Fairs and Festivals of Kerala-Statements, Part VII B (Ii
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CENSUS OF INDIA 1961 VOLUME VII KERALA PART VII B (ii) FAIRS AND FESTIVALS OF KERALA-STATEMENTS M. K. DEVASSY~ B. A., B. L. OF TbE INDIAN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE Superintendent ql Census Operations, KeTola and the Union Territory of Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands PUBLISHED BY THE MANAGER OF PUBLICATIONS. DELHI-8 PRINTED AT THB C. M. S. PRESS. KOTfAYAM 1968 PRICE: Delux.e Rs. 20.00 or 46 sh. 8 d. or $ 7.20 cents Ordinary Rs.8.75 or 20 sh. 5 d. or $ 3.15 cents PREFACE It is one of the unique features of the 1961 Cell3us that a comprehensive survey was conducted about the fairs and festivals of the country. Apart from the fact that it is the first systematic attempt as far as Kerala is concerned, its particular value lay in presenting a record of these rapidly vanishing cultural heritage. The Census report on fairs and festivals consists of two publications, Part VII B (i), Fairs and Festivals of Kerala containing the descriptive portion and Part VII B (ii), Fairs and Festivals of Kerala-Statements giving the tables relating to the fairs and festivals. The first part has already been published in 1966. It is the second part that is presented in this book. This publication is entirely a compilation of the statements furnished by various agencies like the Departments of Health Services, Police, Local Bodies, Revenue and the Devaswom Boards of Travancore and Cochin. This is something like a directory of fairs and festivals in the State arranged according to di'>tricts and taluks, which might excite the curiosity of the scholars who are interested in investigating the religiou, centres and festivals. I am deeply indebted to Shri Asok Mitra, Registrar General and ex officio Censu~ Commissioner for India for the valuable guidance and encouragement I have received from him in connection with the preparation of this Volume. I am also grateful to th:>se who have furnished, in response to my request, valuable detail'i relating to the fairs and festivals in the State. I also wish to place on record my appreciation to the C. M. S. Pre'>s, Kottayam under, the able gl!idance of Shri John Mathai for the efficient execution of the printing work. Trivandrum, M. K. DEVASSY July 1, 1'967 Superintendent of Census Operations CONTENTS Page Fairs and Festival<; of Palghat District 474 Perintalmanna Taluk 474 Ponnani .. 474 {)ttapalam 480 " Palghat 486 " Alathur 492 " 502 -Chittur " Fairs and Festivals of Kozhikode District 508 Badagara Taluk 508 -Quilandy " 510 Kozhikode 514 Tirur 524 " Ernad 532 " South Wynad 534 " Fairs and Festivah of Cannanore District 538 Kasaragod Taluk 538 Hosdrug " 552 Taliparamba " 570 Cannanore 590 Tellicherry " 608 North Wynad 628 " PART II STATEMENT OF FAIRS AND FESTIVALS STATEMENT OF FAIRS TRIVANDRUM Location of Village or SI. Name of Town (Nearest Railway Name of place of Name of Fair or OccasIOn of the Fair No. Village or Town StatIOn and distance) worship Festi\al or Festival 2 3 4 5 6 CHIRA YINKIL- Chemmaruthy Varkala 6 miles Poridakkavu temple Kalioottu Bharany 10 l\Ieenam 2 do do 7 miles Muthana Mahadeva Devar pooja Thiruvathira in Dhanu temple 3 do do Muthana Mosque Mllad-I-Sheriff Birthday of prophet Mohammed 4 do do do Ramzan 5 do do do Bakrid 6 Varkala Varkala 2 miles Varkala Janardhana- Arat fe,tlVal swamy temple , 7 do do 1 mile Slvaglfl ,\latt Slvaglri Pilgrim Propagation of the teachmgs conventIOn of Shn Narayana Guru 8 Otteor do 3! miles st. Sebastian's Church, Feast of St Sebastian Martyrdom of S1. Seba:"tian Moongode 9 Navaikulam do 7 miles Sankara Narayana Uthrattathi and Urul Feast of the installed deity swamy temple Manotsavam 10 Madavoor d0 14 m,les Vilack?d Ganapathy Kodiyettu From Rohill! to Atham in temple Medam 11 Kihmanoor Chlrayinkil12 miles Chottayil Thirunara- Arat festival yanapUl am temple 12 do do Ayyappanka"u temple do 13 do do Ooruttumandapa temple Utbram Attathirunal Uthram in Meenam 14 do do Attoly Madam Harithri- Pooram Pooram in Meenam purakulangara 1!hagavathy temple 2 AND n:STlVALS DISTRICT Average No. Duration of of persons Approximate the Fair or attendlDg Date cf the FestIVal III the Fair or Important commodities marketed Fair or Festival No. ot days Festival in the Fair or Festival Remarks 7 8 9 10 11 TALUK 6th and 7th April 2 days 1000 Vegetables, fruits, food-stuff etc. 10 January 1 day 600 Coffee, textiles etc. 14th August 1 day 500 Pra~ ers, offerings and procession are usual. 8th March 1 day 500 do 15th May 1 day 500 8th to 17th April 10 da)s 10,000 31st December, 1st 3 days 5,000 and 2nd January 17th February 11 days 10,000 ending with the 1st Sunday in Kumbhom Medom 11 da~s 2,000 Bell-metal vessels, eatthenwares, toys etc. 6th to 15th May 10 days 500 In addition to Ganapath}, thc temple is dedicated to Vishnu, Siva, Sastha and Yakshi. On the festIval day poojas are offered to please the d:clty There will be a proces5ion on elephant's back. Pallil'etta, arat etc. and cultural pro grammes like kathaprasangam, karhakali, dance etc. are held. On the other davs thele i, only the usual visits to the temple. 