MALAPPURAM
After a COVID-19 inflicted hiatus of two years, festivities restarted at Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala’s Viswambhara Temple on Monday. The festival popularly known as Kottakkal Pooram will last 12 days.
A special nadaswaram concert by Guruvayur Murali and team and a Thayambaka concert by Panamalli Sasi marked the inaugural day of the Pooram. The concerts attracted huge crowds.
PSV Natyasangham will stage Kathakali performances on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Kottakkal Ranjit Warrier will lead a two-hour music concert on Friday evening, to be followed by a Thayambaka performance by Thriprangode Parameswara Marar.
A violin concert by Alankode V.S. Gokul will be the key attraction on April 2. It will be followed by a Thayambaka performance by Kottakkal Ravi Marar.
Kalamandalam Aruna R. Marar will stage a Mohiniyattam performance on April 3. M.R. Ramakrishnan, public relations officer of Arya Vaidya Sala, said that there would be several other cultural programmes every day.
The Viswambhara Temple festival has been known for its communal amity. The festival pulls people of all religions from Kottakkal and neighbouring places to the courtyards of Kailasa Mandiram, the headquarters of Arya Vaidya Sala.
The Viswambhara Temple differs from other temples in giving unrestricted access to the people of all castes and religions into the sreekovil. “Anyone, irrespective of religion, will have access to the sanctum sanctorum of the Viswambhara Temple. That is the uniqueness of this temple,” said Mr. Ramakrishnan.
