Neyathinkara Navaneetha Krishnan Temple
This temple is situated about 20 km from Thiruvananthapuram in the middle of Neyathinkara town. The god consecrated here is Lord Krishna as a child holding in his hand a ball of butter. Daily the priest keeps a fresh ball of butter in Lord Krishna’s hands.
It is believed that the ghee which was made in the ashrama of Aghasthya (on the top of the mountain) over flowed and became a river of ghee. Neyyar in Malayalam means “river of Ghee”. Neyathin Kara means “On the banks of Neyyar”. The temple of Lord Krishna is situated on the banks of Neyyar. There is a ghat (steps) in to the river from the temple. This temple was constructed by Sri Marthanda Verma, the famous king of Travancore. This king in his youth was hunted by several of his enemies and reached near a jack fruit tree in Neyathinkara. When his enemies were chasing him, a young boy appeared from no where and showed him a cave below the jack fruit tree. (Ammachi Plavu-mother jack tree). The king escaped. Later Lord Krishna appeared in his dream and told that it was he who has saved the king. The king immediately ordered the building of a temple. The king ordered an idol to be made of black stone and was transporting it in a boat, when the boat some how got stuck at a point. The king consulted astrologers who after deva prasna(divine astrological investigation) informed him that God wanted an idol made of Pancha Loha and not black stone. The black stone idol was consecrated in a village called Krishna Puram and a new Panchaloha idol was made. The idol of Krishna faces west. The roof of the sanctum sanctorum is clad with copper sheathing. There is a ten day long festival in the month of Meeanam (March-April)