Venue:
Sree Ruthira Mahakalikavu Temple, Paruthipra, Vadakkancherry, Thrissur
district.
Location:
Vadakkancherry
District:
Thrissur
About
twenty-one elephants in traditional attire line up with colourful parasols;
swayingvenchamarams (white tufts) and alavattams (peacock-feather fans)! Surely
a spectacle you wouldn’t want to miss. Then ensure your presence during the
annual festival at the Sree Ruthira Mahakalikavu Temple, popularly known as
Uthralikavu Pooram.
Sree
Ruthira Mahakalikavu Temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali. Uthralikavu Pooram is
the most famous event in the region. It is an eight-day celebration highlighted
by day and night elephant processions. Traditional musical ensembles like the
Panchavadyam and the Pandimelam add rhythm to these processions. The festival
also gives a chance for the spectators to enjoy the temple and folk art forms
of Kerala.
Uthralikkavu
temple is some two kilometers away in the direction of north from Wadackanchery
on the Kodungallore-Shoranur state highway. Just aside the Thrissur - Shoranur
Railway line, amidst the paddy fields and surrounded by a chain of highlands
and hills, the temple compound forms a rather arena-like stage where the Pooram
and its associated features such as elephant procession, fireworks, percussion
orchestra etc. would be held. Despite the fact that the temple is rather small
in size compared to its counterparts in Kerala and that it is located at an
isolated rural part of the district, during the festival season, the temple and
the village raises to media attraction and news fame.
Temple timings and main vazhivads/offerings
Temple timings and main vazhivads/offerings
The temple is thrown open
early in the morning by 4.30 AM and it is closed by 10.30 AM every day except
on Fridays, Tuesdays and Sundays when the closing will be done only at 11 AM.
Similarly, in the evenings, the temple opens at 5 PM and remains for darshan
till 8 PM on all days. On the Pooram day, however, the temple will be open
throughout day and night. The main vazhivads/offerings in the temple are:
Niramala, Chuttuvilakku, Nei Payasam, Kadana Vedi, Nei Vilakku,
Pushpanjali/Archana, Mala and Bhagavathi Seva. Apart from these, there are
offerings such as Chatussatayam, Thrikala Puja i.e., Udayasthamana puja, and
such other normal vazhivadus found elsewhere. To perform special pujas such as
Chuttuvilaku, Niramala, Udayasthamana puja, etc., one has to book in advance
and for all offerings, one has to take receipt from the Devaswam Board
employees posted in the temple. The items of offerings and their rates are
displayed in a board kept near the cash counter in the temple.
