Arattu festival is a festival that is celebrated in
Trivandrum in the famous Padmanabhan Temple. In Kerala, arattu festival
is celebrated as a closing ceremony of a 10-day festival in Kerala. The
Arattu festival in Kerala is celebrated twice a year, once in the months
of October-November and one more time in the months of March-April. The
festival actually refers to the procession that takes place as a closing
ceremony of the 10-day festival at the temple. Read on further to know
more about Arattu festival of Kerala, India.
On this occasion, the ex-Maharaja visits the temple at Trivandrum and
performs certain rituals. After the rituals, a grand procession is taken
out of the temple. The procession comprises of beautifully ornamented
elephants with the idol of Lord mounted on the front elephant. Drummers
and musicians playing musical instruments accompany these elephants.
While the procession leaves the perimeter of the temple, a salute of 21
guns is given as an honor. The procession progresses slowly towards the
Sanghumugham beach.
The Maharaja also accompanies the procession amidst tight security. On
reaching the beach, a ceremonial dip is taken in the sea. Slowly the
procession heads back to the temple thus marking the end of the 10-day
festival.
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