Kerala tourism Guide

The major events associated with Chettikulangara Bharani also known as Kumbha Bharani festival are the Kuthiyottam and Kettu-Kazhcha. Kuthiyottam is a ritual dance offering to the Devi performed by children considered as human sacrifice to appease the goddess. These children are taught some Kuttiyottam steps and on the day of the Bharani festival their abdominal skin is pierced with gold or silver threads known as Chooral Muriyal and dressed up like kings with paper crowns. They are then taken to the temple in a procession where in front of the Devi they dance to four songs sung in prose of the goddess. Kuthiyottam is a onetime ritual in their life for these boys. Kettukazhacha is an offering to the goddess for favors received and to seek her blessings. It is a spectacular procession consisting of six big and dazzlingly decorated temple cars called as Kuthira, five small decorated temple cars called as Theru and effigies of Bhima, Hanuman and Panchali. It will be accompanied by ritual folk arts like Padayani, Ammankudam Kolkali and Kuthiyottam. Kettukazhcha procession shows the architectural and aesthetic expertise of the people of Chetikulangara and the Chariots proceeding from different points in the village to the temple show the harmony among the people of this region.