PALGHAT PART 2 Continuing from part 1
Dear friends, This is 2nd part of theposting originally posted by "Gmail-Jayashree"[email protected] on Sun Oct 4, 2009.Forwarded with slight editingon 4-2-2021. Sincerely, R.Gopala Krishnan. 5Kalpathy Ratholsavam: Kalpathy Viswanatha Swamy temple isthe oldest Siva temple in Malabar. H. Kombi Achan, then Raja of Palakkad, builtit in 1425 A.D.Kalpathy is linked to Kasi, because themain deity is Siva and the temple is on the banks of the NeelaNadhi just as Kasi is on the banks of the Ganges. The other deities consecrated in the temple are Sri visalakshi Sametha Viswanatha Swamy, Vinayaka, Valli DevayaniSametha Subramanya Swamy, Gangadhara, dakshinayana Murthy,, Simhana sundari,Nataraja, Surya Bhavara, Kala Bhairavan,Chandikeswaran, Nandeeswaran and Pradesh Handi. Therituals in the temples were conducted earlier by Kerala Brahmins, theNambudiries. Butnow, Tamil Brahmins are in charge. The centre of attraction of the festival is Kalppathy SriViswanatha Swamy temple. The festival iscelebrated in the month of November. On the seventh day (28th day of Alpasi), the deity fromViswanatha Swamy temple is taken out and installed in the chariot. There arethree chariots in this temple; one forthe main deity Shri Viswanatha Swamy and Goddess Parvathy, the second for Visweswara and thethird for Lord Subramanya Swamy. 6Manappullikavu Vela: The important festival atManappullikavu at Yakkara is the annual Vela. Arat Festivalin Kachamkurichy Temple: Kachamkurichy Temple is an importantVishnu temple. The Arat festival here inthe month of May attracts many people. Navarathri Festival in Pallavur SivaTemple, Amavasi Festival in Thrippallur Sive Temple, Pooram Festival in KongadBhagavathy Temple and Radhotsavam at Kodumbu Subramanya Temple are some of theimportant festivals, which attract a large number of devotees. Mahamakom is also held in the Kodumbu temple once intwelve years. 7Place To Visit: additional Pothundy(45 km from Palakkad):Situated on the way to Nelliampathy, the Pothundy ReservoirComplex is a charming location for picnics and half-day trips. Thiruvalathoor (10 km from Palakkad) : The ancienttemple here has some fine wood work and stone sculptures. Dhoni(15km from Palakkad): It takes a three hour trek from the base of the Dhoni hills to reach this reserve forestarea with its small, beautifulwaterfall. Kottayi :(15 km via Poodur from Palakkad):This tiny village is the native place of the late Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, the doyen ofCarnatic music. Kollengode (19 km south of Palakkad) :Kollengode or the abode of blacksmithsenshrines the pristine beauty of rural Palakkad. The KollengodePalace, the Vishnu Temple and the poet P. Kunhiraman Nair Memorial are worthvisiting. Seethakundu and Govindamalai hills near Kaachankurichi are ideal for adventuroustrekkers. Lakkidi (30 km from Palakkad):Killikkurissimangal am at Lakkidi is the birthplace of Kunchan Nambiar, the 18th century satiristand exponent of the Tullal (classicalart form). The poet's house has been preserved as a monument by theState Government. Meenkara(32 km from Palakkad): This picnic spot is the site of adam across the river Gayathri which flows into theBharathapuzha. Ottappalam(35 km from Palakkad): The town isknown for its numerous places of worshipand their colourful festivals. Durga Temple the Pooram at Chenakkathur the Nercha festivalcommemorating the Aulia. Thrithala(75 km from Palakkad): This place is notedfor its monuments and historic ruins. The Siva Temple and the ruins of amud fort near Thrithala on the Chalissery road are notable cultural monuments. The Kattilmadam Temple, asmall granite Buddhist monument on thePattambi-Guruvayoor road, is ofgreat archaeological importance. It is believed to date back to the 9th/10th century AD. The Paakkanaar memorial, honouring the Pariah saint, standsnear Thrithala Koottanad road. This is also the native place ofrenowned