Anandavalleeswaram Sri Mahadevar Temple in Kollam city is one of the ancient Hindu temples in Kerala, India. Lord Siva and Goddess Anandavally are the main deities of the temple. According to folklore, sage Parashurama has installed the idol of Lord Shiva. The temple is a part of the 108 famous Shiva temples in Kerala. It is located at Anandavalleeswaram, a major neighborhood of Kollam city, that comes to the west side of Kollam Collectorate.
The presiding deity of the temple is Shiva is facing west in the main Sanctum Sanctorum and his consort Devi Parvathy is also in the same sanctum sanctorum is facing east. Lord Shiva of this temple is called as Ananda Swaroopan and Devi Parvathy is called as Swayamvara Parvathy . It believe that both the deities are said to be in a happy state and hence the temple nameAnandavalleeswaram . Initially the temple had only Shiva as the deity and Devi Parvati was consecrated later in the form of Anandavally. Even though Devi Parvati's garbagriha is the immediate one to the entrance, one is supposed to enter the temple only through the door which lead to the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Shiva.
The annual festival of Anandavalleeswaram Mahadevar Temple is celebrates for ten-days in the month of March–April. This ten days festival will begin with the traditional 'Thrikodiyettu'. There would be other rituals including Pallivetta ritual, Arattu, Aratu Ethirelpu, Ezhunallathu, Kazhcha Sribali, Kettukazhcha ritual and other cultural programmes comprising dance, dramas, music programmes and also pyrotechnic display as part of the annual festival. Sivarathri festival is the other important one celebrated by the temple every year. Thantric rites of the temple is belongs toThazhamon Madom, Chengannoor.
Offerings
Abhishekam, Ganapathy Homam, Mrithyunjaya Homam, Ashtotharchana, Muzhukappu, Pushpamjali and so on.
Controversy
Recently, an antique idol stolen from Anandavalleeswaram temple on 2 August 2015. On 3 August, the temple pond were emptied in the presence of the Kollam City Police as part of the investigations to find the panchaloha idol of Lord Krishna. Later on 11 August 2015, a Police team under the Kollam City Police led by City Police Commissioner P. Prakash IPS has recovered the stolen idol from a house at Pothencode in Thiruvananthapuram. This is an old idol of gosalakrishna in 9th century old under the custodian of kollam raja in his palace named as puthukulangara palace .
