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Kazhunadu Indilayappan Temple – Festival - Vavu Bali

Kazhunadu Indilayappan temple is located on Eanikkara Kallayam Vattappara Road at Maruthoor near Vattappara in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Mahadeva – Shiva. The shrine observes the annual Karkidaka Vavu Bali ritual. The annual Mahashivratri festival is an important occasion in the temple. It falls in Kumbha Masam (first fortnight of March or last week of February). 

The deity worshipped in the chathur sreekovil here is a swayambhu Shivling. A small stream flows nearby. The sankalpam of Shiva here is that of Pashupati.

The Upa Devatas worshipped in the temple are Ganapathy, Ayyappa, Goddess Bhagavathi or Devi and Nagaraja (serpent deities).

The shrine observes the annual Karkidaka Vavu Bali and Pitru Tarpanam on the Vavu or Amavasya day in Karkidakam month. Hundreds of people arrive at shrine and offer various rituals to ancestors. Special arrangements are made by temple management for Bali Tharpanam on the occasion.

Kazhunadu Indilayappan Temple Timings
Morning puja and darshan timings are from 5:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Evening puja and darshan timings are from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM

The annual festival in the temple is famous for dhara, homam and other pujas and rituals observed in Shiva temples in South Kerala. Kerala temple folk arts, procession, floats and pageantry are part of the festivities.

The temple also observes Ramayana Masam, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Mandala Kalam, Thrikarthika and Thiruvathira.