This is located at Sasthamkotta in Kollam district. It is surrounded on three sides by the Sasthamkotta lake, the largest fresh water lake of Kerala. It is one among the five very famous Dharma Sastha temples in Kerala. The presence of a large number of monkeys on the premises of the temple also makes it unique and famous. They are believed to be the divine retinue of the deity of the temple. Dharma Sastha is consecrated with his consort Prabha and son Sathyaka. According to legends after the war with Ravana, Sree Rama along with Sita and Lakshmana and some of the monkey army, visited more Sasthamkotta to worship Dharma Sastha. Sree Rama offered pithru tharpanam (obesience to the departed ancestors) on the banks of the lake. Rama then deputed Neelan, the chief architect of the army of monkeys to serve the Lord there. That is how the monkeys came to be there. There is a self-originated big rock and a number of smaller rocks similar to Salagramam, in the sanctum that receives the adoration. The water poured during abhishekam does not flow out; it goes down and is believed to go to the lake. There is a story behind the construction of the temple also. During the show of martial powers before the ruler of Kayamkulam, an unknown young man also participated. He shot an arrow to the east and went in search of the place where it had landed. The place where the temple stands today was an island at that time and the arrow was found there. Once the arrow was found the young man disappeared. There is a platform where the foot mark of this young man is believed to have been imprinted. As instructed by the ruler of Kayamkulam, it was the ruler of Pandalam who constructed the temple using the artisans from Tamil Nadu. The rituals as well as astrological revelations show that the spot must have been the place of worship for the Shaiva, Vaishnava, Koula and Budha sects. The name of the place, Shasthamkotta (the fort of Shastha) is also associated with Dharma Shastha. Historically also the place must have been a forest. While the other animals left when man intruded into the area, the monkeys remained there as there was enough trees and fruits for them to survive. Special provision is made for the food for the monkeys and devotees also contribute to it.