Kalady is the birth place of Adi Shankaracharya the great Indian Philosopher who lived in the 8th century, 10 kilometers from Aluva. 2 shrines in memory of Sankaracharya - one for Dakshinamoorthy and the other for the Goddes Sharada. A place called Crocodile Ghat is where Sri Sankara took his vows of renunciation. According to legends, a crocodile caught hold of him and refused to release him until Sankara’s mother Aryamba permitted him to accept Sanyas (renunciation).