The Bonhomie Of Nenmara Vallangi Vela

The season beckons to rejoice in the festive spirit and soak in the beautiful milieu of colors, fireworks, light, and art forms for a mesmerising and unforgettable experience.

- Deepa Vaitheeswaran

A round the time when spring arrives and the searing heat of summer is a month away, several temples in South India organize their annual festival with great pomp and grandeur. One of these celebrations is the Nenmara Vallangi Vela, a popular annual festival of Kerala which coincides with the birthday of Nellikulangara Bhagavathy Amman, the presiding deity of the village temple in Palakkad. It is held in accordance with the 20th day of the Meenam month, which is the time after the paddy harvest. Meenam Month is the 8th month in the traditional Malayalam calendar followed in Kerala. In 2021, the Meenam month starts on March 15th and ends on April 13th. Vela, or hoisting of the flag, is a common practice in the temples of the South marking the start of the celebrations. This is done on the 1st of the Meenam month and the celebrations continue for the next twenty days.

Legendary tales