About the book A cruise through the 334 page Tripunithura Grandhavari reveals that the medieval Tripunithura temple was a gigantic institution embracing a wide range of spiritual and mundane matters and thus was sine quo non to all, whether theists or atheists. It had a patriarchal role as a rich land lord, employer consumer, organizer of entertainments, patron of ancient scriptures, and also as custodian of the traditional system of law and economy, besides providing spiritual solace to the people. In order to integrate its multifarious activities it coordinated the service of various caste groups thereby creating a sense of mutual dependency and hierarchy among them. About the Author Born in 1954 P. Narayanan had his Master’s Degree in History from Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam and Doctoral Degree from the University of Kerala. He was a faculty of Sanatana Dhrama College, Alappuzha from 1979 to 2009. He has written two other monographs: 1) Making of Sanatana Dharma Vidyasala (2010), Published by SDV Management, Alappuzha. (2) Moothathu: Sthanavum Samudayavum (2016), Published by Vallathol Vidyapeetham, Sukapuram.