Janardhana Temple:
The 2000 year old Janardhana Temple is one of the important tourist attractions in Varkala. The original temple was a Vishnu shrine, which was destroyed by tidal waves. Many years later a Pandyan king rebuilt the shrine. Non-Hindus are prohibited from entering the inner sanctum sanctorum.

Parassinikadavu Sri Muthappan Temple:
This centre of worship and faith has in store many unique practices and rituals, and the temple architecture itself stands testimony to this aspect. Located 20 km away from Kannur, a northern district of Kerala, the Parassinikadavu Muthappan (Siva) Temple on the banks of the Valapatnam River.

The temple is also a popular destination for travellers and pilgrims to savour the charm of Theyyam, a ritual that is performed here on a daily basis. Men adorning masks and costumes with a riot of colours perform this temple art form and it represents conflict between good and evil, with good ultimately emerging victorious.

Thodikkulam Temple:
Location: Thodikkulam Siva temple, about 2 km from Kannavam near Thalasserry on the way to Mananthavadi, Kannur district, north Kerala.

Temples and palaces were the ancient galleries for mural paintings in Kerala. One such at Kannur district which has been attracting a large number of art lovers from all over the world is the Siva temple at Kannavam. Here there are nearly 150 mural paintings, on an area of 700 sq ft. in about 40 panels, drawn on the four walls of the sanctum sanctorum.

Based on Saivic and Vaishnavic (myths related to Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu respectively) themes, the murals here portray the village life from the 16th to 18th centuries. These are depicted along with scenes like Rugmini Swayamvaram (Vaishnavic), Ravana vadham etc from the epics.

The Cave Temple:
This rock cut temple represents the vibes of an ancient culture and also the traditional artistic excellence prevalent at that time. The temple known as Kottukal Kal Thrikovil Cave Temple has two square rooms with the main deity of Lord Ganapathy in between. The other deities include Lord Siva in the form of Siva Lingam, Hanuman and Nandikeswara. A Mandapam (roof) in front of one of the rooms stands testimony to the skill of those who build this temple from a single piece of rock. The temple premise also has a well that never dries up.

Rameshwara Temple:
This temple which shows Pandyan influence in its design has inscriptions in Tamil, dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

The Vyala monster sculptures in this temple give one the impression that the creatures are animate and actually climbing up the stairs with their outstretched paws.

Thiruvegappura Sankaranarayana Temple:
This temple in Palakkad district dates back to the 14th century while its koothambalam (temple theatre) was probably added in the 15th or 16th century.

Malayalapuzha:
The goddess at the Bhagavathy Temple here is believed to grant boons to devotees and help them realise dreams. The temple has beautiful wall paintings and artistic stone carvings.