Aranmula

Aranmula is one of Kerala's most celebrated sacred sites and a Divya Desam of unique cultural resonance. The presiding deity is Parthasarathy — Krishna in his role as the divine charioteer (sarathy = charioteer) of Arjuna (Partha = son of Pritha/Kunti) in the Mahabharata war, the narrator of the Bhagavad Gita. The Parthasarathy temple stands on the banks of the Pamba river, the sacred river of Kerala associated with the Sabarimala pilgrimage. Nammalvar sang pasurams for this kshetra in his Tiruvoimozhi. Aranmula is also celebrated for two unique cultural traditions: the Aranmula Kannadi (metal mirror) — one of India's Protected Geographical Indications — and the Uthrattathi Vallam Kali (snake boat race) on the Pamba river during Onam, which is both a religious ceremony and a spectacular cultural event. The temple's origin is connected to the Mahabharata.

The Aranmula Parthasarathy temple traces its origin to the Mahabharata. After the Kurukshetra war, the Pandava brothers, guilt-ridden by the killing, undertook a pilgrimage. On the Pamba river they set up an idol of Krishna as charioteer and performed rites of purification. The idol, blessed by its divine prototype, remained at this spot permanently. The six Brahmin families (Aranmula — six thorns/nodes) who accompanied them as priests have maintained the temple rituals in unbroken succession to this day.