Ernakulathappan Temple: History, Pooja Timings and the Makaram Festival

The Ernakulathappan Temple, formally the Ernakulam Shiva Temple, stands on Durbar Hall Ground in the middle of Ernakulam and is run by the Cochin Devaswom Board. Its deity, Shiva as Ernakulathappan, "the Lord of Ernakulam", is regarded as the city's protector. The temple opens before dawn, around 3.30am, closes after the Uchcha Pooja in the late morning, reopens around 4pm, and holds its last rite of the day at 8pm. Its main festival falls in the Malayalam month of Makaram, in January or February.

• What is the history of the Ernakulathappan temple?
• What are the pooja timings at Ernakulathappan temple?
• What is the dress code for the Ernakulathappan Temple?
• When is the Ernakulathappan festival?

What is the history of the Ernakulathappan temple?

The temple is said to appear in Sangam literature as one of the major temples under the Chera dynasty, which, if you take it at its word, makes it older than most of the city around it. Its standing rose after the Dutch besieged Fort Kochi and the Kochi rulers moved their capital to Ernakulam, building a palace close to the temple. It became one of the seven royal temples of the Kochi Maharajas. The complex you see is mostly 19th century: renovation began in 1843 and the new temple opened to the public in 1846.

The legend is the part every Ernakulam grandmother tells. Arjuna of the Mahabharata is said to have made a Shiva lingam from mud after Shiva, disguised as a hunter, defeated him; Shiva then granted him the Pashupatha arrow. Centuries later, a cursed boy with a serpent's body, remembered as Rishi Nagam, worshipped the buried lingam; Shiva and Parvati appeared, and a dip in the nearby pond lifted his curse.

Inside, Shiva is worshipped in the Gourisankara form, facing west towards the Arabian Sea. Two other temples share the ground:

• a Tamil-style Murugan temple on the north side;
• a Hanuman temple in the Udupi Madhwa style, built in 1850.

What are the pooja timings at Ernakulathappan temple?

The ritual times below are the ones Wikipedia gives, citing an archived temple page; the midday break comes from a temple listing on Tapioca. Timings at Kerala temples shift on festival days, so treat it as a guide.

Ritual	Time
Temple opens, Nirmalyam	3.30am
Abhishekam	4am to 4.45am
Usha Pooja	5.45am
Pantheeradi Pooja	7.30am to 8.15am
Uchcha Pooja	9.30am to 11am
Evening opening	4pm
Deeparadhana	At sunset
Athazha Pooja	7.30pm
Thripuka, the last rite of the day	8pm

Mondays, Pradosham, Thiruvathira and Maha Shivaratri are the busy days. If you just want a calm darshan, the evening Deeparadhana on an ordinary weekday is the time to go.

What is the dress code for the Ernakulathappan Temple?

We could not find a written rule from the temple itself, and we would rather say that than invent one. Some well-known Kerala temples, such as Guruvayur, require men to wear a mundu, so traditional dress is the safe choice here too. Leave footwear outside, and if in doubt, ask at the entrance.

When is the Ernakulathappan festival?

The main festival, in Makaram, is one of the biggest temple festivals in the city. It opens with the flag hoisting, builds to a procession of caparisoned elephants with panchavadyam on the seventh day, and ends with the arattu, the ceremonial bath in the temple tank, and fireworks on Durbar Hall Ground. The dates follow the Malayalam calendar, so check the Cochin Devaswom Board's notice each year. Expect the roads around Durbar Hall to clog on the big nights; the metro to Maharaja's College or Ernakulam South and a short walk is far less painful than driving.

The Durbar Hall Art Gallery is on the same ground if you want to make an afternoon of it. For more of the old temple circuit around Kochi, see our guides to Chottanikkara and Vrischikolsavam at Thripunithura, or browse Things To Do.