Calendar

Nov
8
Fri
Kalpathi Ratholsavam @ kalpathy, palakkad
Nov 8 @ 7:00 am – Nov 18 @ 6:00 pm

Kalpathi Ratholsavam or the Kalpathi Chariot Festival also known as Kalpathy Theru festival is the famous festival of Palakkad District. The annual festival is held at the famous Viswanathaswamy Temple in the village of Kalpathi.  Kalpathi is a traditional Tamil Brahmin settlement in Kerala (Agraharam or Traditional house).

Kalpathi Ratholsavam Palakkad

Kalpathi Ratholsavam Palakkad

Even though the 10 day festival starts from 8th the main festival days are the last 3 days of the festival from 14th to 16th.

Start date: 14-11-2017

End date: 16-11-2017

Venue: Sree Viswanatha Swamy Temple

Location: Kalpathi

District: Palakkad

Read More about Kalpathy Ratholsavam

Celebrations

The main attraction of the festival are the six magnificent chariots (three from the Viswanathaswamy Temple and three from the nearby temples of Manthakkara Maha Ganapathy, Lakshminarayana Perumal of Old Kalpathy, and Maha Ganapathy of Chathapuram) beautifully decorated with flowers, flags, sugarcane, coconuts etc are ceremoniously drawn through the streets by thousands of devotees. The procession is accompanied by caparisoned elephants and percussion. It is believed that pulling the chariots will wash off all the sins for a lot of generations.

How to Reach

Nearest railway station: Olavakot – 1 km, Palakkad, about 3 km

Nearest town: Palakkad – 3 km

Nearest airport: Coimbatore in the neighbouring State of Tamil Nadu, about 55 km

Disclaimer

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In Kerala, festival dates are decided in accordance with the Malayalam calendar and the local traditions and customs. We have calculated the festival dates based on these. But there can be changes in the dates according the customs and rituals associated with each place of worship. As such, these should be considered only as approximate dates and have to be confirmed with the local authorities.

Jun
28
Sat
Champakulam Moolam Boat Race @ Champakulam
Jun 28 all-day

The Champakulam Moolam Boat Race is one of the oldest vallam kali (snake boat race) (after the Aranmula Boat Race) of Kerala, India. The Champakulam Moolam vallam kali is the boat race that kicks off the boat race season of Kerala annually.

Champakulam Moolam Boat Race

Champakulam Moolam Boat Race

The race is held on the River Pamba at Champakkulam, a village in Alappuzha district on Moolam day of the Malayalam month Midhunam (according to the Malayalam Calendar), the day of the installation of the deity at the Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple. The day normally falls in June or July and the boat race attracts an enormous crowd.

This is the event that kicks off the boat racing frenzy which takes over the State for the next few months.

Read More About Champakulam Moolam Boat Race

Getting there

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Nearest railway station: Alappuzha, about 15 km
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 78 km

Sep
5
Fri
Malabar Jalolthsavam, Kavvayi Lake @ Kavvayi Lake
Sep 5 @ 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm

This years Malabar Jalolthsavam or Malabar Boat Race for the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Memorial Gold Trophy organized by Mettammal Brothers is being held at Kavvayi Kayal or Kavvayi Lake in the Kasaragod District,  is on 5th September 2017 the 3rd Onam day.

malabar jalolthsavam kavvayi lake

malabar jalolthsavam kavvayi lake

The organizers of the Vallam Kali, the Mettammal Brothers is one of the most famous football clubs on Northern Kerala.

Rear More about Malabar Jalolthsavam, Kavvayi Lake

Sponsored Ads

Started a few years back the Kavvayi boat race is one of the famous boat races of North Kerala. Other programs are also conducted as part of the boat race.

Sep
10
Wed
Madayi Jalolthsavam, Madayi Boat Race @ Pazhyangadi River
Sep 10 @ 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm

The 4th Madayi Jalolthsavam or Madayi Vallam Kali organized by Samskrithi Madayi in association with DTPC Kannur and Kerala Folklore Academy for the Madayi Co-operative Rural Bank Trophy is being conducted in the Pazhyangadi River on 7th September 2017.

Madayi Boat Race

Madayi Boat Race

Started in the year 2014 Madayi Boat Race is a major Boat Race in the North Malabar Region.

Read More about Madayi Boat Race

Boat Races will be conducted in the 25 rower category and 15 rower category.As part of the Boat Race there will also be a Mappila Pattu performance by Eranzholi Moosa.

Also there will be water adventure performances, processions and competitions like Mehandi Designing competition, arts and literature competitions.

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Read More about Boat Races

Sep
11
Thu
Aranmula Boat Race @ Aranmula
Sep 11 all-day

Aranmula Vallamkali or the Aranmula Snake Boat Race also known as Aranmula Uthrattathi Vallamkali or Aranmula Uthrattathi Boat Race (Since it is held on the Uthrittathi asterism as per the Malayalam calendar) is the oldest river boat fiesta in Kerala held in the Pampa River near the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and Arjuna, during Onam festival of Kerala (in the month of August–September).

Aranmula Vallamkali

Aranmula Vallamkali

Aranmula is a heritage village lies in the banks of the river Pampa in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala and the snake boats used for this race are called Palliyodams.

Read More about Aranmula Vallamkali 

Event date: 29-08-2018
Venue: River Pamba
Location: Aranmula
District: Pathanamthitta

Legend says that a devout Brahmin promised to provide all the requirements for the ThiruvonaSadya (feast held during Thiruvonam). On one such occasion, the Thiruvona Thoni, as the boat is called, laden with all these offerings to be delivered to Aranmula Sree Parthasarathy Temple got attacked by enemies during its voyage. In order to protect the Thiruvona Thoni, the people from the neighboring areas sent their snake boats and it is from here that the grand tradition of the special snake boat race in the area was born.

