Bharani Festival

Current Context: The Kodungalloor Bharani is one of Kerala’s most renowned and intense festivals, celebrated annually during the Malayalam month of Meenam (March-April). ​

About:

• Location: Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple, Kodungalloor, Thrissur district, Kerala.
• Duration: The festival spans from the Bharani asterism in the month of Kumbham to seven days after the Bharani asterism in Meenam. ​

Key Features:

• Oracles (Komaram or Velichappadu): A multitude of oracles, clad in red attire, participate in the festivities, entering a trance-like state. ​
• Kozhikkallu Moodal: The festival commences with this ritual involving the sacrifice of cocks and the shedding of their blood, an essential aspect of the temple’s traditions. ​
• Kavu Theendal: A significant ritual where oracles run around the temple in a frenzied trance state, waving their swords in the air. ​
• Significance: The Bharani festival commemorates the birth of Goddess Bhadrakali, believed to have emerged from the third eye of Lord Shiva to destroy the demon Darika. ​