Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple

The Pazhavangadi Ganapathy temple is situated at East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram City. The temple is dedicated to Sri Mahaganapathy i.e. Lord Ganesha. It is one of the most famous Lord Ganesha temples in Kerala. The temple houses a small idol of Lord Ganesha. It is seen in a seated posture with the right leg in a folded stance. The temple is situated within walking distance from Padmanabhaswami Temple of Lord Vishnu. Apart from the main deity the temple also houses many other deities like Dharmasasta, Goddess Durga and Nagaraja. Devotees visiting the temple can see attractive paintings of 32 different forms of Lord Ganesha.

History of Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple
According to the history of Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple the idol of Lord Ganesha was maintained and worshipped by The Nair Brigade stationed at Padmanabhapuram. Later in 1795 A.D, when the capital of Travancore was changed to Thiruvananthapuram the idol was installed by them and the present temple was built at Pazhavangati. Afterwards the Travancore army was united with the Indian Forces and now the temple is being maintained by the Indian Army.

Festivals of Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple
The Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple celebrates many festivals on a grand scale every year. During the festivals the temple is beautifully decorated with flowers and light. Some of the major festivals that are celebrated here are Vinayaka Chathurthi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Virad Chathurthi and Sankashti Chathurthi. Some special poojas are also performed on the occasion of Thiruonam, Vijayadashami, Vishu, Maha Shivaratri etc. The main offering to Lord Ganesha here is the breaking of coconuts. The other offerings associated with the deity are Ganapathy Homam, Appam, Modakam etc.

There are certain dress codes that are associated with the temple. In order to enter the main temple the men need to wear a Mundu and no upper body clothing. Women are required to wear traditional attire like Indian Sarees.

Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple is well connected with all the modes of transport. It is located 1.5 km from the Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station and the central bus station. The nearest city bus stand is at East Fort. Trivandrum International Airport is about 8 kilometres away form the temple.