Things Nobody had told you about Kalpathy Ratholsavam of Palakkad in Kerala

Celebrating the grandeur of a festival is very much linked with the traditions of the enchanting state of Kerala. So is the Kalpathy Ratholsavam organised every year in the month of November in the beautiful small village of Kalpathy in Palakkad. Yet they are far more different from the traditional temple festivals with the procession of half a dozen well-adorned elephants. Even if you are not an admirer of the neighbouring state, Tamil Nadu’s typical temple festivals that are usually followed, you will inevitably feel astounded of its unique features. Given below are the things you never knew about Kalpathy Ratholsavam of Palakkad in Kerala.

The prominent temple associated with the Chariot festival was built around 7 centuries ago

Visalakshmi Sametha and Sri Vishwanatha Swamy Temples are believed to be built in 1425 AD that is being regarded as the major spot where the entire festival is conducted. You should not expect a huge architectural structure made of ancient stone with those intricate carvings in them, as they are way much smaller than its counterparts in the south of India. Yet, you could catch a glimpse of the major deity, Lord Shiva at its very interiors of the shrine. The idol placed here is assumed to be brought from Kaashi.

There is an old story that describes the naming of the village as Dakshin Kashi

The reason behind such a sobriquet for this temple is concerned with a story that date backs to several centuries back. An old Brahmin lady who had been on a pilgrimage to Kaashi had requested the then erstwhile ruler Itikombi Achan to build a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva after returning from Kaashi. Furthermore, she had also brought an idol along with her. She wanted this to happen so badly, as she had even gifted some gold to the ruler. Henceforth, due to all these reasons, the entire village was later addressed as Dakshin Kaashi or ‘Half of Kaashi.’

The chariots are pulled over by about thousands of devotees

As cited earlier, while you are witnessing the magnificent festivity you are certainly going to be awestruck by the sight of hundreds of people pulling the huge rathams, besides the thousand others. Moreover, the origin of such a custom dates back to several years ago and no one exactly knows since when the rituals are being followed so here in this part of Kerala. Anyhow, for these 10 days long festivities, you could look over by those streets when the devotees are seen chanting the Vedic prayers and moving together.

Centuries-old temples are situated on the banks of River Nila

With reference to the old story stated here, it was the wish of the Brahmin lady to build a temple on the banks of River Nila, otherwise known as Bharathapuzha. The significant temple to Lord Shiva and Parvathi are most adjacent to them and the particular spot had been deemed as a crucial point of this grand procession. So while you are visiting Kalpathy Ratholsavam in your tour packages never skip to reach up to them during the festival season along with your family.

On auspicious days, you could witness more number of chariots

Even though the major part of the festivities are centred around the Shiva temple, many more chariots dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Lord Subramaniyam and others can be seen approaching towards and back the major temple. However, you could find the extra chariots decorated with huge tomb-like structures and garlands only on the final days of the ten-day-long festival. Mostly, there would be around 6 chariots that are brought from Viswanathaswamy Temple, Maha Ganapathy Temple of Chathapuram, Manthakkara Maha Ganapathy Temple and Lakshminarayana Perumal Temple of Old Kalpathy.

Each of the chariots is dedicated to different Hindu gods

The chariots or the rathams as they are called regionally are mad to make large processions alongside the ancient streets of Kalpathy. Furthermore, you would already know of the fact that there are about a million Hindu gods. So from the few of the other temples located nearby the major Shiva temple, that is dedicated to different gods will set up each of the chariots. Therefore, in the festival, along hundreds of devotees, these multiple rathoms will also be proceeding. In its appearance, each of them will be having a nuanced alteration.

Kalpathy is the only heritage village of Kerala

The basic setting of this old village had offered such a status to it, as each household are arranged in such a way one is connected to another. These homes in the region are known as ‘Agrahaarams,’ which do possess sloped roofs and their front areas will always be decorated with ‘Koolams.’ Moreover, the people who are dwelling in these unique settlements were emigrated from the neighbouring state and largely follow their native traditions.

Population residing in the hamlet are Tamil Brahmin settlers

These early settlers with Tamil origin had migrated to Kerala from their homeland and had started living in Kalpathy since 12 century. Such a step could be because the standard of living here in Kerala could have been cheap, rather than supporting the huge families in an expensive place. Also, in most common cases, the people residing in neighbouring households would most probably be an extended part of a single-family.

As mentioned earlier, festivals celebrated in the state of Kerala are just too many, while the most popular being the Onam. The very essence of these engaging festivities could be experienced only when you are witnessing them in real. So why are you waiting for?? Plan your very next vacation to this amazing land once contact the popular tour operator Gogeo Holidays. They have got some exciting tour packages for you to check out, as they are covering the most prominent travel destinations of the state including Munnar, Alappuzha, Wayanad, Varkala, Gavi, Kochi, Vagamon and Thekkady. You could avail their services at extremely lower prices.

