Aaraattu

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Ārāttu at Arattupuzha Pooram
Bathing the idol at an ārāttu
An ārāttu mandapam at Shankumugham Beach
Ārāttu at temple tank of Veerabhadra temple, Kasaragod

Ārāttu (pronounced [aːraːʈʈə]) is a ritual performed during Hindu temple festivals in Kerala, India, in which the priest bathe the idol of the deity in a nearby river or a temple tank. It is mainly carried out at the end of the temple festival. Ārāttu is celebrated twice annually—the spring festival (March - April) and the autumn festival (October - November). A festival is normally 10 days long.[1]

Major festivals[]

One of the important Arattu in Kerala is conducted at Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram by Travancore royal family, procession is carried out to Shankumugham Beach for the ceremony.[2][3] The operations at the Trivandrum International Airport stops twice a year for the procession to pass through the runway to the Shankumugham Beach.[4] At Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Swamy Temple, the festival starts with a flag hoisting, after bathing the deities, ambalappuzha palpayasam (a sweet pudding) is offered to the gods.[1] The eight-day long festival at Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple, Thrippunithura is concluded with an aaraattu.[5]

In popular culture[]

A 1979 Malayalam film directed by I. V. Sasi was titled Aarattu, and a 2021 film directed by B. Unnikrishnan also use the same title, both the films are otherwise unrelated to the ritual.

See also[]

  • Brahmotsavam
  • Padmanabhaswamy Temple
  • Travancore royal family

References[]

  1. ^ a b Times Travel Editor (11 March 2019). "Want to experience Kerala in its full glory? Aarattu festival is the answer". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  2. ^ Bayi, Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi (29 August 2020). "Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple: The bond has only grown stronger". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  3. ^ Arattu at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple 2013
  4. ^ "This Kerala airport halts flights to make way for 'God'". The Indian Express. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  5. ^ "After Covid lockdown, festival days return to Tripunithura". The New Indian Express. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.


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