Panchayath/ Municipality/ Kattakambal Panchayat Corporation

LOCATION District

Nearest Town/ – 7.5 km Landmark/ Junction

Nearest Bus statio Kunnamkulam New Bus Stand – 7.4 km

Nearest Railway Railway Station – 15 km statio ACCESSIBILITY

Nearest Airport Calicut International Airport – 73 km

St. Mary's Orthadox Cathedral Pazhanji, Thrissur (Dist), - 680542 Ph No: 04885 274276, 8086074276 Email: [email protected] CONTACT Website: www.pazhanjicathedral.com DATES FREQUENCY DURATION

TIME September – October Annually 9 days

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL (Legend/History/Myth)

The church is a few hundred years old, and the walls are beautiful with paintings and craft works on the walls, and you can feel a true spiritual experience The church is very old and said to have been constructed by believers who fled from Thirukochi. Later on they settled here forever and constructed the church. It is how the name Pazhanji [similar to the word for old] came into being for the place. Malankara Orthodox Church is an ancient Church of and it traces its origin to as far back as A. D. 52 when St. Thomas one of the Disciples of Jesus Christ came to India and established Christianity in the South Western parts of the sub-continent. The St. Thomas Christians or the Syrian Christians exist at present in different churches and denominations. But a major section of the parent body of St. Thomas Christians which has maintained its independent nature constitutes the Orthodox Church under the Catholicate of the East with Headquarters at Devalokam, Kottayam.

Local Approximately 100 RELEVANCE- NO. OF PEOPLE (Local / National / International) PARTICIPATED EVENTS/PROGRAMS DESCRIPTION (How festival is celebrated)

Kurubana The nine days perunnal festival starts with the holy Sandhyanamskaram Kurubana in the morning which is followed by procession Madhyastha Prarthana and flag hoisting. In the evening Sandhyanamskaram will be Kodi held. The second also have Kurubana and Madhyastha Sleeba Prarthana. The following days will also have these rituals by Slaiheeka Vazhvu various priests. Apart from these on the seventh and eighth Lelam Vili day there will be Kodi and Sleeba which is followed by Slaiheeka Vazhvu. The final day will also have these prayers and rituals along with the historical Lelam Vili (a kind of bidding).