Pariyanampatta Temple or Kavu is located at Pookkottukavu on the Ottappalam - Mannarkkad road in Palakkad
District in Kerala. Pariyanampetta Pooram 2024 date is February 20. The annual pooram festival is observed here in Malayalam
month Kumbham. The Pooram festival is observed on the 7th day of the Kumbham month.
Three processions namely Vadakkan Pooram, Kizhakkan Pooram and
Patinjaranpooram are held with around nine caparisoned elephants participating.
Traditional Kerala temple music forms the background to the procession. Big effigies
of Kuthira (Horses), Kaala (Bulls) and chariots are drawn during the festival.
The major attraction of the seven-day festival is the Kalamezhuthu
Pattu. In the ritual images of Mother Goddess are drawn on floor using natural
colors. Thottam Pattu is another important performance during the festival.
Traditional Kerala art forms like Kathakali and Chakiarkoothu
are staged during the festival days.
At night, the folk art form Tholpavakoothu (shadow puppetry)
is performed. Tholpavakoothu is a traditional art form of Kerala which is performed
in Devi temples during festivals. Ramayana story is narrated in this art form
in which characters are made out of leather and their shadows appear on the white
screen according to the narration. The act remembers Shiva narrating Ramayana
story to Goddess Parvati.
A procession of around 21 elephants is taken out on the final
day of the Pooram and it is also marked by the display of folk arts like Kalavela (bull
effigy spectacle) and Kuthira Vela (horse effigy spectacle) and others
like Poothanum Thirayum.
Dravya Kalasam is also performed as part of the festival in order to rejuvenate the deity. Gold pellets, coins, precious stones like diamonds, blue sapphire, pushyaragam, ruby etc mixed with nine cereals are poured on the deity with the chanting of mantras. It is believed that participating in the ritual will help in the fulfillment of desires.
The main deity worshipped in the temple is Goddess Bhadrakali. The large bimbam or murti is carved out of wood. The deity faces north. The sreekovil is in the form of nalukettu.
Three Daaru murtis of Goddess in standing posture are there in the sreekovil. The first dharushila on the right is worshiped as Saraswathi Devi in the morning, the middle deity as Bhadrakali at noon and the third Shila is worshipped as Goddess Lakshmi at night.
The Upa Devatas worshipped in the temple are Veerabhadra and Ganapathy.
Another important festival observed in the temple is the Karthika Vilakku in Vrischikam month.