Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple Festival

About this event

The annual festival of Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple in Kottayam district is a ten-day celebration held in the Malayalam month of Kumbham, generally corresponding to February or March, and is particularly renowned for the Ezhara Ponnana, or “seven-and-a-half golden elephants.” Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple is an ancient Shiva shrine noted for its traditional Kerala architecture and important mural paintings, including the celebrated depiction of Nataraja on the gopuram. The festival combines temple rituals, processions, traditional percussion and performing arts, creating one of the significant annual religious gatherings associated with the temple. Its best-known ritual is the Ezhara Ponnana procession on the eighth day. The name refers to seven golden elephant statuettes, each about two feet high, together with an eighth that is about one foot high. Crafted from jackfruit wood and covered with gold plates, the sacred statuettes are traditionally associated with an offering made to the temple by the Travancore ruler Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma. They are brought out for ceremonial viewing only during the annual festival, making the Ezhara Ponnana Darshan a distinctive feature of Ettumanoor’s religious heritage. The night procession is accompanied by caparisoned elephants and a traditional temple orchestra, adding ceremonial grandeur to the occasion. The tenth day culminates in the Arattu, or ritual bathing of the deity, which takes place at a nearby water body and is accompanied by a procession of decorated elephants and traditional temple music. Various performing arts and temple rituals are conducted during the ten-day festival, with Kerala Tourism specifically recording Kathakali and Velakali among the cultural programmes associated with the celebrations. The festival thus brings together worship, ritual processions, percussion traditions and performing arts within the setting of a historic Shiva temple. The Ezhara Ponnana is not an ordinary elephant procession: the central ceremonial objects are the seven-and-a-half golden elephant statuettes, while live caparisoned elephants form part of the wider festival processions. The celebration draws devotees and visitors interested in Kerala’s temple traditions, religious art and ceremonial music. As an active place of worship, Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple retains its religious character throughout the festival, and visitors are expected to respect temple customs and instructions. Festival dates are determined according to the Malayalam calendar and local traditions and should be confirmed with the temple authorities before planning a visit.

🚆 Railway: Ettumanoor Railway Station – approximately 2.2 km from the temple; Kottayam Railway Station is about 10–11 km away.

✈️ Airport: Cochin International Airport – approximately 75 km.

🚌 Bus: Ettumanoor Central Bus Stop – approximately 800 m from the temple; the shrine is accessible by road from Ettumanoor town and Kottayam.

🏨 Stay: Accommodation is available in Ettumanoor and Kottayam. Kerala Tourism lists approved accommodation in Ettumanoor, including Altinho Heritage Castle Homestay and Humming Trees Homestay.

✅ Notes: The annual festival lasts ten days in Kumbham (February–March). The Ezhara Ponnana procession takes place on the eighth day, while Arattu is held on the tenth day. Festival dates are governed by the Malayalam calendar and local temple traditions and should be confirmed with the temple before visiting.