Thiruvairanikulam Mahadev Temple is 15 km south of
Aluva in
Ernakulam District and is dedicated to
Lord Shiva. The deity faces towards east and there is a separate shrine for his consort,
Goddess Parvati.
There is a Nandi facing Lord Shiva in front of the mandapam. An idol of Lord Ganapati is seen facing east in the nearby lawn. Other deities within the temple compound are Lord Ayyappa and Lord Vishnu towards the east and Goddess Satidevi and Goddess Durga to the west.
A unique feature of this temple is that the
shrikovil of Devi Parvati's idol is opened only for 12 days in a year, from the Thiruvathira asterism in the month of
Dhanu. During this occasion, huge crowds flock from across the states to the shrine. There is a temple well and to the south of it, one can see a cave, where Lord Shiva is believed to have appeared.
The festival time occurs on the Thiruvathira asterism of the Malayalam month of Kumbha (February–March). The eight-day festival also includes Arattu. Another eight-day festival is celebrated during Ashtamirohini. Other festivals celebrated are Pradishta Divasom (day of deity installation), Mandala festival,
Vishu, Naga Pradishta and Navaratri.
The temple can be reached from
Kaladi by traveling 5 km on Chowara - Kalady road to reach Sreemoolanagaram. From there take a 1.5 km route through Vallam road, and then a deviation to right to Akavoor-Thiruvairanikulam road for another 1.5 km to reach the temple. Frequent buses ply from Aluva, Perumbavoor, Angamaly, Chalakudi and Ernakulum to the temple. The nearest railhead is at Aluva.
