The temple is situated at Cherlai in the heart of Mattancherry town in Cochin area which is one of the earliest settlements of GSBs in Kerala. The majority of households living around the temple belong to the GSB community. The temple was established in the latter half of 16th century. The presiding deity here is Venkatachalapathy.
The history of GSBs in Kerala is inter-woven with that of this temple and its Venkateswara idol. In 1599, a temple was built to house the idol. The temple was plundered many times. The Portuguese destroyed the temple in 1662, but was reconstructed, in 1663, during the Dutch reign. In 1719, the idol disappeared mysteriously and was later found on a beach. It was kept at the Dutch Governor’s residence for a while and then restored to the temple. In 1791, when the temple was plundered again, the idol was kept in Alappuzha for many years. In 1853, it was brought back to the temple.
Apart from the shrine of Lord Venkatachalapathy, there are five other shrines at the temples. These are dedicated to Hanuman, Garuda, Brindavan, Lord Ganapathy and Goddess Mahalakshmi. The various festivals held at the temple fall in the months of November and April.
In the temple yard, there are statues of the Vijayanagara king and Swami Vijayendra Theertha, as well as a temple tank. A notable feature of the temple is its huge bronze bell, about four feet in diameter and six feet in height. In earlier centuries, the chiming of the bell could be heard even in areas far from the temple. The temple has a Gold Palanquin that is used to carry the idols during the temple processions and festivals.
The Special cover issues to commemorate the Third Prathistha Satabdi of Tirumal Devasom Temple Cochin and the third Cochin Philatelic Exhibition Cochinpex 81 features a colour image of a temple priest posing alongside the Gold Palanquin of the temple. The special pictorial cancellation is a line graphic sketch of the Gold Palanquin and issued on 15th May 1981.
