Annual Festival of Kottakkal Viswambhara

The Annual Festival of Kottakkal Viswambhara temple at Kottakkal, Malappuram Dist, Kerala  from 26 March to 01^st April 2014. People, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion can participate in this 7-day festival.

26 March 2014:

10.00am to 11.00am:  Chakyarkoothu by Pothiyil Narayana Chakyar.

12.30pm to 01.30pm:  Ottanthullal by Kuttamathu Ganardhanan

06.45pm to 10.30pm: Nadaswarakkacheri by Orumanayur O K Gopi & Orumanayur O K Subrahmanian,  Special Thavil by Kanchikamakodi Peedom Mavelikkara Bhaskaran & Mavelikkara  Krishnakumar

10.30pm to 01.00am: Thayambaka by Chruthazham Chandran & Panamanna Sasi.

01.00am to 01,30am: Keli, Kombupattu, Kuzhalpatu

01.30am to 04.00am: Panchavadyam, Melam by Manjeri Haridas & Party.

27 March 2014:

07.30am to 10.00am: Nadaswaram

10.00am to 11.00am: Padakam

01.00pm to 02.30pm: Ottanthullal by Kuttamathu Ganardhanan

O2.30pm to 04.00pm: Chakyarkoothu by Pothiyil Narayana Chakyar

06.45pm to 09.00pm: Mohiniyattam by Jayaprabha Menon & Party, accompanied by Kottakkal Jayan(Vocal), Swatidas(Mridangam & Maddalam), Thrissur Muralikrishna (Veena), Murali(Flute), P Nandakumar(Idakka).

09.00pm to 10.00pm: Thayambaka by Kallur Ramankutty Marar.

10.00am to 10.30pm: Keli, Kombupattu, Kuzhalpatu.

10.30pm Onwards: Kathakali – Katha(Story)- Rukmangacharitham, Ravanavijayam, Balivadham.

Artists: Members of PSV Natyasangam & Sadanam Krishnankutty, Kalamandalam Vasupisharody,  Kottakkal Chandrasekhara Warrier, Kalamandalam Chambakkara Vijayan, Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan, Nedumbally Rammohan, Meledam Narayanan Namboothiri, Kalamandalam Balaraman, Kalamandalam Balasundaran, Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambisan, Kalamandalam Sankara Warrier, Kalamandalam Prakash, Kottakkal Balakrishnan, Kalamandalam Balan etc.

28 March 2014:

07.30am to 10.00am: Nadaswaram

10.00am to 11.00am: Padakam

01.00pm to 02.30pm: Ottanthullal by Kuttamathu Ganardhanan

O2.30pm to 04.00pm: Chakyarkoothu by Pothiyil Narayana Chakyar

07.00pm to 08.00pm: Thayambaka Sri Thripangode Parameswara Marar

08.00pm to 09.00pm: Keli, Kombupattu, Kuzhalpatu.

09.00pm Onwards: Kathakali (Purappadu and Melappadam) – Katha(Story) Kuchelavritham, Keechakavadam.

Artists: Members of PSV Natyasangam & Padmasree Kalamandalam Gopi, Sarvasree Sadanam Balakrishnan, Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboothiri, Vellinezhi Haridas, Sadanam Sivadasan, Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan, Kalamandalam Vijayakrishnan, Kalamandalam Rajanarayanan, Kalamandalam Achuthawarrier, Kottakkal Balakrishnan, Kalamandalam Sivaraman etc.

29 March 2014:

07.30am to 10.00am: Nadaswaram

10.00am to 11.00am: Padakam

01.00pm to 02.30pm: Ottanthullal by Kuttamathu Ganardhanan

O2.30pm to 04.00pm: Chakyarkoothu by Pothiyil Narayana Chakyar

06.45pm to 10.00pm: Classical Music Concert -  Vellinezhi Subrahmanian(Vocal), Biju S Anand (Violin), Palakkad Mahesh Kumar(Mridangam), Payyannur Govindaprasad ( Mughar Sanghu)

10.00pm to 11.00pm: Thayambaka by Manjeri Haridas

11.00pm to 11.30pm: Keli, Kombupattu, Kuzhalpatu

11.30pm Onwards: Kathakali – Katha(Story): Poothanamoksham, Utharaswayamvaram, Prahladacharitham.

Artists: Members of PSV Natyasangam & Sarvasree Kottakkal Embranthiri, Narippatta Narayanan Namboothiri, Kalamandalam Keshavan Namboothiri, Kalamandalam Ramachandran Unnithan, Kalamandalam Babu Namboothiri, Kalamandalam Sajeevkumar, Kalamandalam Ramankutty, Kalamandalam Nataraja Warrier, Kalanilayam Kunjunni,  Kurur Vasudevan Namboothiri, Kottakkal Balakrishnan , Sadanam Srinivasan etc.