The 5 most prominent dams in Kerala

               The world is growing day by day. People have now become very competitive. Nowadays people are not ready to invest their valuable time in any unnecessary matters, because they are in a rush to achieve their daily goals. Humans are so busy with office chores that they forget they have obligations towards their family, friends, and society and moreover towards nature. Can you imagine a world without trees and wild creatures? It is said that our planet was formed millions of years ago and it was our Mother Nature who protected our ancestors and also us from several devastating natural calamities. Like where son and daughter have an obligation towards their aged parents and siblings likewise we, humans are liable to the conserve the natural resources. What we are today is all because of the hard work of our parents. Therefore it is our responsibility to hand over nature in the same away as we were gifted. Before explaining the importance of conservation of nature and its resources let us all have a glimpse of the important resources of nature. We all are familiar without water no one on the planet could survive. Pure air and water are the two basic elements that are essential for living organisms to sustain life on earth. It is not possible to discuss each and every element in this document therefore let us concentrate on the conservation of water. Water has many uses and 99 % of us know what they are. I really don’t want you to get bored by reading the uses of water. There would be only a few places in the world that experiences continuous rainfall throughout the year. But the rest of the part of the world suffers from the scarcity of water in terrible hot summer days. To avoid such situations waters are conserved in reservoirs called Dams. More than 50 dams are situated in India. Out of which 10 are from Kerala. Kerala is the state where Mother Nature has showered her scintillating natural resources enormously to mankind. Water in the reservoir is generally used to generate electricity and quench the thirst of plants, animals, and humans. The dams in Kerala are beautifully decorated and maintained with all modern amenities. Hundreds of travelers flock to Kerala with family from Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Hyderabad to enchant the beguiling charm of water dams situated in the state. Most of the travelers visit the state by purchasing tour packages at reasonable rates and thus make their travel hassle-free. When compared to the past now people are more interested to accompany their family and friends to nature-oriented places and marvel their hearts with fresh vibes. To freshen your hearts with good emotions let us traverse through the lanes of prominent dams in Kerala.

  1. Parambikulam Dam

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               Parambikulam Dam is one of the best dams in India. It is located in the Palakkad district in Kerala. The water from the dam feeds hectares of paddy cultivation and lakhs of the family in Chittur Taluk and also other places in the district. It is constructed on the banks of the Parambikulam River and Aliyar River. It was built during the period of Kamaraj. The maximum storage capacity of the dam is 1825 feet.  The dam is functioned and maintained by the government of Tamil Nadu but the ownership of the dam lies with the Kerala government.

  1. Neyyar Dam

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               Neyyar Dam is situated on the banks of the Neyyar River in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. It is positioned on the grounds of Western Ghats. It was constructed in the year 1958. The Neyyar Dam is also known as ‘Gravity Dam’. The dam is constructed close to Agasthayarkoodam. Trekkers who trek the famous Agasthyarkoodam hill will definitely visit the famous Neyyar Dam. Visitors availing family tour packages at cheap prices used to mesmerize the beauty of the serene nature by visiting the famous Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwanthari Ashram.

  1. Mullaperiyar Dam

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               Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry dam constructed on the banks of the Periyar River in the Idukki district in Kerala. John Pennycuick started the construction of Mullaperiyar Dam in 1187 and he took 8 years to complete it. The dam collects water from both Mullayar and Periyar Rivers. The famous Periyar National Park is constructed on the banks of the Periyar River.

  1. Idukki Dam

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               Idukki Dam is one of the highest arch dams in India situated in the Idukki District on the banks of Periyar River. The Idukki dam is sandwiched between Kuruvan and Kurathi hills. At a distance of 43 km from the dam, the Moollamattam powerhouse is located. The Idukki dam is mainly formed by the amalgamation of Cheruthonni, Idukki and Kulamavu dams in Kerala. Tourists from various corners of the world visit the dam to enjoy its fascinating beauty. Travelers are supposed to buy tickets to enter the dam. People can enjoy the spell-bound beauty of the dam by practicing boating inside the dam. After strolling the dam travelers can visit the famous Idukki Wildlife sanctuary and capture amazing images of animals and birds in the jungle.

  1. Pazhassi Dam

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               The famous Pazhassi Dam is situated in Thalassery Thaliparamba taluks in Kannur district. The dam is also known as Kulur Barrage. It is constructed on the banks of Valapattanam River. The dam is famous not only for its storage capacity but also for its serene nature. For travelers to enjoy the beauty of the park the authorities have constructed a park and named it as Pazhassi Park. King Pazhassi’s statute and the sculpture of Buddha are the eye-catching attractions of Pazhassi Park.

               From the above paragraphs, travelers might have got a clear idea about the famous 5 dams in Kerala and their unique specialties. To know more about it avails of a tour package to Kerala. To make your journey more comfortable purchase the packages from a prominent tour operator called Gogeo Holidays. They curate itineraries according to the customer’s request. Travelers can book packages either online or offline. So what are you waiting for? Avail of the packages as soon as possible, before it expires.

