FESTIVALS IN KERALA

“God’s Own Country” these are the words which are used to describe Kerala. If you are interested in cultural aspects of these places, Then you should visit Kerala during its festival times at those times you will be able to see Kerala at its fullest glory. Not only festivals but also so many fairs and other traditions are followed so much religiously in Kerala. Today I will discuss most of the important and best festivals in Kerala.
Following is the Kerala tourism most favorite attraction i.e. Kerala festivals list which you should definitely look into if you are planning to visit Kerala soon

ONAM

Onam is one of the most important and widely celebrated festivals in Kerala. Not only Kerala but it is celebrated all over India with some different name and some different customs. This is a 10-day long festival which is celebrated with complete devotion and Enthusiasm. The main features of this festival involve Kathakali dance, Indoor, Outdoor games boat races and several songs. It is celebrated in the month of Augst-September. In this ten day festival, the first-day “Atham” and the tenth-day “Thiruonam” are most significant of all.

It is celebrated because on this day king Mahabali who was the ruler of Kerala during Ancient times. the period when King Mahabali Ruled Kerala was considered to be the golden era of Kerala. Tiger Play, Flower Rangoli, Thumbi Thullal and Onasadya are the main attraction during this festival. This is celebrated during the monsoon so that tourist can enjoy this colourful festival along with the fizzy rains of Kerala

VISHU

Another Important Festival of Kerala, and it is said to be the new year of Malayali People. It is celebrated in the month of April. There are many different customs, rituals performed by the Karelians on the Vishu day with fun, happiness. The major Things included in the Vishu festival are Vishukani, Vishukaineetam and Vishu pulari.

• Vishuakani means a collection of things such as grains, vegetables etc. arranged in a circular manner in a plate made of five metals with the picture of Lord Krishna
• Vishu pulari Means on the dawn of the Vishu day, each person in the family wakes up early in the morning and with their eyes closed goes to puja room and sees the God with Vishukani
• Vishukaineetam it is also a ritual where the head of the family or elder distributes money, coins to the children, servants of the house to wish them good luck in their future.

THRISSUR POORAM

This is one of the Famous Temple Festivals in Kerala and it has been celebrated in the country for more than 200 years. This is celebrated at the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur. Where two traditional groups “Paramekkavu” and “Thiruvambadi” compete with each other and show each other their generosity or grandiosity in terms of clothed elephants and umbrellas. This festival is celebrated in the month of April. It is celebrated for almost up to 36 hours along with traditional Pooja and it ends with extreme yet some of the beautiful fireworks show that you will ever see. This festival is celebrated mainly to praise Lord Shiva and it also includes lots of Music, Color and religion

THEYYAM FESTIVAL

This is also an 800-year-old festival where you will be able to see 400 types of cultural dances which are performed by the people dressed as deities. The performer goes through different stages, which is what makes this performance a must watch. A first stage is adorning themselves with colours, the Second stage is about self-torture and the thirds are all about dancing perfectly on the music rhythm. This festival is celebrated usually from December to April. the main attraction of this festival is mythological characters being performed by the performers.

KERALA BOAT FESTIVAL

Kerala is really famous for its backwater rides. all the lakes, rivers and Arabian sea are the part of backwater rides, In these places, you can visualize the Boat festival. Boat festival is celebrated with the help of boats of different sizes. This Festival is a great example where you can see amazing team spirit and enthusiasm by the leaders and all the people cheering each other. Nehru Trophy Boat Race in Alleppey, Aranmula Snake Boat Race, Allam Kali at Punnamada Lake and PayippadJalotsavam at Payippad Lake are some of the famous boat races which are held in Kerala.

MAHA SHIVARATHRI

This Festival is also celebrated largely in Kerala with the same devotion and same level of enthusiasm. On the grand scale, this festival is celebrated at the Aluva on the banks of Periyar River. This is celebrated in the months of February to March.

Kerala festivals in the Malayalam language are called the same as they are mentioned above. Now that you know what are some of the most important Kerala festivals names, You should definitely visit the state and at least be a part of one of the festival. It will enhance your experience.

Kerala also has lots of temples which are really amazing and have something unique. Given below is the list of 25 best temples to visit in Kerala

Kerala Temples

1 Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram

One of the oldest and famous temples in Kerala, It is dedicated to Hindu God Vishnu and almost dates back to 8th century. It is one of the finest examples of the Dravidum architecture.

2 Sabarimala Sastha Temple, Pathanamthitta

This temple is placed near Periyar Tiger Reserve. Here pilgrimage is performed on a very large scale. Only men are allowed in this temple Women who are of menstruating age are strictly prohibited.

3 Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram

It is situated near from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, This temple is devoted to goddess Kannaki who is considered supreme mother, Creator of all the living beings

4 Ambalapuzha Srikrishna Temple, Ambalapuzha

Built around 17th century this temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. Many of the followers or devotees come here to worship Unni Krishna which is child form of Krishna.

5 Chottanikkara Temple, Chottanikkara

When it comes to Hindu architecture of shrines, this temple is one of the most famous temples in Kerala, this temple is to worship Chottanikkara Devi who is worshipped in three forms

6 Guruvayoor Srikrishna Temple, Guruvayoor

This temple is also dedicated to Lord Krishna and also one of the most famous temples in whole Kerala.

7 Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple, Kottayam

An ancient temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva, also known for its rich Dravidian architecture.

8 Tali Temple, Kozhikode

Built in the 14th century this temple is also dedicated to Lord Shiva.

9 Thirunelli Temple, Wayanad Valley

An ancient Vishnu temple which is often times known as the Kashi of the North India.

10 Vadakkunathan Temple, Thrissur

A temple dedicated to Lord Shiva which was believed to be built by Parasuram, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu

11 Kaviyoor Mahadeva Temple, Kaviyoor

A sacred place where Lord Shiva, Parvati and Maruti are residing deities.

12 Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple, Mallapuzhassery

Another temple where Lord Krishna (Reincarnation of Vishnu) is present as Deity

13 Sivagiri Temple, Varkala

This temple enshrines the tomb of sage Sree Narayana Guru

Below given are also some of the best temples in Kerala which you should definitely visit

Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, Vaikom, Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple, Haripad,  Sree Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple, Parassinikadavu, Lokanarkavu Temple, Villiappally, Thiruvalla Temple, Thiruvalla, Thiruvanchikulam Shiva Temple, Kodungalloor,  Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottarakkara Ganapathy Temple, Kottarakkara, Pandalam Ayyappa Temple, Pandalam, Chengannur Mahadeva Temple, Chengannur, Malayalappuzha Temple, Malayalapuzha, Nilakkal Mahadeva Temple, Perunad

Even if you have missed some of the important festivals in 2016 you can still enjoy the kerala festivals 2017. So don’t wait anymore book your kerala tickets now.