Panchayath/ Municipality/ Thiruvilwamala Grama Panchayat Corporation

LOCATION District

Nearest Town/ Thiruvilwamala – 1.3 km Landmark/ Junction

Nearest Bus statio Thiruvilwamala Bus Stand – 500 m

Nearest Railway Junction Railway Station – 27.3 km statio ACCESSIBILITY

Nearest Airport Calicut International Airport – 87.4 km

Shirdi Sai Ram Sanasthan Trust, Thiruvilwamala, , . Contact Number : 0488 4282094, 0488 4281234 Email: [email protected] CONTACT Website: www.saikerala.net DATES FREQUENCY DURATION

TIME March - April Annually 3 days

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL (Legend/History/Myth)

Dates back to 1987, a family residing in a small village known as kuthampully have been devotees of Baba since 1965, wished to build a temple for Saibaba in Thiruvilwalmala. When a member of the family visited to inform the Sai Baba Sanasthan authorities about the plan, a devotee (a well known sculptor) present nearby came forward to donate the marble statue of Sai Baba. As promised the statue was delivered in 15 days. This idol was placed in the family's house till the construction of the temple. A plot was soon purchased in Thiruvilwamala and the work started immediately. Due to the hilly region, a problem of water scarcity was felt. However, Baba's udi was spread over the area and a well was dug. Miraculously water gushed out at 200 feet and this well has been full ever since and was named "SAI GANGA" with donations from Sai devotees world wide the temple was constructed in an year and the idol of Sai Baba was placed in 1989 after the Kumbabishekam.

Local Approximately 1000 RELEVANCE- NO. OF PEOPLE (Local / National / International) PARTICIPATED EVENTS/PROGRAMS DESCRIPTION (How festival is celebrated)

Ramnavami and Vijayadashami are celebrated in this Puja temple. These festivals are celebrated with great passion,

verve and heartfulness. There is a programme of puja, Music music (bhajan of Shirdi Sai Baba) public parayana (reading

of scriptures and devotional texts) and exuberant Public Parayana processions with the palanquin and the Rath (cart). The

Samadhi Mandir remains open all night during one of these Exuberant processions days with Dwarkamai being open the previous night and

there are all night bhajan and qawali sessions at various Kalashabhishekam locations in the village. Sahasra Kalashabhishekam is also a

part of the festival in the Shirdi Sai Baba temple.

Kalashabhishekam is an event in which holy water, milk,

honey etc from thousand small pots will be poured to the idol

of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba.