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Kalpathy Chariot Festival: Celebrating Heritage and Devotion in Kerala
Kalpathi Chariot Festival in Kerala
The Kalpathy Chariot Festival, locally called Kalpathy Ratholsavam, is a renowned event celebrated in the village of Kalpathy, Palakkad district. This festival spans ten days and takes place annually in November. The Shri Viswanatha Swamy Temple in Kalpathy serves as the festival's venue. The temple deities are Lord Viswanatha (Shiva) & his consort Parvathi. Notably, this temple is the oldest Shiva temple in Malabar, constructed by the Raja of Palakkad in 1425 AD.
Kalpathy village is known for being an early Tamil Brahmin settlement. According to legend, a Brahmin widow named Lakshmiammal traveled to Banaras (Kashi), brought a Lingam back with her, and installed it at the current site on the southern bank of the River Neela Bhagirathi. The temple's location and its steps leading to the river evoke images of the Banaras temples on the Ganges. The annual chariot festival has significantly boosted this area's popularity.
The festival lasts 10 days and commences with a flag hoisting ceremony (Dwajarohanam) and concludes with Rathasangamom. On the last day, elaborately decorated temple chariots from different temples are pulled around by devotees. On the first day, one chariot is pulled; on the second day, two chariots; and on the final day of the festival, three chariots are pulled.