Niranam Thrikkapaleeswaram Temple, on the banks of the Pampa river in Niranam, is one of the 108 Shiva temples consecrated by Parashurama in Kerala. Uniquely among Shiva temples, the presiding deity here is Dakshinamurthy, Shiva in His form as the silent cosmic teacher, the Prime Lord of Knowledge. The temple is closely tied to the origins of Malayalam literature through the Kannasa (Niranam) poets, and is the only Kerala shrine where the lingam stone is said to be of the type found in the Himalayas.