Janardanaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Janardanaswamy Temple is open every day, usually from early morning to late evening with a break in the afternoon. Darshan and aarti timings change with the season and on festival days.

• MorningOpens early morning (around 5 to 6 AM)
• AfternoonShort break around midday at many temples
• EveningEvening aarti around sunset, closes by about 8 to 9 PM

Check the exact timings on the official website before your visit.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

Varkala, a seaside suburban town of Thiruvananthapuram, is also known as Janardanapuram or Udayamarthandapuram or Balit, and is a sacred pilgrim center. The Varkala Janardanaswamy Temple is among the 108 Abhimana Kshethrams, a group of Vaishnavite shrines that are considered among the foremost existing Vishnu Temples, and are repeatedly mentioned in extant ancient texts like the Puranas and Itihasas. The Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharata mention that Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna, visited this shrine during his pilgrimage to the Kanyakumari Temple and other temples in the south.

It is believed that praying at the temple and taking a bath at the nearby Papanasam beach will wash away one's sins. Varkala is also considered as the best place to do pitrkarma, which is why it is sometimes also called "Dakshina Kashi" (literally the "Kashi of the South"). It is also called "Gaya of the South". Varkala draws hundreds of pilgrims and visitors all year round.

The presiding deity of this temple, Janardanaswamy, is found standing and facing east. His right hand performs "Aachamanam" and is raised towards his mouth; as per legend, the world will come to an end when his hand reaches his mouth. It is believed this will happen at the end of the Kali Yuga.

Legend & Significance

According to the temple legend, attracted by the music from Narada’s veena, Vishnu followed him and reached Satyaloka. Brahma saw Vishnu and prostrated before him. Vishnu soon realized that he had reached Satyaloka, but did not realize that Brahma was prostrating before him, and returned to Vaikuntha. It seemed then as if Brahma was falling at the feet of Narada and all the devas who were looking on laughed. This angered Brahma, and he cursed the devas to be born as humans on Earth. The devas repented their folly and begged to be forgiven. Brahma replied that the curse would be withdrawn when they had performed a penance to please Vishnu. The devas asked where they should do the penance, and Brahma replied that the place would be where Narada’s cloth had fallen: Varkala. The devas performed the penance accordingly to relieve the curse.

There exist other similar legends about the origin of the temple. Another states that long ago, Brahma came to earth to perform a yajna (fire sacrifice) in the location of Varkala. He was so immersed in doing yajna that he forgot his role of creation. Vishnu came to Varkala in the form of a very old man to remind Brahma about it. The Brahmins assisting Brahma received the old man and gave him food. But, whatever he ate, his hunger was not satiated. Brahma’s assistants told him about this. Brahma realized that his guest was Vishnu himself. He immediately went to Vishnu and found him trying to eat abhojana (unappetising food). Brahma prevented Vishnu from eating it, informing him that the act would cause the pralaya (deluge). Vishnu asked Brahma to stop the yajna and recommence his role of creation. He also showed him his vishvarupa (universal form).

Architecture of Janardanaswamy Temple

The temple sits on a tableland adjoining the sea and is reached by a long flight of stairs. The entrance to the inner shrine is flanked by the idols of Hanuman and Garuda on either side. In the main shrine is the idol of Janardana with Sridevi and Bhudevi. The main idol has a striking appearance with four arms having all the attributes of Vishnu. There are small temples of Shiva, Ganesha, Shastha, and Naga devata in this temple. In the south-western corner and on the north-eastern side of the outer enclosure are the shrines of Sasta and Shiva with Nandi.

The temple is a fine example of Kerala art and architecture. Aspects of the temple—including the circular "sanctum sanctorum" surmounted by a conical dome of copper sheets, the square mandapa with wooden carvings of Navagrahas on the ceiling and copper-plated roof, the quadrangular enclosures (prakaram) around them, and a hall containing a Bali Pitha in front of the inner temple—are characteristic features of Kerala architecture and the highly embellished temples of South India.

Festivals & Rituals at Janardanaswamy Temple

Offering obeisances to the departed souls and forefathers is an important ritual at the temple. Four poojas are conducted each day. The temple's chief priest is a Tulu Brahmin, who should not be a native of the place where the temple exists.

People believe that ancestors worshipped in this temple will be pleased. Possibly because of this, the Janardana is also called 'Pitru Mokshakan'.

Every year, in the Malayalam month of Meenam (March–April), a ten-day Arattu festival is celebrated at the Janardanaswamy Temple in Kerala's beach town of Varkala. The festival starts with a Kodiyettam flag hoisting ceremony, and ends with a procession of five decorated elephants through the streets. During the fourth and fifth days of the festival, the celebrations include all-night performances such as traditional Kathakali dancing. The arattu (holy bath) of the deity is conducted on Uttaram day in the Arabian Sea behind the temple.