Kalpathy festival Begins

The culmination of the Kalpathy festival, known by various names as chariot festival, car festival, or car race, will take place on 17 Nov. Kalpathy, the traditional Tamil Brahmin settlement in Kerala, which has been accorded heritage village status by the Government is lined with decades-old houses, all exuding an old-world charm. The whole village gets draped in a festive splendour as the Ratholsavam is held at the Sree Viswanatha Swamy Temple at Kalpathy in Palakkad. All the rituals in the temple are conducted according to the Tamil customs and traditions. The festival which is believed to date back to over 300 years, is dedicated to the presiding deity of the temple, Viswanathaswamy. The festival is marked by another resplendent ritual called the Ancham Thirunal on the fifth day. Technically, the festival starts at Kalpathy in the last week of the Tamil month of Aippasi and ends in the second week of Vaikasi in the village of Thirunellai. The customs and rituals adhere to the Vedic tradition.