Kalpathy Ratholsavam or Kalpathi Ratholsavam is an annual chariot festival held at Sri Viswanatha Swami Temple(also known as Kalpathy Temple in the Kalpathi village of Palakkad District inKerala The deities of the Kalpathy Viswanatha Swamy Temple are Lord Shiva (Lord Viswanatha) and his consort Visalakshi, another name forGoddess Parvathi One of the most remarkable festivals of Kerala, this week-long Palakkad Kalpathy Chariot Festival is celebrated during the month of November, every year. +
The Festival
Dedicated to Lord Viswanatha or Lord Shiva, the Kalpathy Chariot Festival is based on Vedic Tamil Brahmin culture. Vedic recitals are held daily and cultural programs are held in the evening. The recitals are believed to be over 700 years old. On the last three days, the temple chariots are ceremoniously taken in procession by large numbers of devotees through the streets. Major attraction of the festival is the three magnificent chariots, decorated with flowers and flags, in which one can feel the presence of the lord.
On the fifth day night is the Rishabha Vahana procession. The deities from all the temples are taken out in beautifully adorned chariots and after their meeting at western end of new Kalpathy village ground at midnight, they disperse after two hours. The deities of Viswanathaswamy Temple are taken out and installed in the three cars, one for the main deity Viswanathaswamy and consort Goddess Parvathi; the second for Vigneshwara and third for Lord Subrahmaniya Swamy.
The deities of Old Kalpathy Temple and Chathapuram Temple are taken in procession on the chariot and procession is made through all villages. By sun set, all the chariots return to the original place. Abhishekams (offering with rituals) are then performed to the deities who are decorated again and taken out on procession in floral palanquins during midnight.
The Viswanatha Swamy Temple, popularly known as Dakshin Kasi Viswanathaswamy Temple or Kalpathy Temple, is located on the banks of the Kalpathy River, a tributary of the Bharathapuzha River. Dating back to 1425 A.D., Kalpathy Viswanatha Swamy Temple is regarded as the oldest Shiva temple in Malabar and in Kerala. The village, Kalpathy, is also known as Dakshin Kasi or the ‘Varanasi of the South’. It is an early Tamil Brahmin settlement (agraharam) in the Palakkad District.
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