Religious fervour marked the annual Kumbha Bharani festival at the Chettikulangara Devi temple, near Mavelikara, on Thursday. Thousands of devotees assembled at Chettikulangara to watch Kuthiyottam performances and the Kettukazcha pageant.
The rituals and pujas that began on Shivaratri reached its pinnacle on the festival day with all the 13 ‘karas’ (provinces) that comprise the Chettikulangara hamlet joining a festivities. The sanctum sanctorum was opened early morning. Later, the Kuthiyottam procession reached the temple at 6 a.m. Boys aged between 8 and 12 performed the dancing steps of Kuthiyottam in the presence of devotees.
Kettukazhcha, the highlight of the festival displaying six gigantic temple cars known as ‘kuthira’ (horse motifs), five ‘theru’ (chariots), and mammoth idols of Bheema and Hanuman were drawn to the temple from the 13 ‘karas’ — Erazha South, Erazha North, Kaitha South, Kaitha North, Kannamangalam South, Kannamangalam North, Pela, Kadavoor, Anjilipra, Mattom North, Mattom South, Menampilly, and Nadakkavu — by 4 p.m. After completing a round at the temple, the Kettukazhchas were moved to a nearby field — Kazhchakandom — at 7.30 p.m.
Religious convention
In the evening, a Hindu religious convention was held. The temple has the Goddess Bhadrakali as the main deity and is believed to be over 1,200 years old.
