Sri Krishna Temple Ambalapuza

Sri Krishna Temple at Ambalapuzha is about 14 kilometers (9 miles) south of Alleppey, and is among Kerala's famous temples for its typical temple architectural style.

The temple is dedicated to Parthasarthy (Lord Krishna) and has an idol carved out of black granite stone. According to popular legend, when Vilvamangalam Swamy, an ardent devotee of Sri Krishna and a scholar, and the Maharaja of Travancore, Pooradam Thirunal Thampuram, were cruising the Kuttanandan backwaters, they heard a melodious music to the accomplishment of flute from the top of a banyan tree. Peering anxiously, the king couldn't locate the source, while Vilvamangalam was spellbound by a bright halo and the form of Bala Murali Krishna. Ecstatic with joy, the saint sat through the entire music till the bright glow doused down. Later on, as per the swami's wishes, a beautiful temple in classic Kerala style of architecture was constructed on this spot by the king. And a beautiful idol of Bala Gopala Krishna carved out of black granite stone was installed. There is another interesting legend about the special ‘palpayasam' offered to the deity, and later distributed to all the devotees. Here it goes: long ago a local chieftain who had borrowed paddy from a landlord could not return the loan on time. But when the required quantity of paddy was provided with great difficulty, the creditor could not clear the same in time and as such he donated the entire stock of paddy to the temple with a request that milk porridge be made of the rice and distributed to the devotees and the poor living in the area.

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