The Pallivetta ceremony, as part of the 10-day annual festival of Sreekrishna Temple in Guruvayur, was held on Thursday.
The thidambu of the deity was taken out of the temple after Deeparadhana in the evening (Gramapradakshinam).
A large number of people, dressed as birds and animals, were part of the Pallivetta ritual, a symbolic hunting expedition of the deity. Krishnanattam artistes were dressed as soldiers. A female elephant Devi carried the deity.
Later, the tired deity takes rest (palliyurakkam) at the specially arranged palliyara namaskara mandapam outside the sreekovil. Hundreds of devotees participated in the rituals on the ninth day of the festival.
The palliyunarthal will be the first ritual of the 10th day of the festival on Friday. The Lord will wake up to the cry of a calf, which will be arranged on the temple compound.
The festival will conclude with the arattu festival, the holy dip of the deity in the temple pond.
The procession carrying the idol begins from the eastern Gopuram of the temple in a highly ritualistic manner. Arattu ritual will take place in ‘Rudratheertham’. Unlike in many other temples, devotees are not allowed to immerse themselves in the pond at the same time of deity’s arattu.
