All set for ‘koda’ festival

March 02, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 10:29 am IST - Thiruvananthapuram:

Devotees taking part in the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Mandaikadu Devi temple at Colachel in Kanyakumari district.

Devotees taking part in the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Mandaikadu Devi temple at Colachel in Kanyakumari district.

The ‘koda’ festival at the Mandaikadu Devi temple got under way on Sunday with devotees from Kerala and Tamil Nadu witnessing the flag-hoisting ceremony led by tantri Edakkode Mahadeva Iyer.

The ‘Koda’ festival which usually witnesses wide participation will be held on March 10.

The ‘koda’ festival is the most important event at the temple located near Colachel. The area was part of erstwhile Travancore and the rituals in the temple are done in the traditional tantric way of Kerala. The temple is believed to have been consecrated by Parasurama. In 1803, the King of Travancore took over the temple.

On March 6, Mahapuja will be held. On March 9, Valiyachakra theevatti procession will be held.

The festival ends with ‘koda’ and pooja starting at 12 a.m. on March 10.

Pongala offering will be held on all days of the festival. During the 10-day festival which precedes the ‘koda’ thousands of devotees from Kerala are estimated to visit the temple daily. The temple is situated by the sea.

The Tamil Nadu government has made special arrangements considering the rush of pilgrims. The Tamil Nadu Police have deployed 1,200 personnel as part of the festival.

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs special services to the temple from Thiruvananthapuram during the festival.

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.