Kalapathy Chariot Festival ( Ratholsav )
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Celebrated in the second week of every November. During the festival season,
the Vishwanatha temple and the agraharas (traditional houses) of settler Tamil
Brahmins at Kalpathy village will submerge in a sea of devotees. The religious
fervour will reach its crescendo when the Brahmins carry the rathams to the
temple premise, an age-old ritual that is gaining popularity with every passing
year. Five major rathams (car, chariot) are being dragged in the flamboyant
procession accompanied by caparisoned elephants and percussion. The script
chanting Vedic scholars maintain the religious tempo of the festival. Residents
of each agrahara here have their own rathams.
Historians reason that the festival is older than Thirssure pooram, initiated
by Sakthan Thampuran. Myths are woven around the history of the festival.
One among them say, a Palakkad lady, who had sacrificed material pleasures
for worshipping Lord Shiva, left for Kasi Vishwanatha temple. She, it is believed,
returned years later with an idol of God Shiva and met the then Palakkad King
and requested him to install the idol at the Vishwanatha temple at Kalpathy.
She also believed to have given gold coins to the King to meet the expense
of daily poojas, and requested to celebrate the temple festival every year
on the lines of the car festival at Mayuram temples in Tamil Nadu.
Ratham, mad of wood, is a tower having the height of a three-storied building.
Carved rathams have sculptures reminiscent of the Shivaleelas and Vishnuleelas,
depicted on the walls of the Chidambarum and Avinashi temples of Tamil Nadu.
The festival is also seen an attempt of the Tamil Brahmins to preserve their
cultural identity.
Festivals in Kerala
Onam || Sabarimala
Festival || Nehru
Trophy Boat Race || Aaranmula
Boat Race || Cochin
Carnival || Muharram
|| Malabar Mahotsavam
|| Swathi Festival
|| Aarattu || Jagannatha
Festival || Aattachamayam
|| Indira Gandhi
Boat Race || Thirunakara
Festival || Vettukadu
Perunal || Nisha
Gandhi Dance Festival || Oachirakkali
|| Easter || Thrissur
Puram || Aranmula
Uthrittathi || Chittur
Konganpada || Maramon
Convention || Nellikulangara
Vallanghi Vela || Thiruvathira
Festival || Oaachira
Kettukazhcha || Nilamperoor
Padayani || Ramadan
|| Makaravillakku
at Sabarimala || Kerala
Village fair || Kalapathy
Chariot Festival ( Ratholsav )
