Shakthikulangara Sree Dharmasastha Temple is beautifully situated at the scenic confluence of the Arabian Sea and the Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam district, an area once known as Deshinganadu during the reign of the erstwhile Travancore State. The presiding deity, Sree Dharma Sastha, revered as the benevolent protector of the present Kali Yuga, is affectionately worshipped here as “Kunjachaman.” According to the temple legend passed down through generations, a noble Brahmin was returning from Thiruvananthapuram after participating in the sacred Murajapam ritual. Upon reaching a pond at Shakthikulangara, he placed his Salagramam, the sacred stone associated with Lord Vishnu and used in his daily worship, on the more bank before taking a bath. After completing his bath, he attempted to retrieve the Salagramam, but found that it had become firmly fixed to the earth. Realising the divine presence and spiritual radiance of the place, he requested the local people to construct a temple for the Lord who had chosen to reside on the banks of the pond. From that moment, the region came to be known as “Shakthikulangara,” meaning “the place where divine power settled on the pond’s shore.” The deity came to be worshipped as Kunjachaman, the guardian and protector of the land. The administration of the temple is carried out by the Kara Devaswam Board of Management, which comprises representatives from the four regions of Shakthikulangara, Meenam, Kannimel, and Kureepuzha, along with a representative from the Kottoor family and the Travancore Devaswom Board.