeswara keeps traditions that set it apart. Women may enter the shrine only after the night worship, the Athazha Pooja (around 7.15 pm), when Shiva is believed to be in his most serene and gracious mood, seated with Parvati; men may enter at any time. And unlike almost every major Kerala temple, Rajarajeswara holds no annual festival and has no kodimaram, the tall flagstaff that usually stands before the shrine.

Visiting Taliparamba

The temple is at Taliparamba, about 23 km north of Kannur town on the road towards Payyanur. Details are on the Rajarajeswara place page; explore the district from the Kannur hub.