Painkuni & Alpasi Utsavam
Date:14-03-2019 to 23-03-2019
Considered as richest temples in India, Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is situated at East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram. Lord Padmanabha (Vishnu) is the main deity is in the “Anantha shayanam” posture (reclined on the mighty five hooded serpent Anantha), the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Adisheshan.
The temple mainly celebrates two festivals. One is Painkuni Utsavam and the other is the Alpashi Utsavam. The Painkuni festival starts on Rohini asterism in the Malayalam month of Meenam and ends of the Chithira asterism, which usually falls in March –April. As part of Painkuni festival, massive images of Pandavas are erected at the Eastern entrance of the temple.
Alpasi Utsavam is celebrated in the Malayalam month of Thulam from Atham asterism to Thiruvonam asterism, which usually falls in October or November. Next year the festival is on 27th October -4th November 2019.
The fascinating part of both the festival is the pallivetta and arattu ceremony, the holy bath in the sea for the deities. The arattu procession starts from the temple and proceeds to the Shanghumugham beach. The head of the Travancore royal family will escort the procession, bearing a sword. The procession comprises magnificently decorated elephants, mounted police and columns of armed police.
Main Attraction
Pallivetta and Arattu procession of Alppasi and Paikuni Festivals
