Taliparamba Rajarajeswara Temple - 108 Shiva Temple
Taliparamba Temple, Lord Shiva worshipped in this sacred temple is known as Rajarajeswara, which means the emperor of the emperors. The deity Shiva here in the form of Jyotirlinga is believed to be 3 times more powerful in divinity than that in any other Shiva temples with valid mythological reasons. The temple is regarded as one of the existing 108 ancient Shiva temples of Kerala, making it a prominent Shiva temple in South India.The quadrangular sanctum has a two tiered pyramidal roof, but it does not have flagstaff as opposed to other temples in Kerala. An inscription on the structure of the temple tank indicates that the temple and the tank were renovated in 1524 AD.
Legends goes to a sage named Sanaka and others had churned a disk of the sun to lessen its heat. They mixed the dust which came out of churning with a divine nectar of immortality. They made it into three parts and presented it to Brahma, Parvathi and Shiva. Parvathi converted those into three lingams to three kings and gave them to 3 kings. One of the three idols was given to the Mandhata in the Treta Yuga and the other two to Muchkunda and Shathasoman in the Dwapara Yuga. They were advised to install the idols in a sacred place. After a long search, Mandhata found a small place which is this Taliparamba. As time passed by, the jyotirlinga got buried in the earth, making the place spiritually vibrant.
The second and the third kings also eventually wanted this place and did their installations. With the installation of the third lingam, the place has become powerful thrice. The temple has a large number of customs which are followed without the rationale being questioned. One such custom is the entry of women. Women are not allowed to enter the shrine in the day times, while men can visit all the day. It is believed that after the Athazha Pooja, Shiva is in a state where he is very pleased and in a gracious manner along with his consort Parvathi. Hence, this is considered to be the most auspicious time for women to enter the shrine as they can Shiva with Parvathi. Only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple.