The Sree Mahavishnu temple at Thirunelly in the district witnessed a confluence of humanity on Tuesday with a large number of devotees gathering on the banks of the Papanashini rivulet, a tributary of the Kabani river, to pay obeisance to their ancestors on the occasion of Karkidaka vavu bali.
The rituals got off to a start at 2.30 a.m. and went on till 2.30 p.m. Temple chief priest I. N. Krishnan Namboothiri performed special pujas at the temple in connection with the rituals. As many as 10 priests, led by A.C. Narayanan Namboothiri, assisted the devotees in performing the rituals.
Close to 1.2 lakh devotees from Kerala and Karnataka performed ‘pithrutharpanam’ (paying obeisance to ancestors) in the Papanashini river , T.T. Vinodan, temple executive officer, said.
As per custom, the devotees also visited the Mahadeva temple at Thrissilery, where they offered ‘vilakkum mala,’ the main offering at the temple.
It is believed that Lord Rama performed ‘bali’ for his father Dasaratha on the banks of the Papanashini. A long queue of devotees was seen on Monday evening itself to offer bali by ignoring the adverse weather conditions. The district administration had arranged facilities for devotees to offer ‘bali’ from Monday night.
Special arrangements had been made on the banks of the Papanashini. To manage the unprecedented rush of devotees, a strong contingent of the local police was pressed into service in the area and on the roads leading to the spot. Thousands thronged the banks of the Nugu river for offering bali, where facilities were arranged by the Sree Rama temple authorities at Ponkuzhy, near Muthanga, on the Kerala-Karnataka border. Chief priest A. Gireesan Ayer led the rituals at the temple.
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operated special bus services from Kattikulam to Thirunelly and Sulthan Bathery to Ponkuzhi.
