The annual temple festival at Kandiyoor Mahadeva Temple near Mavelikara (Alleppey District), Kerala, is observed in the Dhanu month as per traditional Malayalam calendar followed in Kerala. Kandiyoor Mahadeva Temple Festival 2023 - 2024 date is December 18 to December 27, 2023. The annual festival begins ten days before the Thiruvathira nakshatra in Dhanu month. The festival ends on Thiruvathira nakshatra. The annual festival begins with Kodiyettam or the flag hoisting ceremony. The shrine is traditionally decorated with plantain, coconut leaves, flowers, traditional lamps and lights. Special poojas and offerings are made during the festival period and Annadanam is also organized. Pallivetta is a significant event of the festival and it attracts hundreds of devotees. Traditional performing arts like Kathakali and other events, music and dance are staged during the period. Caparisoned elephants, melam, fireworks and sheeveli are part of the festival.

Shalakya Tantra is a special branch of Ayurveda dealing with the diseases of the parts of the body above the root of the neck. Salakya tantram is called so because there is a general use of shalaka, i.e., rod, stick or probe, in the method of treatment. The diseases dealt under this method are netra rogas (eye diseases), karna rogas (ear diseases), mukha rogas (mouth diseases) ad sira rogas (head diseases). Sushruta mentions 76 types of eye diseases. Lepana (applications of paste), aseyotana (drops), seka (wash), anjana (collyrium), tarpana (saturation), etc., are some methods of treating eye diseases. Karna sula (earache), karna nada (tinnitus), karna srava (otorrhea), karna paka (otitis), badhiriman (deafness), etc., are common ear diseases, and these are treated by fermentation, cleaning, washing, ear drops, and fumigations. Diseases of the nose are pinasa (chronic coryza), purinasya (fetid smell in the nose0, nasa prasosa (dry rhitinis), dipta (acute rhitinis), nasa

The oldest scripture in the world, Vedas, spread the teachings of equality. Vedas did not spread forced equality but by making each being realize the divine in all animate and inanimate. It is important to note that the people of the Vedic age, in contrary to other later ages, didn’t reject life in fact, They enjoyed life immensely. The Upanishads does advocate human philosophy where there is no renunciation. The spiritual sense of equality was equally important to achieve the goal of universal brotherhood. It is noteworthy that most of the vedic prayer was for collective happiness and goodness. The Yajur Veda says that the entire universe is like a nest. (yathra viswam bhavatheyka needam). So, one should realize the feeling of equality among different persons. It further says that a man should protect the other man from all sides (puman pumaag sam paripaathu viswathaha). To avoid disunity caused by difference of opinions, the Vedas give emphasis to the collective t