9th to 15th April 7 days 2,000 Seeds, bell-metal vesse:s etc. 4th to 10th March 7 days 4,000 do Cattle market is also conducted. 21st March 7 days 4,000 Bell-meta1 vessels and seeds 20th March 3 da)s 1,000 3 STATEMENT OF FAIRS TRIVANDRUM Location of Village or SI. Name of Town (Nearest Railway Name of place of Name of Fair or Occasion of the Fair No. Village or Town Station and distance) worship Festival or Festival 2 3 4 5 6 CHIRAYINKIL 15 Kilimanoor Chirayinkil 16 miles Mulackulathukavu Karthika Birthday celebration of Bhagavathy temple Bhagavathy 16 Vellalloor do 12 miles Keezhperoor Bhaga- Bharany and Karthika Bharany and Karthika vathy temple in Kumbhom 17 Kadakkavoor Kadakkavoor 1t mile Erathu Mukkaluvattom Sreenarayanajayanthi Birthdayof Sree Narayana- temple guru-Chathayam in Chingam 18 do do 4 furlongs Vakkam Puthen nada Utsavam Birthday of Sree Subramonia Subramoniaswamy temple 19 do do 2 furlongs Oottuparambu Siva Vilakku ( Ardhanareeswaran) 20 do do St. Peter's Church, Feast of St. Peter Martyrdom of St. Peter Anjengo 21 do do 7 fUrlongs Mayagiri Sas'tha temple, Mandala Pooja Nilakkamukkiu 22 do do do Vishu Vishu in Medom 4 AND FESTIVALS DISTRICT Average No. Duration of of persons Approximate the Fair or attendmg Date of the Festival in the Fair or ImpOI tant commodities marketed Fair or Festival No. of days Festival , in the Fair or Festival Remarks 7 8 9 10 11 TALUK-Contd. 2nd March 1 day 500 Toys, kora-grass mats etc. The legend about the origin of the temple is as 10110\\s. Once when a person was cuttmg green manure for cultivation he sharpened his kntfe on a rock. Immedi ately blood began to flow from the rock and an idol, glOve and tank came IDto eXlstence by themselves. Ceremonies like Navakom I a kind of pra}er) Sree Bhootlia bah (sacrIfice to demons) and kavikoduthi are conducted on the Karthika day. Cultu ral items, procession on caparisoneJ ele phants, IIllakku etc. are usual attractions. Edible offerIngs such as appom, payasam etc. are also presented. 10th and 11th 2 days 2,000 Bell-metal vessels, Earthenwares, March fruits, vegetables etc. 17th August 1 day 2000 Meenam 10 days 100,000 Stationery, household articles etc. 16th Decemhl;r 1 da)' 5,000 No fair of importance. Until 2 centuries ago, this temple was Government-owned; Government gave it over to the Ezhuvas of tpe locality to which community this temple now belongs. Until 30 years ago the festlvals in this temple used to be celebrated on a graLd scale. There is no special <x:caslon for the festival. Kat/ta kab, thullal ar,d processiOn 'With capari soned elephants are usual attractions. Pancharasam, pa/ppa}asam etc. are the offenngs to the temple. Apart from this. devotees also present offenngs. Though the festival is only for 1 day, there will be vilakku, pooja and feeding of Brahmans for 30 days in Vrischigam ending 'With a celebration on the ht of Dhanu. 29th June or the 1 day 90,000 Stationery, household articles etc. next Sunday 16th November 41 days (last 1,000 As the market is l;ear, no special fair of to 26th December 2 days importance. 1 he festIvals are celebrated important) regularly every year. The general public take intelest m the affairs of the temple, irrespective of their castes and commu 14th April 2 days 1,000 nities. Usual attractions are kathakali. thullal, instrumental music etc. Flowers, camphor and edIble things are received as offermgs In the temple. 5 STATEMENT OF FAIRS TRlVANDRUM Location of Village or Sl. Name of Town (Nearest Railway Name of place of Name of Fair or Occasion of the Fair No. Village or Town Station and distance) worship Festival or Festival 2 3 4 5 6 CHIRAYINKIL 23 Kadakkavoor Kadakkavoor 1 mile Kayikara temple Asan day celebrations One week ending on Chithira in Medom .24 do do 2 furlongs Munduvilakdm Vilakku Ganapathi temple 25 Sarkara Chirayinkil 1 furlong Sarkara Bhadrakali Kalioottu Battle between Darukasura Chirayinkil temple and Bhadrakali 26 do do do Meena Bharany Birthday celebration of Bhagavathy 27 do co St. James R. C. Church, Parochial Feast Feast of St. James Thazhampally 28 do do Keleswaram temple Rohini Utsavam Sreekrishna Jayanthi 29 Attingal do 3t miles Thiruvarattu Kodlyettu Utsavam Prathishta day Makayiram to Bhagavathy temple Uthram in Vrischigam 30 Nagaroor do 10 miles Mavelikonam Karthlka Karthika in Kumbhom Bhagavathy temple 31 Nagaroor do Raloorkavu Devi temple do Karthika in Vrischigam 32 Pazhaya- do 12 miles Payyanadu temple Sivarathri Sivarathri in Kumbhom kunnummel 33 do do Puthiyakavu Bhagavathy Bharany Bharany in Kumbhom temple 6 AND FESTlV ALS DISTRICT Average No.