Achankovil Temple is in the Kollam district and is on the Kerala border. In front of the temple, we can see the Achancovil River.  Achankovil is an important Hindu pilgrim centre and the famous Sastha temple here is situated amidst a thick forest. It is very much important among the Sastha temples in Kerala. The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Ayyappa. It is said that the installation of the idol of Sastha was installed several centuries before the Christian Era by Lord Parasurama himself. Achencovil temple is almost above 950 meters height from sea level. The festivals and rituals held here have strong Tamil roots. The left hand of the idol always holds ‘Chandan’ (sandalwood paste) and Thirtha (holy water). The Chandan and Thirtha are considered to have medicinal value to cure snake bites.

Here Lord Ayyappa is in the form of “Grihasthasrami”. Lord is sitting along with his two wives  ‘Poorna’ and ‘Pushkkala’. The temple is surrounded by a big wall, it is meant to prevent wild animals from entering the temple.

The main festivals of this temple are ‘Mandala Pooja’ held during the month of December – January and ‘Revathi’ festival during January – February. The Therotam (chariot festival) and the Pushpabhishekam are the two special features of this festival.

The Manalar Waterfalls and the Kumbhavurutty Waterfalls are along the way to this temple.

How To Reach Temple

There are mainly two roadways to reach the temple.

Punalur – Kumaramkudy – Mullumala route – this road is in bad condition

Punalur – Aryankavu – Chenkottai – Mekkara route – journey through thick forest as well as to cover around 23 hairpin bends.