The traditional two-day Oachira Kali festival began at the Oachira padanilam, near here, on Tuesday.
It is a martial arts festival in which hundreds of men and boys participate. The padanilam (battlefield) is now a paddy field adjacent to the temple. The festival is held on the first two days of the Malayalam month of Mithunam when the paddy field is fully drenched by the monsoon rain.
The festival is actually a mock battle to commemorate the historic battle between the Kayamkulam and Ambalapuzha kingdoms in the medieval period. The mock battle is fought in a festive spirit. Men and boys dressed up as warriors enter the paddy field, separate into groups and engage in mock battle to the beat of drums in knee-deep water.
The code of conduct for the battle is that one side should advance for some time and then allow the other side to do so.
The event is watched by hundreds of people from the boundaries of the field. The festival is also considered part of a ritual associated with the Oachira Parabrahma Temple.
