Machadu Mamangam, where motif horses add colour to fete

Five-day annual festival of Thiruvanikkavu temple concludes

Machadu Mamangam, a unique festival where poikuthiras (motif horses) are taken on a procession, was celebrated on Tuesday.

The festival, also called Thiruvanikkavu vela, is a five-day annual temple festival. The celebration takes place in the harvested paddy fields in front of the Thiruvanikkavu Bhagavathy temple, near Wadakkanchery.

The festival is organised by five deshams (villages) in a friendly competition. Kuthira vela (horse festival) takes place on the concluding day of the festival. People carry huge motif horses made of bamboo and paddy straw on their shoulders. The horses are decorated with colourful silk cloth and embellishments.

Convergence of processions of various deshams, accompanied by percussion ensembles and hysteric crowds, in the paddy fields in front of the temple is a visual treat and exciting experience.

It is one of the few festivals in the State, which uses motif horses, instead of elephants for the procession.