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Payyoli Keezhur Shiva Temple Festival In Kozhikode – Unique Namboothiri Velichappadu In A Shiva Temple

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Keezhur Shiva Temple is located on Maniyur – Kizhur road in Payyoli in Kozhikode, Kerala. Payyoli Keezhur Shiva temple festival 2024 date is December 11 to December 15. The annual festival in the temple is held during the last five days of Vrischikam month.

The festival begins with kodiyettam and ends with Arattu. The deity is taken out in procession (ezhunelkuka) for arattu atop an elephant. The fireworks in the temple is various famous and is known Poovedi. The thidambu of bhagavan is place on Poovedi thara after the arattu procession.

The shrine is dedicated to Shiva. The deity is known as Vatirkappavar.

The Prathishta of the deity is on a five feet high pillar (mani thoonu). The deity faces west. Dhara is an important ritual here and it is performed on a Thidambu.

The Upa Devatas in the temple are Ganapathy, Ayyappan, Nandikesan, Aditya and Goddess Parvati.

As per history, the Prathishta murti in the temple was brought here (avahichu kondu varika) by Kaipurathu Tharavadu Karanavar from Muchukunnam temple. The presence of the deity was felt in form of a jwala on a pillar in the Tharavadu of the Karanavar.

There is an ongoing debate among some devotees as to whether the deity is Shiva or some other God.

There is Velichappadu (oracle) in the temple. This is unusual as velichappadu are not found in Shiva temples. The Velichappadu here is again unique as he is a Namboothiri. The oracle here is known as Komarathu Namboothiri.

Saturday and Sunday are of great importance in the temple.