Kalady is the birthplace of Adi Sankaracharya, the great Advaita philosopher of the 8th century. Kalady is 19 km from Aluva. Temples dedicated to Sri Sankara, Sarada Devi, Sri Krishna, and Sri Ramakrishna add to the sanctity of the destination. A place called Crocodile Ghat is where Sri Sankara took his vows of renunciation. According to legend, a crocodile caught hold of him and refused to release him until Sankara’s mother Aryamba permitted him to accept Sanyas (renunciation).
