Ārāttu (pronounced [aːraːʈʈə]) is an annual ritual performed during Hindu temple festivals in Kerala, India, in which a priest bathe the idol of a deity by dipping it in a river or a temple tank. It is mainly carried out at the end of a temple festival. Ārāttu is celebrated twice annually—the spring festival (March - April) and the autumn festival (October - November). A festival normally lasts 10 days.[1]
Major festivals
editOne of the important Arattu in Kerala is conducted at Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram by Travancore royal family, procession is carried out to Shankumugham Beach for the ceremony.[2][3] The operations at the Trivandrum International Airport stops twice a year for the procession to pass through the runway to the Shankumugham Beach.[4] At Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Swamy Temple, the festival starts with a flag hoisting, after bathing the deities, ambalappuzha palpayasam (a sweet pudding) is offered to the gods.[1] The eight-day long festival at Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple, Thrippunithura is concluded with an aaraattu.[5]
In popular culture
editA 1979 Malayalam film directed by I. V. Sasi was titled Aarattu, and a 2021 film directed by B. Unnikrishnan also use the same title, both the films are otherwise unrelated to the ritual.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Want to experience Kerala in its full glory? Aarattu festival is the answer". The Times of India. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Bayi, Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Lakshmi (29 August 2020). "Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple: The bond has only grown stronger". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Arattu at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple 2013
- ^ "This Kerala airport halts flights to make way for 'God'". The Indian Express. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "After Covid lockdown, festival days return to Tripunithura". The New Indian Express. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
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