Madhur Madhanantheshwara Temple - 10 Things to Know Before Visiting

The main deity of Madhur Madhanantheshwara Temple is lord Shiva - however, the temple is famous for Mahaganapathi. People believe that the Ganapathi idol here keeps growing. The wooden carvings on the ceilings of the prayer hall characterise historic events from Mahabharatha and Ramayana.

Madhur Madhanantheshwara Temple comes with its legends of how Shiva and Ganapathi became the deities here. According to some of the local folklore, a peasant woman named Madharu found the Shivalinga of the temple. The temple is thus originally dedicated to lord Shiva. The Ganapathi shrine adjacent to the Sanctorum is more popular than the main deity. The folklore has it that an image of Ganapathi was drawn on the temple wall by the priest's young son. The image started to grow ever since from then onwards.

It is said that Tipu Sultan wanted to demolish the temple during his invasion of Malabar. But after drinking water from the temple well, he changed his mind. To satisfy his soldiers as well as Islamic scholars, he made a cut with his sword in the building near the well symbolising an attack. This mark is still visible in the building.

Disciples offer Mahaganapathi with Appa- the temple's well-known offering. This is arranged daily and anyone can get them from the temple counters. There are two unusual offerings as well. One of them is called Sahasrappa or 'thousand Appas' which comprises of making an offering of a thousand Appas. After making the offering, the disciple gets to bring home the Appas as well. The second offering which is highly unusual is called 'Moodappam Seva' which includes covering the entire Mahaganapathi statue with Appam. This is performed very rarely as the statue is very large (around two meters tall).

The best time to visit Madhur Madhanantheshwara Temple is either in the early morning or the late evening when the sanctum is open for prayers. For most of the day, the sanctum containing the deities will be closed off.

It is also a great idea to visit the temple during important festivals like Onam, Maha Shivaratri etc when the temple is decorated with flowers and small lamps. There will also be special prayer ceremonies during this period.

1. Dress appropriately: Remember that you are visiting a religious site, so please dress respectfully.
2. Shoes must be removed before entering the temple, so make sure you're wearing socks or sandals that are easy to slip on and off.
3. Photography is not allowed inside the temple, so be sure to leave your camera at home or in the car.

1. Madhur Madhanantheshwara Temple is one of the six Ganapathi temples of the ancient Tulundadu Region.
2. The temple architecture is of a 3-tiered gajaprishta, resembling the back of an elephant.

On average people spend about an hour exploring Madhur Madhanantheshwara Temple, looking at its architectural interests as well as offering prayers.

Madhur Madhanantheshwara Temple is located at Madhur Town in Kasaragod District of Kerala State in Southern India. The nearest large town is Kasaragod (10 km) from where there are direct buses to Madhur. The nearest major railway station is also at Kasaragod, connected to the rest of the country.

There is no entrance fee for Madhur Madhanantheshwara Temple. There is separate pricing for offerings that you can find out from the counters.

Madhur Madhanantheshwara Temple is open from 5 AM to 1.30 PM and from 5.30 PM to 8 PM. 

As of 2022, there are major renovation works going on at the temple and it is only open from 5.30 AM to 9 PM and from 6 PM to 8 PM.