The ritualistic ‘Pantheerayirom vazhipadu’ in connection with the 10-day annual festival at the centuries’ old Sreevallabha Temple at Thiruvalla was held with religious fervour on Sunday.
Hundreds of devotees, including women and children, took part in the procession, carrying the special variety of `kaali’ plantains, to the Sreevallabha Temple from the Sree Mahadevar Temple in the adjoining village of Thukalasserry in the morning.
Renowned Chenda exponent, Thiruvalla Radhakrishnan, led the Panchavadyam team.
As is the custom and ritualistic tradition, a total of 12,001 plantains were offered to the presiding deity as part of the ritual held as a prelude to the 10-day temple festival that begins on Thursday.
The plantains offered to the deity were distributed as prasadom among the devotees after the auspicious ‘Pantheeradipuja’ at the temple, later.
The temple chief priest (Tantri), Prameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathirippad of Thekkedathu Kuzhikkattu Illom, will lead the Kodiyettu ceremony, marking the beginning of the annual festival.
The Tantri will hoist the ceremonial flag in the auspicious muhurthom between 4.52 p.m. and 5.35 p.m.
Thiruvalla Radhakrishnan, will lead a major-set Panchavadyom on the occasion.
The annual temple festival will be held from March 27 to April 7.
Kathakali is an important offering to the presiding deity at the Srevallabha Temple and it will be staged on all the 10 festival days.
The ritualistic Pallivetta ceremony will be held on March 6 evening.
The festival will come to a close with the Aratt ceremony at the Arattu-kadavu at Thukalasserry on March 7.