The must visit places at Kalady are places of worship, which include:
Sri Adi Shankara Keerthi Sthambam
It is a multi-storey high, brilliantly painted pink memorial that provides a splendid view of the surrounding green fields. The entrance leads to the Paduka Mandapam that has two silver knobs. They represent the 'padukas' or wooden sandals of the Teacher. As one goes down the winding steps, paintings narrate the story of Adi Shankaracharya. There are several large statues of Ganapati, Adi Shankara and many Gods and Goddesses in this memorial. This place was built by the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt. People from any religion can visit the shrines of Adi Shankara.
Ramakrishna Advaita Ashram
The Ramakrishna Advaita Ashram has a spacious prayer hall and a beautiful shrine that is similar to the Sri Ramakrishna temple at Belur Math in West Bengal. The white marble statue of Sri Ramakrishna signifies tranquillity. This Ashram runs a school, charitable dispensary and library.
Sringeri Math
Located on the northern bank of the river Periyar or Poorna, it is an open structure that has two shrines; one is dedicated to Goddess Saradamba, the main deity of Sringeri and the other to Sri Shankaracharya. The shrines of Sri Shankara's mother Aryamba and Vinayaka or Ganapati are located here as well. The latter is the place for evening prayers that are conducted by Tamil or Kannada Smartha Brahmins.
Sri Krishna Temple
This temple dedicated to Lord Krishna is mentioned in verse 243 of Prabodha Sudhakaram of Sri Shankaracharya. The worship in this temple is also conducted by Namboothiris. This is the place where Sankara took shelter while his mother fainted, unable to walk to the river for bathing and was blessed by Lord Krishna.
Manickamangalam Karthyayani Temple
It is dedicated to Bhagavathi or the goddess Durga. The father of Sri Shankara Shiva Sharman Namboothiris was the priest in this temple.
3 Ancient Ghats
There are three sacred river banks, also known as ghats. The first one is where Kalady came into existence, the second one is called the crocodile ghat and it is here that Shankara started his ascetic life. The third one is where Shankara performed the rituals after the death of mother Aryadevi. These ghats have a religious significance.
There are other temples like Mattoor Thiru Vella Man Thulli, Nayathodu Shankara Narayana Temple, Manjapra Karpillykavu Shiva temple, Thekke Madhom Shankara Sthanam and Aryadevi Samadhi Mandapam that you can visit in Kalady. The history of these places is well scripted in the city guide of Kalady.