writer and social reformer VT Bhattathiripad. ParambikulamWildlife Sanctuary (110 km from Palakkad): Sprawled across 285 sq. km, the Parambikulam WildlifeSanctuary is home to rare wild animals. Boating/cruising facilities areavailable at the Parambikulam Reservoir. The Rest Houses of the State ForestDepartment at Thoonakkadavu, Thellikkaland Anappady offer accommodation. A tree house in the reserve forest area inThoonakkadavu has to be booked in advance. The oldest teak tree,kannimari is found here. Siruvani(46 km north of Mannarkad and 48 km from Palakkad): The reservoir at Siruvani was builtfor Tamil Nadu by the Kerala Government to meet thedrinking water requirements of Coimbatore. The gateways on either side of theroad across the dam are typical of the Kerala and Tamil architectural styles. Siruvani is alsohome to certain tribals like the Mudugarsand Irulars. 8Festivals/Art forms KalpathiRatholsavam: Annual chariot festival at Viswanatha Temple (November ) Velaat Manappulli Kavu: nual festival at the Bhagavathy Temple (March) Kanniyarkali:An art form exclusive to the Nair community of the district of Palakkad, Kanniyarkali is performed in temples aswell as Nair centres (March/April) NenmaraVallengy Vela: Annual festival at the Bhagavathy Temple at Nellikkulangaranear Nenmara, on the Pooram day of the Malayalam month of Meenam (February/March) . Highlight:Fireworks displays . Pavakkoothu: This shadow play is performed atthe Bhagavathy temples of Palakkad(March/April) Kaalapoottu: This exciting ox race is anagrarian sport held in the Malayalammonth of Makaram (January). Konganpadaof Chittur: Annual festival of ritual drama at the Chittur Kavu Bhagavathytemple (February /March) PattambiNercha:The festival is conducted in memory of Aloor Valia Pookkunjikoya Thangal, noted Muslim saint ofSouth Malabar (January - February) 9Rivers Of Palakkad Bharathappuzha; with her tributaries, sprawls across the entire district. The rivertakes its origin from Anamalai hills and flows through the districts of Palakkad, Malappuramand Thrissur before emptying into the Arabian sea at Ponnani. Its four main tributaries areGayatripuzha, Kannadipuzha, Kalpathypuzha and Thuthapuzha. The length ofBharathapuzha is 374.40 kms and its catchment area is 6186sq.kms. Gayathripuzha; This river originates from Anamalai hills andafter traversing through Kollengode,Nanmara, Alathur, Wadakkancherry and pazhayannur, joins Bharathappuzha at Mayannur. This tributaryhas five main sub-tributaries. They are Managalam river, Ayalurpuzha,Vandazhipuzha, Meenkara puzhas and Chulliyar. Kannadipuzha; It is also known as Chitturpuzha or Amaravathi puzha. This river, which also starts from the Anamalai hills, flowsthrough Thathamangalam and Chittur andjoins the main river at Parli. Three main streams combine to form this river.They are Palar, Aliyar and Uppar. Kalpathypuzha; This river starts from the place calledChenthamarakulam in the hills, north of Walayar. This is also known as Korayar. Kalpathypuzhais formed by four streams,viz.,Korayar, Varattar, Walayar and Malapuzha. Thuthapuzha-Thuthapuzha other wise known asPilanthol river, startsfrom the Silent Valley hills and joins the main river about two kilometres off Pallippuram railway station. The important streams, which feed this tributary, are Kunthipuzha, Kanjirapuzha,Ambankadavu and Thuppanadipuzha. TheBhavani river -It originates from the Kundamountains in the Nilgiris, makes a circuitous course through the Attappadyvalley and returns to the shadow ofNilgiri mountains. The catchments area of the Bhavani river within Kerala is220sq.miles yielding an annual run off of 27,000million cubic feet of water. Of the rivers of Kerala, Bhavani river is one among the three which prefersBay of Bengal to the Arabian sea. Iwill continue with Art and culture of Palght in the next posting. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/774088050.2058581.1612444392948%40mail.yahoo.com.
