Kalpathy chariots to roll from today

The annual Kalpathy chariot festival will enter its final days on Friday when the wooden chariots of their respective temples begin to roll along the streets of Kalpathy carrying deities.

For three days, the deities mounted on decorated chariots will parade through the villages, offering blessings to the residents. The festivities will culminate with the convergence of all chariots and deities in front of Sree Visalakshi Sametha Viswanatha Swamy Temple, the central point of Kalpathy, on Sunday evening.

Apart from Sree Visalakshi Sametha Viswanatha Swamy Temple, Kalpathy, the other temples involved in the renowned chariot festival are Mandakkarai Sree Maha Ganapathy Temple, New Kalpathy; Sree Lakshmi Narayana Perumal Temple, Old Kalpathy; and Sree Prasanna Maha Ganapathy Temple, Chathapuram.

On Friday, special rites will be held at all temples in and around Kalpathy. The programmes will begin with a ‘Kalyanolsavam’ at Viswanatha Swamy Temple. The chariots of Viswanatha Swamy (Siva) and sub-deities Subramanian and Ganapathy will begin their journey on Friday. They will go up to Mandakkarai Sree Maha Ganapathy Temple, New Kalpathy, and halt at Achanpadi.

On Saturday, the chariots will start moving from Achanpadi and will halt at Old Kalpathy after visiting Chathapuram. On Sunday, they will proceed from Old Kalpathy and reach the central point called Therumutti by evening.

The chariot of Mandakkarai Sree Maha Ganapathy Temple, New Kalpathy, will roll on Saturday. All chariots of the four temples will be on the move on Sunday.

Huge crowds are expected at Kalpathy on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There will be traffic restrictions from Olavakkode to Kalmandapam, especially on Sunday evening.