Curtain falls on Kalpathy car festival

Kalpathy car fest is a replica of the Mayavaram (currently Mayladuthurai) chariot festival in Tamil Nadu. Hundreds of people came to Palakkad to witness the finale of the 10-day-long festival

Kalpathy Tamil Brahmin village here on Thursday witnessed the famous convergence of all deities guarding the village and its people.

Thousands of devotees stood testimony to the confluence of deities such as Siva, Parvathi, Ganapati, Ganesha, and Vishnu. The religious fervour reached its peak as the deities mounted on their respective chariots converged at Therumutty in front of the main temple, Sri Visalakshi Sameta Viswanatha Swami Temple.

Six giant chariots of Kalpathy temples came face to face in one of the rare confluences of gods as the sun slowly began to set. Devotees stood in absolute awe and offered prayers and floral tributes.

The lavishly decorated chariot of Viswanatha Swami (Siva), accompanied by that of Subramanian and Ganapati, stood in the centre of Therumutty. Soon, the chariots of Manthakkara Maha Ganapati, Chathapuram Prasanna Maha Ganapati, and Lakshmi Narayana Perumal (Vishnu), joined them.

The chariot-mounted deities reached Therumutty after traversing through the village. As they stood in front of Sri Visalakshi Sameta Viswanatha Swami Temple, people turned to them in fervent supplication seeking their blessings.

The convergence of deities of Sri Visalakshi Sameta Viswanatha Swami Temple, Manthakkara Sri Maha Ganapati Temple of New Kalpathy, Chathapuram Sri Prasanna Maha Ganapti Temple, and Sri Lakshmi Narayana Perumal Temple of Old Kalpathy, marked the finale of the 10-day religious festivities famously known as Kalpathy Ratholsavam.

Hundreds of people from different parts of the State and outside had reached Kalpathy to witness the festival. The government had given a holiday for educational institutions and government offices in Palakkad taluk. A large posse of police personnel was on duty. They regulated traffic as well as the flow of devotees.