Category:Trikotesvara Mahadeva temple, Punalur

The Trikotesvara Mahadeva temple of Punalur, also called as Punalur Shiva Kovil, is a 13th-century temple complex on the banks of the Kallada river in Kollam district of Kerala. The primary temple has circular floor plan of kshudra-vimana style, along with a balipitha and nalambalam, it is dedicated to Shiva. The balipitha has a mid-13th century inscription which notably is in Vatteluttu script and Tamil language (rather than Malayalam). This inscription says that a Chakrayudan Marttandan donated the balipitha to a pre-existing Trikoteshwar temple in the year Kollam 421.

The temple is largely built from a fine grain granite popular in Tamil Hindu temples, and the architectural elements too are closer to Tamil Hindu architecture than Kerala. However, the floor plan and artwork is in Kerala style. Inside the vimana, there are two banisters with Hindu artwork. One banister has a beautifully carved 8-armed Shiva, the other a beautifully carved 8-armed Bhagavathy (Parvati). The garbhagriya inside the circular vimana has a square floor plan, while the griva and shikhara have an octagonal plan. Around the garbhagriya is a circumambulation passage with eight pillars that support the wooden frame of the conical roof.

On the northwest side of the circular temple is the main shrine for Vishnu, with its own namaskara mandapam. This illustrates the Dravidian Hindu architecture with a rectangular enclosure, but one with a circular shikhara – something rare in Kerala.