Sivaratri was celebrated with devotion and religious fervour on Friday.
Ceremonial processions to the accompaniments of caparisoned elephants, traditional temple orchestra and Kavadiyattom marked the celebrations in the district.
Devotees, dressed in red, rose and yellow costumes, performed Kavadiyattom as a votive offering to the presiding deity at various Siva temples.
The Kavadiyattom at the Thirmalida Mahadevar temple at Mallappally was a major Sivaratri event in the district and hundreds of devotees took part in the ceremonial procession.
Devotees carrying richly decorated wooden arches (kavadi) on their shoulders performed the ritualistic dance (kavadiyattom) from the Pariyaram Sree Krishna temple to the Thirumalida Mahadevar temple.
Frenzied dance
Hundreds of devotees thronged the dry sandbed of the Manimala tiver at Mallappally to witness the Kavadiyattom procession to the temple in the forenoon.
Devotees, with ornate Kavadi on their shoulder, a few of them with slender arrows pierced through their cheeks, danced in a divine frenzy in tune with the rhythmic beatings of chenda and nagawarom in the ceremonial processions.
Sivaratri is celebrated to commemorate the legendary wedding day of Lord Siva and Goddess Parvathi. Devout Hindus observed fasting and offered prayers at various Siva temples where special rituals were performed on the auspicious day.
Special rituals
Special Sivaratri rituals were performed at the Mata Amritanandamayi Ashram shrine at Thukalasserry on Friday. Brahmacharini Bhavyamrita Chaitanya led the rituals.
An Arat procession marking the culmination of the 10-day annual festival at the Kuttoor Sree Mahadevar temple was held from the Thondara-kadavu on the banks of the Manimala in the afternoon.
Sivaratri processions were held to the Siva temples at Thrippara, Kaviyur, Muringamangalam, Kalanjoor, Thukalasserry, Elakolloor, Pramadom, Parakode, Puthenkavumala, Chumathra, Vettoor, Poovathur, near Aranmula, Thrikkapaleeswara temple at Niranom, Ardhanareeswara temple at Chathankary, and to the Nalloorsthanom Devi temple at Eraviperoor on Friday.