Chariots begin rolling as Kalpathy fest enters final days

Devotees pull the ornately decorated chariot carrying the deity through the streets of Palakkad on Saturday, marking the opening of the annual Kalpathy Chariot Festival.

The ongoing Kalpathy chariot festival entered its final phase on Saturday as the chariots of the Sree Visalakshi Sametha Viswanathaswamy Temple began their procession through the village streets. Hundreds of devotees joined in pulling the chariots, marking the start of the chariot days, the main attraction of the 11-day festival.

The chariot festival reflects a tradition in which the deities leave their temples and travel through the village to visit devotees. Pulling the chariots is considered an act of devotion, with people taking part as a way of seeking the blessings of the deities.

On Sunday, the chariot of Manthakkara Sree Maha Ganapathy Temple, New Kalpathy, will begin its procession. On Monday, the deities of Sree Lakshminarayana Perumal Temple, Old Kalpathy, and Sree Prasanna Maha Ganapathy Temple, Chathapuram, will also take to the streets in their respective chariots.

The festival will reach its culmination on Monday evening when the chariots of all four temples converge at Therumutty, in front of the Viswanathaswamy Temple, and stand facing one another. The congregation is expected to grow over the next two days as more people arrive in Kalpathy to witness the procession.

The festival traces its origins to the migration of Tamil Brahmins to Palakkad in the 14th century. While temple rituals follow Tamil Brahmin traditions, the chariot processions feature elements of Keralam’s cultural heritage, including traditional percussion and decorations.

Meanwhile, the police have made arrangements to deploy hundreds of personnel over the three main days of the chariot festival to manage the crowds and ensure security. The Health department has also intensified food safety inspections in Old and New Kalpathy. Teams led by technical assistants C.M. Radhakrishnan and K. Abdul Majeed seized and destroyed stale milk, bakery products, fried cauliflower and substandard ice during inspections on Saturday. Health inspectors K. Suresh and Daniel P. Mathew also took part.

The District Medical Officer warned that action would be taken against vendors who violate food safety standards, citing the risk of infectious diseases during the festival.