Kollemcode Meenabharani Thookka Mahotsavam

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ollemcode Meenabharani Thookka Mahotsavam is the most important festival of Kollemcode Sree Bhadrakali Devi Temple. This festival lasts for ten days and the most prominent and sacred Thookkam offering happens on the tenth day of the festival that is on the Bharani star of Malayalam month, Meenam (march-April). This auspicious day is being believed as nativity of The Supreme Mother, Kollemkotamma. Thookkam is a sublime offering offered for Sree Bhadrakali Devi by the devotees, especially parents of small childs having age of 1 year or below, for well-being of their child as well as for divine blessings of The Supreme Mother, Sree Bhadrakali Devi for their child’s better future.
This festivity is being celebrated for ten days with blissful feelings and pleasing divine experiences. Different programs related with temple arts, ballets and musical concerts are being conduced in the premises of the temple which are absolutely amazing and noteworthy.


This festival is commenced with holy procession of Kollemkotamma from Vattavila Temple to Venkanji Temple on the first day. This procession lasts for the entire day and reaches Venkanji Temple by evening, approximately between 6.30pm and 7.30pm (You may click here to read the Firs Day Procession of Kollemkottamma). In the meantime, a betel nut tree (Kamukin maram) is being taken to Venkanji Temple in a procession after having it prepared piously and, make it ready for Temple Flag Hoist (Thrikkodiyettu) before Kollemkotamma reaches to Venkanji Temple. Soon after Devi reaches to Venkanji Temple, the chief priest (Melshanthi) hoists the Temple Flag as part of the opening ceremony of the Kollemcode Meenabharani Thookka Mahotsavam. Thereafter, the festival continues for next ten days with Special Pooja and offerings along with various programs related with devotions and entertainment. On third day of this festival, registration for the Thookkam offering begins in the early morning and close by day end. Every year, nearly One Thousand Five Hundred entries are getting registered on this particular day, and this is the only temple registering this much entries, probably, in India. On the very next day, i.e. fourth day, the registered Thookkam offerings are being numbered sequentially through raffle. After receiving the chronological number of Thookkam offering, all men who have been chosen for conducting Thookkam offering (Thukkakar) by the parents (Thukkanerchakar) for their child shall be taking penance (Vritham) for the next seven days by staying in the premises of temple.


Some customs are to be observed by these people during these seven days. People who are taking austerity for conducting Thookkam offering shall be provided with consecrated clothes, a red colour towel and a green colour cloth indicating the chronological number of the thookkam offering, by the Temple Devaswom Board. The colours, red and green divinely symbolize the favourites of elder deity and younger deity, respectively. During this period, all men are restricted to wear only these cloths and, at the most, an additional towel may be used if required and also they should abstain themselves from any immoral pleasures which are completely against the likes of religious believes.


Every day, morning and evening, the men rounds around the temple and prostrate (Namaskaram) before the deity. These ten days, around 9.30 pm in the night, Devi process around the temple (Ezhunallathu). This is another significant and glorious moment of this festivity. During this time, all the devotees thronged to the temple and stand with reverence, wherever possible, to witness the magnificent procession of Kollemkottam as well as to get blessed with the super natural power of the Supreme Mother, Sree Kollemcode Bhadrakali Devi. And another remarkable sight of this procession is the peculiar steps according to the music with which Devi process around the temple. As the day getting closer to the end of the festival, the number of the procession rounds around the temple is also increased. During these festival days, every day there will be diverse programs such as ballets related with temple arts, religious & cultural conventions, entertaining programs such as musical concerts and dramas. Ballets generally include Kadhakali, Ottanthullal, Chakyarkuthu, Harikadha, etc.


On seventh day, devotees perform an offering called “Kaavadi” for Kollemkotamma, the procession of which starts form Vattavila Temple and reaches to Venkanji Temple. People who registered for Kavadi offering gather at Vattavil Temple and they are being provided with a bow shape structure known as Kavadi, and requisite materials for decorating the Kavadi. Everybody decorate their own kavadi with varieties of flowers as they wish. Then they wait for the men, who take penance for offering Thookkam to come there after having their prostration so as to assist them to carry the decorated Kavadi to Venkanji Temple. During this procession, people perform a ritualistic dance called “Kavadiyatttam”. Due to Kavadiyattam, some people are getting fainted in the middle of the procession and some people reach to trance like state after the completion of the procession.


On ninth day of this festival that is on the day of Aswathy star very famous and prominent event called, “Vandiyottam” happens. This hallowed and indispensable event is being conducted to ensure effective functioning of devout cart (Radham) and bow (Villu) used for carrying the men along with child before the historical day of Thookkam. On the same day, people from Hindu-Araya caste residing in and around Kollemcode perform an astonishing offering, “Kaavadi” and the astounding visual effect of which provides a blissful sight to spectators and devotees. “Kuthiyottam” and “Thalappoli” are other popular offerings conducted by devotees on this particular day for receiving divine blessings from the almighty, Kollemkottamma. Kuthiyottam is performed by young boys and thalappoli is performed by young girls with the hope that the almighty Goddess, Sree Bhadrakali Amma would be pleased to bestow them beauty inward and outward, health, happiness for a better and blessed future. For performing Kuthiyottam and Thalappoli offerings, young boys and young girls respectively, adorn themselves traditionally and process from Ilambalamuku Mahabev Temple to Venkanji Temple by accompanying with Vadyamelam.


Tenth day that is the day of Bharani star, a long awaited historical day of all Kollemcode people and an auspicious day for the devotees of Kollemkottamma from all over the world, wakes up with “Omkar Mantra” chanted by the universe. On this day, in the early morning, all men go to sea and after having ablution come back to the temple and prostrate before the deity, and immediately thereafter Kollemcode Devi processed to a sanctum which is magnificently and sacredly decorated with tender leaves of coconut tree and flowers (Pachapanthal). From 6am in the morning onwards, the historical, most prominent and sacred Thookkam offering commences. Thereafter we will only witness the flock of devotees in and around the area of 2 kilometres radius around the temple and, obviously, kollemcode becomes thronged with devotees and pilgrims of all age groups irrespective of different castes and creeds. For offering Thookkam to Sree Bhadrakali Amma, all men wear traditional dress that is nothing but a trouser having Khaki colour and prepare themselves with requisite materials as per the tradition and thereafter process to Venakanji Temple from Keezhvilakam Tharavadu, Kacherinada via Siluvapuram, Kalluvettankuzhi, Kannanagm Junction and Ilambalamuk. This procession is accompanied with a caparisoned elephant and made more attractive with various forms of arts like Theyyam, Kumba Dance and display of other arts. For witnessing this splendid sight, people do assemble on either side of the road and stand with reverence.


Generally, Thookkam offering ends by 2 am in the midnight due to the fact that one thousand five hundred Thookkam offerings are to be conducted on the same day. Soon after entire Thookkam offerings are over, the ten day festival culminates with a sacrificial offering known as “Kuruthi Tharpanam”. This sacrificial offering is being conducted differently from conventional animal sacrifice by cutting a pumpkin. On the very next day, after confirming income and expenditure of the festival, by evening, Kollemkottama process to Vattavil Temple (Mula Kshethram), and thus, the mesmerizing ten day festival concludes there.

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