At Trichur the Swami stayed only a few days. He next went to Cranganore (also called Kodungalloor), a place famous as a seat of learning and for its Kali temple. At Cranganore people saw him sitting, early one morning, under a banyan tree near the Kali temple. The Swami tried to enter the temple to offer worship to the deity; but the temple guards prevented him. Without getting annoyed, he returned to the tree after bowing down to the Devi from outside.

His ochre robes and brilliant eyes attracted the attention of a young man, who approached him with the intention of having some fun; hut the young man came away disappointed, when he found that the Swami was not as, he had thought him to he.

Just then two princes of the Cranganore palace, Kochunni Thamlburan and Bhattan Thampuran, came to the temple, and the young man just mentioned brought them to the Swami sitting under the banyan tree. The two princes were well versed in the scriptures. They could see from the Swami's features that he was not an ordinary person. When they approached him, he asked them why he was not allowed to enter the temple. They replied that it was difficult to know the caste of people, especially of those who came from outside Kerala, and therefore there was this custom. They had an argument in Sanskrit over the issue. The Swami, however, did not want to interfere with their local tradition, even though the princes were later prepared to allow a person of his calibre to enter the temple.They argued with the Swami for two days, and were de-feated. They argued with the Swami for two days, and were de-feated.

On the third day they approached the Swami with the desire to have his holy company. When they reached the place where he was, they found him meditating. They waited until he had finished. The glowing, calm appearance of the Swami reminded them of what the scriptures say about the man of meditation. After the Swami had come back to normal consciousness, he conversed with the princes in Sanskrit. When they took their leave, they made obeisance at his feet.

On the fourth day the princes again went to the temple; but they were disappointed When they did not find the Swami under the banyan tree. He had left the town and gone towards Cochin. Some months later, when they saw the picture of Swami Vivekananda in the papers and read about his success in the Parliament of Religions at Chicago, they recognized him to be the monk with whom they had spoken under the banyan tree. Only then did they come to know his name.