Photo 1 / 1Temple front behind a banyan tree. Photo: Challiyan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Payammal Shatrughna Temple
About the Temple
Payammal Shatrughna Temple is a small village shrine near Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district and the last stop of the Nalambalam pilgrimage. It is the smallest of the four temples and, unlike the others, has a rectangular sanctum. Devotees offer a Sudarshana chakra and Sudarshana Pushpanjali here before ending the day's round.
Why visit
- Complete the Nalambalam round at the temple of Shatrughna.
- Make the Sudarshana offering that is particular to this shrine.
Temple Timings
Opening hours are not confirmed yet.
Not confirmed: check with the temple before you go
Darshan hours are not confirmed. No temple or board page with hours was found, and directory listings disagree. Call ahead or ask locally. Expect longer hours and large crowds in the Karkidakam pilgrimage season; confirm the day's timings locally.
Before You Go
- Time to allow
30 minutes to 1 hour inside the temple. This is a planning allowance, not a queue time; festival days take longer.
- Dress
Not confirmed. No dress rule from the temple was found. Many Kerala temples ask men to enter in a mundu without a shirt, so carry one and ask at the entrance.
Not confirmed: check with the temple before you go
- Phones
Not confirmed. No phone rule for this temple was found; ask at the entrance.
Not confirmed: check with the temple before you go
- Access
Not confirmed. Step counts and wheelchair access were not found; ask at the temple.
Not confirmed: check with the temple before you go
Highlights
- Rectangular sanctum
Payammal is the smallest of the four Nalambalam temples, and its sanctum is rectangular where the other three are circular.
- Sudarshana offering
The main offerings are the placing of a Sudarshana chakra and Sudarshana Pushpanjali.
- The lost idol in the pond
Local tradition holds that a metal idol was hidden in the temple pond in Tipu's time and never recovered, so a stone image was installed later.
Sources: keralakaumudi.com, koodalmanikyam.com · checked 22 Oct 2026
How to reach Payammal Shatrughna Temple
- By air: Cochin International Airport (COK) · about 28 km
- By train: Irinjalakuda (IJK) · about 11 km
- By road: Reach Vellangallur, go about 4 km west to Aripalam and turn right to the temple.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, koodalmanikyam.com · checked 22 Oct 2026
Nearby Places
- Koodalmanikyam Temple, IrinjalakudaThe Bharata temple, second stop of the Nalambalam yatra.7 km by road
- Kodungallur Bhagavathy TempleA major Bhagavathy temple to the south.9.5 km away
- Triprayar Sree Rama TempleThe Rama temple, first stop of the Nalambalam yatra.14 km away
Sources: keralakaumudi.com, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org · checked 22 Oct 2026
Questions Visitors Ask
Is there a dress code at Payammal Shatrughna Temple?
Not confirmed. No dress rule from the temple was found. Many Kerala temples ask men to enter in a mundu without a shirt, so carry one and ask at the entrance.
Can I take my phone inside Payammal Shatrughna Temple?
Not confirmed. No phone rule for this temple was found; ask at the entrance.
How do I reach Payammal temple?
Koodalmanikyam Devaswom's directions say to reach Vellangallur, go about 4 km west to Aripalam, then turn right to the temple.
What is the special offering at Payammal?
Devotees offer a Sudarshana chakra and Sudarshana Pushpanjali. Treat any benefit as a belief held by devotees, not a promise.
Why is Payammal visited last on the Nalambalam yatra?
Custom sets the order as Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna, so the Shatrughna temple at Payammal ends the round.
What are the Payammal temple timings?
They are not confirmed. Directory listings disagree, so call ahead or ask locally, especially in Karkidakam.