Balaramapuram Thalayal Shiva temple, also known as Sri Bharadwaja Rishishwara Shiva Kshetram, is located at Thalayal near Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. The 10-day annual festival in the temple is held in Kumbha Masam and coincides with the Mahashivratri festival.
The annual festival is famous for dance and music. Various rituals and pujas associated with Shiva temples are observed in the shrine on the occasion. Utsava bali, pushpabhishekam, 108 kalasabhishekam, Nagaroottu, pradosha puja, annadanam, ezhunnallathu atop caparisoned elephant and melam are part of the festival. The festival concludes with arattu ezhunellippu.
The shrine observes the Thiruvathira festival in Dhanu Masam with 108 kalasam and sadhya.
The last Monday in Vrischika Masam is auspicious in the temple and there is ezhunnallathu.
This is a beautiful Kerala style temple with a vatta sreekovil – round sanctum sanctorum. There is a kodimaram, nalambalam and upa devata shrines.
The local belief is that the temple was consecrated by Bharadwaja Rishi in Dwapara Yuga.