Conquer the depths of the ocean. One of the finest dive sites in the world. If deep is too scary, then snorkeling is your option. If underwater is daunting, then ride the waves with a surfboard or a water scooter.
Celebrated in the second week of every November. During the festival season,
the Vishwanatha temple and the agraharas (traditional houses) of settler Tamil
Brahmins at Kalpathy village will submerge in a sea of devotees. The religious
fervour will reach its crescendo when the Brahmins carry the rathams to the
temple premise, an age-old ritual that is gaining popularity with every passing
year. Five major rathams (car, chariot) are being dragged in the flamboyant
procession accompanied by caparisoned elephants and percussion. The script chanting
Vedic scholars maintain the religious tempo of the festival. Residents of each
agrahara here have their own rathams.
Historians reason that the festival is older than Thirssure pooram, initiated by Sakthan Thampuran. Myths are woven around the history of the festival. One among them say, a Palakkad lady, who had sacrificed material pleasures for worshipping Lord Shiva, left for Kasi Vishwanatha temple. She, it is believed, returned years later with an idol of God Shiva and met the then Palakkad King and requested him to install the idol at the Vishwanatha temple at Kalpathy.
She also believed to have given gold coins to the King to meet the expense of daily poojas, and requested to celebrate the temple festival every year on the lines of the car festival at Mayuram temples in Tamil Nadu.
Ratham, mad of wood, is a tower having the height of a three-storied building. Carved rathams have sculptures reminiscent of the Shivaleelas and Vishnuleelas, depicted on the walls of the Chidambarum and Avinashi temples of Tamil Nadu. The festival is also seen an attempt of the Tamil Brahmins to preserve their cultural identity.
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