Aruvippuram Shiva Temple is located at
Aruvippuram in
Thiruvananthapuram District. The temple is dedicated to
Lord Shiva.
The temple is of great historical and social importance as the shivling was installed by the great social reformer Shri Narayana Guru in AD 1888, on the Shivratri day. This was done against the rule when tradition strictly allowed only Brahmins to install deities. Legend has it that Shri Narayana Guru got the idol from a nearby waterfall.
The main festival of the temple is Shivratri. Various cultural programs are conducted during this time. A caparisoned elephant carries the image of the deity in a grand procession in the evening and the festival concludes with the Aarattu. Shri Narayana Guru Jayanthi is also celebrated in a grand manner. There is a cave on top of a nearby hill and it is believed that Guru meditated here.