Mango Meadows – An exquisite place for children and couples

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It is always said that life changes when you get married. And it is true in my case. I was just recollecting my old days when my mother used to wake me up early in the morning. Even though I have an alarm in my room I just open my eyes to stop it. Again I will cover my face with the blanket and enjoy my sleep. Those olden days were the glorious days of my life. And it is not for me alone…. It is the same for each and everyone who is reading this blog. In my deep sleep, I was recollecting my school, and college days where I wholly depended on my mother for every minute thing. She would be always busy in the kitchen in the early morning but whenever I call her… she would run to me to solve my issues… suddenly I felt like something was crawling on me… and it continued for a minute …. I thought it would be some ant… therefore I did not open my eyes and continued to be part of the dream… but something again interrupted me …. But this time it was not the ant but something else… someone was hitting with a hard material… without any second thought, I decided to uncover myself and to my surprise, it was my second child beating me with his water bottle… he is the only person in our house who wakes up so early that many a time even if we forget to set the alarm he will be there to wake up us…. thank God for gifting him for us… by the time my husband woke up and we together sort out all the household chores… later we both got ready for our office… he used to drop me to the office everyday…. That day I shared my dream that I saw in the morning and old school days with my husband…. I really miss those days I told him…. I expressed my wish to go back to the olden days…. for a moment he remained silent… and then told that we can plan an exotic vacation during the summer holidays. I was thrilled… he asked me to find a fascinating destination for us as well as for kids.

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As we both had a shortage of leaves I did not surf any places outside Kerala. More than the duration of the trip it is the way how much we enjoy it… therefore we decided to search places in Kerala itself… many places came into my mind…. at first we decided to plan a stunning trip to hill stations like Munnar…but when I discussed the same to my hubby.. he said that it will be boring for kids…as our kids are too small and they cannot enjoy the adventurous activities… then we thought of amusement parks…but over there only kids can enjoy and we will have to look after them and we will not be able to celebrate the trip in our own way… even spending more than an hour on the computer we were not able to finalize the destination…hence with disappointment, we shut down the system… to refresh my mind I started to spend some time surfing social media sites …. suddenly I came across the family pictures of my friend … she and her family had an amazing vacation somewhere in Kerala…after zooming one of the pictures I got the name of the place… it is the Mango Meadows… it is for the first time I am hearing the place… I showed the same to my hubby… he found it interesting and asked me to inquire about it to her… the very next day I contacted her … and asked about the place…she told me that it is the Mango Meadows in Kottayam. It is the biodiversity park and best place for vacationing… she gave me their contact numbers… before ending the call I ask her whether the park is suitable for couples she replied that the park is suitable for both couples as well as for kids… there are separate sections for kids and adults. Therefore we availed of the family tour packages from Gogeo Holidays. The name of the travel operator was suggested by my friend… we utilized the online services.

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It took nearly two hours to reach the Mango Meadows. It is situated in Kadathuruthy in Kottayam district. It is one of the largest biodiversity parks in the world. The park is sprawled in an area of 30 acres with more than 4500 varieties of trees and various species of birds and animals could be seen there. It was Mr. Kurian’s dream to build an amusing agricultural and he took 14 years to accomplish his dream. As my friend told the park comprises separate sections for couples and kids. For kids, there are amusement parks and for couples, there is a special place called ‘valentine’s corner’ and only married couples are permitted to enter. As we both were busy we hardly found time to spend with each other and this valentine’s corner really helped us to spend some quality time. We indulged in many activities like badminton, cycling, shooting, pedal boating and may more. For more than a decade it was for the first time I was riding the bicycle… It took half an hour to regain the cycle balance. And we also had a cycle competition. And in that our kids defeated us. Followed to it we played badminton too… by noon we savoured traditional Kerala foods in their restaurant the food was served in a long banana leaf. Over there we saw many families coming from various parts of India as well as foreign countries by availing of the family tour package. It is the traditional custom of Kerala to serve food on banana leaf…it was a new experience for many of the non-Keralites. Followed to it we visited the sacred grove called ‘sarpakavu’… It is the place where serpents were protected. Then we moved to the ‘Nakshtraval’ it is the place where you can find trees corresponding to your zodiac signs. Many of the foreigners found it difficult to identify the trees related to their birth star and I helped them. It was a proud moment for me. We clicked on many lovely photographs. In the night we opted for treehouse to refresh. It was a mind-blowing experience for us. It was for the first time we spend a night in the midst of trees. As aforementioned it was our son who wakes up early in the morning. On that day it was the melodious chirp that called us back from the deep sleep. A one day tour really gifted us life long memories. We are really thankful to the Gogeo Holidays for organizing such a wonderful trip and also to our friend for suggesting this place.