Pulimannam and Iranjimannam Bhagavati temple are located at Kollengode in Palakkad district, Kerala. There are two temples located here one is the Pulimannam temple and another is the Iranjimannam Bhagavati temple. The shrine is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavati and she is the guardian deity of the area. The annual desha vilakku festival is held in the shrine in Dhanu Masam (January – February). The festival attracts scores of devotees from nearby regions. The shrines decorated using traditional items like plantain and tender coconut leaves. Traditional temple music of Kerala and traditional art forms are part of the annual festival. 

Kalladam was written as an exposition of Tirukkovaiyar, forming part of the canonical literature of Tamil Shaivism composed by Saint Manickavasagar. Named after its author, Kalladanar, the work probably belongs to the 13 th century CE. It owes much to Periya Puranam of Sekkizhar (1200 CE). Kalladanar randomly selected a hundred mystic love-themes from Tirukkovaiyar and expounded them in a hundred blank verses. The choice of themes and chaste style are evidence of his fervent effort to revive the classical style of Sangam poetry. While the saint Manickavasagar dedicated his work to Nataraja of Chidambaram, Kaladanar dedicated his work to Somasundara of Madurai. Both the works are similar in praising Shiva and extolling the greatness of Shaivism. Madurai holds an enviable place in the history of Shaivism. According to the commentator on Iraiyanar – kalaviyal, in Madurai Shiva codified the grammar of esoteric poetry (ahapoorul). Kalladanar refers to this and says that the Lord did so...

In life we all go through intense emotional pain due to death or heartbreak. We might fail in exam, interview or lose a job. We might be going through a separation or divorce or marital problems. In these moments asking a person to remain positive will be stupidity. It is not possible for everyone to remain positive during a crisis. There are some emotions that naturally spring from the heart and we need to allow them to come up. We need to let them rain way. These clouds need to pour out. Forced positivity by oneself or due to a belief or by someone else does only harm. When you are not feeling positive, you should not forcibly try to be positive. There are many situations in life in which we cannot find anything positive. We should not pressurize ourselves to be positive. Searching for positivity in some situation is worthless. It is bad for our mental health. We have to accept that we are human beings with feelings and emotions. When we are not accepting our feelings and emo...

Tithi in Panchang – Hindu Calendar on Friday, 3 December 2021 – It is Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi tithi or the fourteenth day during the waning or dark phase of moon in Hindu calendar and Panchang in most regions. It is Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi tithi or the fourteenth day during the waning or dark phase of moon till 4:06 PM on December 3. Then onward it is Amavasya tithi or the no moon day till 1:46 PM on December 4. (Time applicable in all north, south and eastern parts of India. All time based on India Standard Time.  Good – Auspicious time on December 3, 2021 as per Hindu Calendar – There is no good and auspicious time on the entire day.  Nakshatra  – Vishaka or Vishakam nakshatra till 1:24 PM on December 3. Then onward it is Anuradha or Anusham or Anizham nakshatra till 11:46 AM on December 4. (Time applicable in north, south and eastern parts of India).  In western parts of India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, north Karnataka and south Rajasthan), Vi...

Kalivarjya includes those acts of a socio-ethical nature prohibited in the Kali Yuga from the Hindu religious point of view. Nirnaya Sindhi (17 th century CE) alone contains a list of 55 prohibited acts or Kalvarija. One-fourth of these relate to Shrauta (Vedic) rituals. Others concern contemporary legal matters relating to sharing of property by daughters, widowed mothers and so on. The majority of the items relate to the maintenance of the purity of marriage, moral family life, etc. the literature of Kalivarjya has grown since the 10 th century CE. Some rules have originated from considerations of hygiene. There are restrictions concerning the professions to be followed for one’s livelihood. Most of the restrictions apply in particular to the Brahmin community. These rules have not been enforced on groups falling outside the purview of the Vedic social framework. Efforts were also made to impose more localized restrictions on the Brahmin community, so that they would serve ...

Vazhenkada Narasimha Moorthy temple is located in Malappuram district, Kerala and is on the Thootha-Vettathur road and is around 2 km from Thootha on the Cherpulassery-Perinthalmanna state highway. The 8-day annual festival at Vazhenkada Narasimha Moorthy temple begins on the Thiruvonam nakshatra in Dhanu Masam (December – January). The other important festivals in the temple are the Prathishta day on Makayiram nakshatra in Edavam month (May – June), Narasimha Jayanti, Sri Krishna Jayanti, Navratri and Vijayadashami (Vidyarambham). Laksharchana is held on the first day of Thulam month. Apart from various rituals associated with Kerala temples, the temple is famous for staging traditional Kerala art forms like Kathakali, Chaakyaarkoothth, Ottanthullal etc during the annual festival period. The world famous traditional art form of Kathakali has a unique place in the festival calendar of the temple. Many noted Kathakali and percussion artists of Kerala are from the region around Vaz...

Tattamangalam west village ratholsavam is annually held on January 1 or January 2 (Dhanu Masam). This is the combined annual festival of Sree Dharma Sastha Temple and Santhana Gopala Krishna Temple. The main event during the festival is the pulling of chariot or ratham. Hundreds of villagers and devotees from nearby regions participate in the annual ritual.   A big ratham and a small ratham are part of the festival. The utsava murti of both Sree Dharma Sastha Temple and Santhana Gopala Krishna Temple are taken around the rathams and place on it. The chariots are pulled to the accompaniment of traditional Kerala temple music.

Pulappatta Kurumba Bhagavathi temple is located at Pulappatta, around 15 south of Mannarkkad in Palakkad district, Kerala. The shrine is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathi. Goddess Kurumba cures all kinds of poxes and as per some scholars she is a manifestation of Kodungallur Bhagavathy. Kurumba Bhagavathi is the mother goddess who protects the people and blesses them with peace and prosperity. The shrine is a typical small Kerala style temple. The annual Thalappoli festival in the temple is held in Dhanu Masam (January). The annual Vishu Vela festival is held in Meda Masam. 

Perumugham Malayil Bhagavathy temple is located on the Perumugham - Kallampara Road, Feroke, Kozhikode district, Kerala. This is a small but powerful shrine dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathi. The annual festival in the temple is held in Kumbham month (March). The shrine of Bhagavathy is aesthetically decorated using tender coconut leaves, flowers and lamps. Some of the important pujas and rituals that are part of the Bhagavathy temples in North Kerala are held in the shrine. There are no subsidiary deities in the temple. This is a very small temple shrine with no major temple architecture. The puna pratishta in the temple is held in Dhanu Masam.

Sukapuram Sri Kulangara Bhagavathi temple is located at Sukapuram on Palakkad – Ponnani road near Edappal in Malappuram district, Kerala. The shrine is located near the famous Sukapuram Dakshinamurthy temple. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali. She is popularly known as Thattakathamma. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathi. This ancient temple witnessed numerous Vedic studies and other similar related events during ancient times. The annual festival in the temple is held in Dhanu Masam (December – January). The highlight of the festival period is unique rituals and special pujas. Traditional music and art forms of Kerala are performed during the period. The highlight of the festival is the display of caparisoned elephants. The annual Thalappoli festival is held in Makaram month.  Kshetrappana is held in Kumbha Masam (February - March). The annual pratishta festival is held in Meena Masam (March - April).