Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple

Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Swamy Temple

Ambalapuzha is a village on the side of the National Highway no. 47 and about 15 kilometers from Alappuzha town. It is accessible by train as the coastal railway passes through Ambalapuzha. Ambalapuzha has rich history as it was the headquarters of the old Chembakassery Kingdom which comprised of Purakkad Kuttanad and Mavelikkara.
In the 16th century the glory of the Chembakassery kingdom reached in its glory when Ambalpuzha was ruled by the king Pooradamthirunal.

It is believed that it was Pooradamthirunal who built the famous temple of Ambalapuzha, the Sree Krishnaswmy temple. The temple is a very important one and visited by numerous pilgrims from all over India. The famous satirist poet Sri Kinjan Nambiar was an official performer in this temple and once Nambiar performed his Thullal laughing at a Cakiar who peformed Koothu there hence the art of thullal is banned at this temple.

The offering of the deity in this temple is a sort of porridge by name “palpayasam” which is famous through out the state of Kerala. To get this offering it is to be booked in advance. Ambalapuzha “vela” is a form of performing art which mimics old warfare and it is even now performed during the temple festivals. There are great murals on the walls of the “chuttambalm” (The surrounding buildings that surround the central temple) are also worth seeing.