Kallil cave temple stands as a magnificent testimony to the mode of worship that was prevalent in ancient Kerala. This, literally a stone temple – or kallambalam in colloquial – is situated on a hillock, far from the madding urban mayhem in a serene village called Methala.
Myth: There are many legends about how this state of the stone came into being. Once, people gathering forest resouces in the then dense forest came to see a divinely beautiful lady toying with huge stones. They were curious to know who this was, but in fraction of second this lady hid herself in the cave forming a cover with the stones she was playing with. The lady was none other than Kallil Bhagavathi. The stone that went up became the roof and the one fallen down became the seat of the Goddess.
Mystery: 75 feet long, 45 feet wide, and 25 feet high is the size of the boulder on the roof. It was said that the boulder was inexplicably hung in midair. Although a temple built on the cave construction eliminates the impression, the roof does not touch other boulders in many locations.
Shri Kallil Bhagavathi Temple
Kallil Pishaarathu Devaswam
Methala P.O., Ernakulam(Dist.), Kerala
Pin: 683545
+91 994 779 8302