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Kalpathi (Kalpathy) Ratholsavam (Kalpathi Chariot Festival) is an annual Hindu Temple festival in the Kalpathy of Palakkad in Kerala state, south India. The festival is at the Sri Visalakshi Sametha Sri Viswanatha Swamy temple where the deities are Lord Siva (Lord Viswanatha) and his consort Visalakshi, another name for Parvati.
The annual ten-day chariot festival conducted here during the month of November is one of the most remarkable festivals of Kerala. Vedic recitals and cultural programmes are held in the temple during the first four days of the festival. This is believed to be over 700 years old. On the last three days, thousands of devotees gather together to draw decorated temple chariots through the streets.
The ancient temple nestles by the banks of the Kalpathy river which is also known as the Nila river. The temple dates back to 1425. The similarities to the famous Varanasi Kashi Vishwanath temple on the banks of the Ganges in North India gives this temple the moniker: kasiyil pakuthi kalpathy—Kalpathy is half Kashi. Kalpathi (Kalpathy), as the village or agraharam in which the temple is situated is known, is an early Tamil Brahmin settlement.
Kalpathy Viswanatha swamy temple is the oldest Siva temple in Malabar. It was built around 1425 AD.by Kombi Achan, the then Raja of Palakkad. Legend has it that a Brahmin widow named Lakshmiammal went to Banaras and brought Lingam and installed in the present site on the Southern bank of river Neela Bhagirathi. The location of the temple and steps leading to the river brings mind of a visitor the Banaras Temples on the bank of Ganges. Hence this temple is called "Kasiyil Pakuthi Kalpathy" (Half Banaras).
Kalpathy Car Festival is based on vedic Tamil Brahmin culture. The main centre of the festival is Kalpathy Sree Viswanathaswamy temple. The three satellite temples in the village of new Kalpathy, old Kalpathy and Chathapuram also celebrate the festival this period.
The festival is celebrated over a period of 10 days.
The festival is conducted over a period of 10 days, usually 8 to 16 November. During this time, 6 chariots (rathas) from 4 temples of Kalpathy come together and circumvent streets of the villages in a grand procession. The 4+2 as follows: main chariot carrying Lord Shiva and additional 2 small chariots for his sons, Ganapathy and Murugan; chariots from the other 3 villages namely New Kalpathy with Lord Ganapathy, Old Kalpathy with Lord Murugan and Chathapuram with Lord Ganapathy. This is known as 'devarathasamgamam'.
Thousands of devotees converge at Kalpathy and pull the chariot every year. [1]
Palghat Rama Bhagavathar was an Indian musician.
Temple cars or Temple chariots are used to carry representations of Hindu deities around the streets of the temple on festival days. These chariots are generally manually pulled by the devotees of the deity.
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Sri Visalakshi Sametha Sri Viswanatha Swamy temple, popularly known as Kasi Viswanathaswamy Temple, or locally as kundukovil, is a famous Hindu temple located in the Kalpathy village of Palakkad in Kerala, India. It is the site of the annual Kalpathi Ratholsavam which is one of the most famous temple festivals of Kerala. This ancient temple nestles by the banks of the serene Kalpathy river. Dedicate to Lord Siva and his consort Visalakshi, it dates back to early fifteenth century. The similarity to the Varanasi Kashi Viswanatha temple on the banks of Ganges is responsible for the moniker kasiyil pakuthi kalpathy and the name Dakshina Kashi associated with this temple. The Temple is surrounded by the four Tamil Brahmin agraharams or traditional villages: New Kalpathy, Old Kalpathy, Chathapuram and Govindarajapuram.
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Kalpathy or Kalpathi is a residential area in Palakkad city, Kerala, India. It is famous for the Viswanatha Swamy Temple, which is located along the banks of the Kalpathy river, one of the tributaries of the Bharathapuzha. Kalpathy is also famous for its agraharam, or traditional village. It is the first heritage village in Kerala. There are around 4 agraharams of Brahmins who migrated from Tamil Nadu so many years ago to Kalpathy. Many temples, other than the Viswanatha Swamy Temple, are also present here. The annual festival Kalpathy Ratholsavam is held here, with chariots as the main attraction. Kalpathy and it's neighbourhoods have witnessed large settlements of people in colonies and apartments, making it one of the major residential areas of the city.