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Koda Festival
Koda festival or festival for making offerings to the divine Mother
is celebrated at the coastal village of Mandukkad in Kanyakumari
district for Bhagavati Amman. Devotees afflicated with various
maladies come here to pray as a last resort. They find miraculous improvement
here even though the best of medical attention has failed them before.
The Koda festival comes off in the Malayalam month of
Kumbam (Feb-March) ending with the last Tuesday of the month. Offerings
include, rice, pepper, jaggery, turmeric, dolls, silver and wood
pieces being replicas of parts of the body. On the last day, the priest
offers Odukka puja at mid night in an atmosphere of pin-drop
silence surcharged with devotion and fear. A liquid
made of lime, turmeric and other ingredients is offered to the goddess.
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