Deep within the Silent Valley National Park, a botanical survey team has identified a rare 8th-century structural temple belonging to the early Chera Dynasty. Unlike the rock-cut shrines common to this era, this temple is built entirely of interlocking laterite blocks and features a unique Vritta (circular) sanctum dedicated to a forest-dwelling form of Lord Ayyappa.
The discovery is significant for its dendro-morphic carvings, which blend traditional Hindu iconography with motifs of local flora and fauna, such as the lion-tailed macaque. State archaeology officials have initiated a conservation plan to protect the site from environmental degradation, noting that the temple’s gravity-based drainage system remains surprisingly functional after twelve centuries of heavy monsoon rains.