Janardanaswamy Temple

Janardana Swami Temple is a 2000-year-old temple situated in Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram. It is also known as Varkala Temple. Janardana Swami is a form of Lord Vishnu. It is a very well known temple in Kerala about 10.9 km west of Kallambalam on NH 66 near sea, 25 km north of Thiruvananthapuram city, 13 km south of famous backwater destination Paravur and 2 km from Varkala Sivagiri railway station,14 km north west of biggest town Attingal. It is situated near the Arabian sea shore.It is referred to as Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the south). The temple is located close to the Papanasam beach, which is considered to have medicinal properties since the waters wash the nearby medicinal plants. It is also an important Ayurveda treatment center. The temple has an ancient bell removed from a shipwreck, donated by the captain of the Dutch vessel which sank near Varkala without causing any casualties.Varkala, a sea side town, also known as Janardanapuram, is a sacred pilgrim center situated in Thiruvananthapruam district(Kerala) and is famous for its ancient temple of Vishnu, who is popularly called as Janardana. In Sri Maha Bhavatham, mention is made that Balarama, the elder brother of Sri Krishna, visited this shrine during this pilgrimage to the Kanyakumari temple and a few other temples in the south. It is also known as ‘Gaya of the South'. Varkala has many attractions peculiar to the place and draws hundreds of pilgrims and visitors all the year round.Sage Narada, after paying his respects to Lord Narayana, left Vaikuntam to see Brahma. Enraptured by the sweet music of Narada, Narayana followed him unobserved. When Narada reached Brahmaloka, Brahma saw Narayana following his son Narada and offered salutations to Him, at which Vishnu, realizing the awkward situation, suddenly disappeared. Brahma found that the person whom he had revered was his own son, Narada. The 'Prajapathis' who were laughing at this incident were cursed by Brahma that they would be born on earth and suffer the miseries of human beings. Narada advised them to perform penance at the place he himself would select for them. Narada threw his ‘Valkalam' (bark upper garment) into the air and at the place where it fell down, they consecrated a temple for Janardanaswamy (a name of Vishnu). Hence the name Varkala is a corruption of ‘Valkala', but the name came into prominent usage.