The annual Arattu festival held in the Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple (17km
from Kottayam) is popularly known as Ettumanoor Ezharapponnana. The festival
falls in the Malayalam month Kumbham (February - March). The major highlight
of the festival is the Ezharapponnana Ezhunnallathu on the 8th day which
draws thousands of devotees. It is the ceremonial procession of the idol
of Lord Shiva on the golden statues of seven-and-half elephants. Each
of the seven elephants is two feet high and the eighth one is of one foot
only. The other main ritual is thulabharam; i.e the offerings made by
the devotees for the favors they received from the deity. Traditional
and cultural programmes are held during the ten-day long festival.
