Kochi welcomes Mahabali on Onam

September 09, 2011 12:30 pm | Updated August 03, 2016 09:29 pm IST - KOCHI

Devotees partake in the ‘Onasadya’ served on Thiruvonam day, at the Thrikkakara temple in Kochi on Friday. Photo: H. Vibhu

Devotees partake in the ‘Onasadya’ served on Thiruvonam day, at the Thrikkakara temple in Kochi on Friday. Photo: H. Vibhu

Thousands of Kochiites celebrated Onam with enthusiasm on Friday. People thronged the Thrikkakara temple here, which is considered to be the seat of Onam, as part of the celebrations.

The Thrikkakara Vishnu temple is one of its kind to have Vamana (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) as the deity.

The temple’s ceremony and rituals began in the early hours of the day with a ritual welcome accorded to Mahabali. Thrikkakara temple authorities said that they expect a record turnout for the traditional ‘Onasadya’, the Onam feast. It will be served at the Thiruvonam hall till 3 p.m. A fireworks display scheduled to be held at 10.30 p.m. will mark the culmination of the festivities.

Thrikkakara MLA’s wishes

Wishing all Kochiites a happy Onam, Benny Behannan, MLA representing the Thrikkakara Assembly constituency, said the temple embodies the spirit of the Onam festival. Cutting across caste and religious belief, people flock to the temple to participate in the Onam celebrations. This place continues to be a symbol of religious harmony, he said.

Onam at Chottanikkara

Hundreds also visited the Chottanikkara temple here in the morning. The traditional ‘Thiruvonasadya’ witnessed a huge turnout of devotees. Devaswom authorities said that the highlight of the sadya includes ‘pazha pradhaman’ and ‘pazham nurukku’ prepared using the ‘kazhchakula’ (banana) offered to the deity on the day of Uthradam.

Onasadya

The city wore a deserted look till noon, as people preferred to stay at home and enjoy the sumptuous Onasadya. Hotels also came up with Onasadya for people who wanted to celebrate in a relaxed atmosphere. The price for a sadya varied from Rs. 250 to Rs. 400 in leading hotels across the city.

Lavanyam

Lavanyam 2011, the annual Onam cultural fete jointly organised by the District Tourism Promotion Council and the district administration, will offer dance and music programmes for art lovers in the city.

Programmes will begin at 5.30 p.m. at the Durbar hall ground. Kathakali, fusion dance and mega mimicry show will be held at the venue. Ganamela performance by youngsters, karakattam and comedy show will be held at the Marine Drive from 7 p.m. onwards.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.