Getting there

Nearest railway station: Chengannur, about 10 km

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Nearest airport: Trivandrum International Airport, about 117 km

Pulikali @ Swaraj Round Thrissur
Sep 11 @ 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Pulikkali is a grand spectacle which has become synonymous with the Onam festival in Kerala, and it is an event that you should never miss. Pulikali forms an integral part of the Onam festivival and it attracts thousands of people to the Thrissur city. A striking feature of this folk art is the colorful appearance of the performers.

Pulikali The Tiger Dance

Pulikali The Tiger Dance

Read More about Pulikali

Puli means Tiger or Leopard and Kali means Play in Malayalam so Pulikkali literal means the ‘Play of the Tigers’ or Tiger Dance. Pulikkali is a recreational folk art from the state of Kerala in which the performance revolve around the theme of tiger hunting.

Event date: 28th Aug 2018 – Puroruttadi  Day (Third day after Thiruonam)

Venue: Swaraj Round

Location: Swaraj Round

District: Thrissur

Getting there:

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Nearest railway station: Thrissur, about a kilometer
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 54 kms

 

Oct
2
Thu
Thejaswini Boat Race (Uthara Malabar Jalolthsavam, Thejaswini Lake ) @ Karyankode River, Neeleshwaram
Oct 2 @ 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm

This years Mahathma Gandhi Trophy Uthara Malabar Jalolthsavam or the North Malabar Boat Race is being conducted on the 2nd October of 2017 in the Thejaswini River (Karyankode River), near Neeleshwaram in the Kasaragod district of Kerala.

North Malabar Vallam Kali

North Malabar Vallam Kali

Competition will be conducted in the 25 rower category and 15 rower category for men and 15 rower category for women

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Started in the early 1970 the Uthara Malabar Vallam Kali was the only Boat Race in the North Malabar region until recently. But now a lot of boat races are being conducted in the Kannur and Kasaragod District.

Nov
8
Sat
Kalpathi Ratholsavam @ kalpathy, palakkad
Nov 8 @ 7:00 am – Nov 18 @ 6:00 pm

Kalpathi Ratholsavam or the Kalpathi Chariot Festival also known as Kalpathy Theru festival is the famous festival of Palakkad District. The annual festival is held at the famous Viswanathaswamy Temple in the village of Kalpathi.  Kalpathi is a traditional Tamil Brahmin settlement in Kerala (Agraharam or Traditional house).

Kalpathi Ratholsavam Palakkad

Kalpathi Ratholsavam Palakkad

Even though the 10 day festival starts from 8th the main festival days are the last 3 days of the festival from 14th to 16th.

Start date: 14-11-2017

End date: 16-11-2017

Venue: Sree Viswanatha Swamy Temple

Location: Kalpathi

District: Palakkad

Read More about Kalpathy Ratholsavam

Celebrations

The main attraction of the festival are the six magnificent chariots (three from the Viswanathaswamy Temple and three from the nearby temples of Manthakkara Maha Ganapathy, Lakshminarayana Perumal of Old Kalpathy, and Maha Ganapathy of Chathapuram) beautifully decorated with flowers, flags, sugarcane, coconuts etc are ceremoniously drawn through the streets by thousands of devotees. The procession is accompanied by caparisoned elephants and percussion. It is believed that pulling the chariots will wash off all the sins for a lot of generations.

How to Reach

Nearest railway station: Olavakot – 1 km, Palakkad, about 3 km

Nearest town: Palakkad – 3 km

Nearest airport: Coimbatore in the neighbouring State of Tamil Nadu, about 55 km

Disclaimer

Sponsored Ads

In Kerala, festival dates are decided in accordance with the Malayalam calendar and the local traditions and customs. We have calculated the festival dates based on these. But there can be changes in the dates according the customs and rituals associated with each place of worship. As such, these should be considered only as approximate dates and have to be confirmed with the local authorities.

Jun
28
Sun
Champakulam Moolam Boat Race @ Champakulam
Jun 28 all-day

The Champakulam Moolam Boat Race is one of the oldest vallam kali (snake boat race) (after the Aranmula Boat Race) of Kerala, India. The Champakulam Moolam vallam kali is the boat race that kicks off the boat race season of Kerala annually.

Champakulam Moolam Boat Race

Champakulam Moolam Boat Race

The race is held on the River Pamba at Champakkulam, a village in Alappuzha district on Moolam day of the Malayalam month Midhunam (according to the Malayalam Calendar), the day of the installation of the deity at the Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple. The day normally falls in June or July and the boat race attracts an enormous crowd.

This is the event that kicks off the boat racing frenzy which takes over the State for the next few months.

Read More About Champakulam Moolam Boat Race

Getting there

Sponsored Ads

Nearest railway station: Alappuzha, about 15 km
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 78 km

Sep
5
Sat
Malabar Jalolthsavam, Kavvayi Lake @ Kavvayi Lake
Sep 5 @ 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm

This years Malabar Jalolthsavam or Malabar Boat Race for the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Memorial Gold Trophy organized by Mettammal Brothers is being held at Kavvayi Kayal or Kavvayi Lake in the Kasaragod District,  is on 5th September 2017 the 3rd Onam day.

malabar jalolthsavam kavvayi lake

malabar jalolthsavam kavvayi lake

The organizers of the Vallam Kali, the Mettammal Brothers is one of the most famous football clubs on Northern Kerala.

Rear More about Malabar Jalolthsavam, Kavvayi Lake

Sponsored Ads

Started a few years back the Kavvayi boat race is one of the famous boat races of North Kerala. Other programs are also conducted as part of the boat race.