Vishnu (worshipped as Bharata, Sangameswara) temple · Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, Kerala, India
Sree Koodalmanikyam Temple at Irinjalakuda, in Thrissur district of Kerala, is a temple where the deity is popularly worshipped as Bharata, the brother of Rama. The image itself is a four-armed Vishnu, and the Lord here is also known as Sangameswara.
The temple is one of the four shrines visited in the Nalambalam pilgrimage during the Malayalam month of Karkidakam, and its earliest recorded reference is a Chera inscription of the 9th century. It is managed by the Koodalmanikyam Devaswom, a body set up under the Government of Kerala.
Faith & Tradition
According to the temple devaswom, the deity is Chathurbahu Vishnu, holding a conch, discus, mace and rosary, but devotees believe him to be Bharata at the moment he learned from Hanuman that Rama was returning to Ayodhya after his exile. A notable feature is that the temple has only one deity: there is no separate shrine even for Ganesha, which is found in most Kerala temples.
Koodalmanikyam is the second temple in the Nalambalam pilgrimage, in which devotees visit the shrines of the four brothers of the Ramayana on a single day during Karkidakam (July–August): Rama at Thriprayar, Bharata at Irinjalakuda, Lakshmana at Moozhikkulam and Shatrughna at Payammal. According to legend reported by The Hindu, the four idols were installed by Vakkayil Kaimal, who is believed to have received them from fishermen.
The name has two traditional explanations given by the temple. 'Koodalmanikyam' is said to be the Malayalam rendering of Sangameswara, 'lord of the confluence'. A folk story also tells of a precious stone (manikyam) from the Raja of Kayamkulam that merged (koodal) with the glowing idol. The sacred tank Kulipini Theertham, on the north side, is regarded as being as holy as the sanctum.
Heritage
The devaswom cites a stone inscription of the Chera king Sthanu Ravi Varman, dated 854 CE, recording large land grants to the temple; this is the earliest known historical reference. A later Chera ruler, Bhaskara Ravi Varman, is also recorded as granting lands to the temple.
The temple lay in the territory of the Maharaja of Cochin, though, according to the devaswom, its administration was in the hands of an official called the Thachudaya Kaimal, appointed by the Maharaja of Travancore. In 1971 the Government of Kerala took over the administration by special order. Today the temple is run by the Koodalmanikyam Devaswom, a government-controlled board.
The temple has long been a centre for the classical temple arts of Kerala, including Koothu, Koodiyattam, Kathakali and Thullal. Unnayi Warrier, author of the Kathakali play Nalacharitam, was from Irinjalakuda and is described by the temple as a devotee of Sangameswara.
According to the devaswom, the temple stands inside a walled compound of about ten acres with gateways on the east, south and west. The eastern gopuram is in the Kerala style, with a tiled roof and whitewashed walls. The round sanctum is covered with copper plates and topped by a tall finial (thazhikakudam).
In the southern courtyard stands the koothambalam, a theatre hall for Koothu and Koodiyattam. The temple also has murals on the walls on either side of the eastern entrance to the cloister (chuttambalam), and carvings in wood and stone.
Plan Your Visit
The devaswom website publishes the temple's morning and evening visiting hours and offers online booking for poojas and Nalambala Darshanam (checked October 2026). Crowds are much heavier during Karkidakam and the annual festival. Confirm current timings, dress rules and entry arrangements with the Koodalmanikyam Devaswom before travelling.
Timings and arrangements change with seasons and festivals. Confirm current details with Koodalmanikyam Devaswom (Government of Kerala) (official website) before travelling. Last reviewed 5 October 2026.
Sacred Calendar
An 11-day festival that begins the day after Thrissur Pooram and ends on the next Thiruvonam day, with Brahmakalasam rites offered on each of the eleven days and the Arattu (holy bath of the deity) at the end.
Thousands of devotees visit Koodalmanikyam as the second of the four Ramayana-brother temples covered in a single day.
On Thiruvonam day newly harvested rice is offered to the deity and shared as a feast; the next day devotees receive Mukkudi, an Ayurvedic preparation regarded as a remedy for ailments.
Location
The devaswom gives Irinjalakuda as about 23 km south of Thrissur and 16 km north of Kodungallur. Cochin International Airport is the nearest airport, about 45 km away. Irinjalakuda railway station is about 9 km from the town, according to the devaswom.
The temple is about 150 metres from the Irinjalakuda municipal bus stand. Buses between Thrissur and Kodungallur pass through Irinjalakuda, and travellers from Kochi can take a bus to Chalakudy and change there.
Location: Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, Kerala, India
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport (about 45 km, per the devaswom)
Nearest railway station: Irinjalakuda (about 9 km from the town, per the devaswom)
More in Hindu temples in Kerala · Vishnu (worshipped as Bharata, Sangameswara) temples · Temples in Thrissur District
Questions
The image is a four-armed Vishnu, but devotees worship him as Bharata, the brother of Rama. He is also called Sangameswara.
It is a pilgrimage during Karkidakam (July–August) to four temples of the Ramayana brothers on one day: Thriprayar (Rama), Irinjalakuda (Bharata), Moozhikkulam (Lakshmana) and Payammal (Shatrughna). Koodalmanikyam is the second temple in the sequence.
The temple has only one installed deity, which the devaswom describes as a distinctive feature; even Ganesha, found in most temples, has no shrine here.
The earliest known record is a Chera inscription of Sthanu Ravi Varman dated 854 CE, cited by the devaswom, which grants land to the temple. The temple is therefore older than that date.
The annual festival lasts 11 days in April–May, starting the day after Thrissur Pooram and ending on the following Thiruvonam day.
The Government of Kerala took over the temple's administration in 1971. It is now run by the Koodalmanikyam Devaswom.
The temple is about 150 m from Irinjalakuda municipal bus stand, about 23 km south of Thrissur. The nearest airport is Cochin International (about 45 km), according to the devaswom.
Further reading: Koodalmanikyam Temple on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Pilgrim Circuit
