Kalpathi Ratholsavam is a Hindu festival that is celebrated with great enthusiasm in the state of Kerala. It is a chariot festival, which is celebrated in the village of Kalpathi that falls in the district of Palakkad. It is celebrated in Sri Visalakshi Sametha Sri Viswanatha Swamy temple, every year in the month of November.
About Kalpathi Ratholsavam Festival
The village of Kalpathi is inhabited by the Brahmin community of Tamil Nadu and is also known as Dakhin Kashi or Kashi of Southern India. Sri Visalakshi Sametha Sri Viswanatha Swamy temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. This yearly ten day chariot festival is commenced during the month of November and is one of the most significant festivals of Kerala. The celebration of this chariot festival started about 700 years ago. According to mythology, this temple was built with the initiation of a Brahmin woman named Lakshmiammal. She was a Brahmin widow, who visited Kasi and brought back a very special Lingam with her. She wanted to establish this Lingam in a temple constructed on the banks of Neela Nadi (Kalpathi River). She approached the King of Palakkad with her request and he readily agreed to it. The temple was constructed and the deities were established as per Vedic rituals. The King gifted the land that surrounds the temple for its preservation, which was honored by successive rulers up to Tipu Sultan and even by the British.
Celebration of Kalpathi Ratholsavam Festival
The festival of Kalpathi Ratholsavam is celebrated with great enthusiasm every year. It is a 10 days long festival, wherein devotees gather here to witness or join in in the Rathotsava. Many devotees gather simultaneously to pull the gigantic, vibrantly decorated temple Chariots across the village streets during the festivities. Vedic Rituals along with various cultural celebrations are held during the ten days of the Rathotsavam. The fifth day is celebrated as the Rishaba Vahana and on this day, the deities of all the nearby temples are taken out in a procession and the idols of the Vishwanatha Temple are taken out in three lovely chariots across the village. On the final day, the idols of the temples are taken out in a massive procession at midnight in flowery palanquins and return to the temples at dawn. The village of Kalpathi is filled with swarm of pilgrims for the ten days of festivities; the temples and the region ricochet with Vedic chants. The Kalpathi Rathotsavam, which is the temple chariot festival of the Vishwanatha Temple, is one of the most popular temple festivals in Kerala, attracting a horde of devotees.
About Kalpathi Ratholsavam Festival
The village of Kalpathi is inhabited by the Brahmin community of Tamil Nadu and is also known as Dakhin Kashi or Kashi of Southern India. Sri Visalakshi Sametha Sri Viswanatha Swamy temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. This yearly ten day chariot festival is commenced during the month of November and is one of the most significant festivals of Kerala. The celebration of this chariot festival started about 700 years ago. According to mythology, this temple was built with the initiation of a Brahmin woman named Lakshmiammal. She was a Brahmin widow, who visited Kasi and brought back a very special Lingam with her. She wanted to establish this Lingam in a temple constructed on the banks of Neela Nadi (Kalpathi River). She approached the King of Palakkad with her request and he readily agreed to it. The temple was constructed and the deities were established as per Vedic rituals. The King gifted the land that surrounds the temple for its preservation, which was honored by successive rulers up to Tipu Sultan and even by the British.
Celebration of Kalpathi Ratholsavam Festival
The festival of Kalpathi Ratholsavam is celebrated with great enthusiasm every year. It is a 10 days long festival, wherein devotees gather here to witness or join in in the Rathotsava. Many devotees gather simultaneously to pull the gigantic, vibrantly decorated temple Chariots across the village streets during the festivities. Vedic Rituals along with various cultural celebrations are held during the ten days of the Rathotsavam. The fifth day is celebrated as the Rishaba Vahana and on this day, the deities of all the nearby temples are taken out in a procession and the idols of the Vishwanatha Temple are taken out in three lovely chariots across the village. On the final day, the idols of the temples are taken out in a massive procession at midnight in flowery palanquins and return to the temples at dawn. The village of Kalpathi is filled with swarm of pilgrims for the ten days of festivities; the temples and the region ricochet with Vedic chants. The Kalpathi Rathotsavam, which is the temple chariot festival of the Vishwanatha Temple, is one of the most popular temple festivals in Kerala, attracting a horde of devotees.