Padayani begins on Tuesday

PATHANAMTHITTA: The annual Padayani festival at the Kadalimangalam Devi temple, Venpala, near Thiruvalla, will be held from March 9 to 20.

Addressing a pr�ss conference here on Friday, the Padayani organising committee leaders of Eruvellipra-Thengeli Padayani Karayogam, R.S. Kurup and Santhosh Ancheril, said the ritualistic Choottuvaipu ceremony had begun with the sacred fire brought from the sanctum sanctorum of Thiruvalla Sreevallabha Temple on February 26.

The Padayani kolam performance will begin with the �Ezhuthi-thullal and �Panchakolam on March 9.

The �Cheriya Edappadayani and �Valiya Edappadayani will be held on March 11 and 13. The ritualistic �Adavi, �Nirthu Padayani and �Mangala-kolam performance of the Eruvellipra-Thengeli group will be held on March 15, 17 and 18, respectively.

Two padayani committees in the villages of Venpala and Eruvellipra-Thengeli are jointly organising the annual festival that ends on the Bharani asterism in the Malayalam month of Meenom.

The two padayani karayogams would stage their Padayani kolam performance on alternate days from March 9, Mr. Santhosh said.