30 March 2014:

07.30am to 10.00am: Nadaswaram

10.00am to 11.00am: Padakam

01.00pm to 02.30pm: Ottanthullal

02.30pm to 04.00pm: Chakyarkoothu

06.45pm to 10.00pm: Violin Concert – Vittal RamaMoorthy(Violin), Padma Sankar(Violin), Pathri Satheeshkumar (Mridamgam), Uduppi Sreedhar(Khadam).

11.00pm to 11.30pm: : Keli, Kombupattu, Kuzhalpatu

11.30pm Onwards: Kathakali – Katha(Story): Rukminiswayamvaram, Dhakshayagam.

Artists: Members of PSV Natyasangam & Padmabhooshan Madavoor Vasudevan Nair, Sarvasree Kalamandalam Rajasekharan, Kalamandalam Balasubrahmanian, Kalluvazzhi Vasu, Kalamandalam Krishnakumar, Kavungal Divakaran, Kalamandalam Harinarayanan,  Kalamandalam Sukumaran, Kalamandalam Balachandran, Kalamandalam Jayaprakash, Kalamandalam Raman Namboothiri, Kottakkal unnikrishnan, Kalamandalam Narayanan Nair, Kottakkal Unnikrishnan,  kalamandalam Narayanan Nair, Kottakkal Balakrishnan etc.

31 March 2014:

07.30am to 10.00am: Nadaswaram

10.00am to 11.00am: Padakam

01.00pm to 02.30pm: Ottanthullal

02.30pm to 04.00pm: Chakyarkoothu

06.45pm to 10.00pm: Classical Music Concert – Cheppad A E Vamanan Namboothiri (Vocal), Thiruvananthapuram Sambath (Violin), Parassala Ravi ( Mridangam), Kovai Suresh (Khadam)

10.00pm to 11.00pm: Thayambaka by Porur Unnikrishnan

11.00pm to 11.30pm: : Keli, Kombupattu, Kuzhalpatu

11.30pm Onwards: Kathakali – Katha(Story): Bakavadham, Subhadraharanam, Kiratham

Artists: Members of PSV Natyasangam & Sarvasree Kalamandalam Kuttan,sadanam Ramankutty, Kalamandalam Srikumar, Kalamandalam Manoj, Madambi Subrahmanian Namboothiri, Kalamandalam Vinod, Kalamandalam Krishnadas, Sadanam Ramakrishnan, Kalamandalam Harinarayanan, Margi Ratnakaran,kottakkal Balakrishnan, Kalamandalam Satheeshan etc.

01 March 2014:

07.30am to 10.00am: Nadaswaram

10.00am to 11.00am: Padakam

01.00pm to 02.30pm: Ottanthullal

02.30pm to 04.00pm: Chakyarkoothu

06.45pm to 10.00pm: Classical Music Concert – Prasanna Venkitaraman (Vocal), Thiruvananthapuram Sambath (Violin), B Harikumar,AIR Trichy ( Mridangam), Alathur Rajaganesh (Gajira)

10.00pm to 11.00pm: Thayambaka by Mattannur Sankarankutty marar

11.00pm to 11.30pm: : Keli, Kombupattu, Kuzhalpatu

Sreekrishnacharitham Nangiarkoothu in its Complete Form

Nangiarkoothu is a solo performance which was traditionally presented by Nangiaramma, the women community of Nambiar family in Kerala. As a sprout of Koodiyattam, the Sanskrit dance drama of Kerala, Nangiarkoothu was an art form usually conducted within the temples premises of Kerala. This solo performance narrates the stories mainly using the hand jesters, facial expressions and body movements.

Kalamandalam Prasanthi along with supporting artists is presenting the Sreekrishnacharitham Nangiarkoothu, which details the story of Lord SreeKrishnan, in its complete form before the audience this year.  This one year long programme presents the Sreekrishnacharitham Nangiarkoothu as 20 different chapters. The presentation starts from Purappadu to Subhadrapaharanam through KamsaGananam, UgrasenaBhandanam, MadhukaSapam, BhoomiVilapam, Krishnavatharam, PoothanaMoksham, KrishnaLeela etc.

The monthly presentation on Sreekrishnacharitham Nangiarkoothu commenced this year on 30^th of January and will continue the whole year. In the months of January, February and March 2014, it has presented the chapters on Purappadu, KamsaGananam, UgrasenaBhandanam and MadhukaSapam.  The performance is staged at Thekkeswamiyarmadam in Thrissur, Kerala from 06.30pm usually on the second Sunday of each month.

Kalamandalam Prasanthi is accompanied by Kalamandalam Jayaraj and Kalamandalam Manikandan on Mizhavu, the copper drum; Kalanilayam Rajan on Idakka, the handy percussion instrument and Kalamandalam Sangeetha on Thalam, the cymbals.

Ramasseri Idly – A tradition in food

Ramasseri is a traditional village in Palakkad, Kerala famous for its soft and spongy idilis, the rice cakes. Unlike the usual idilis they are different and unique in its shape and taste. Ramasseri Idlis are flat and  round in shape like small dosas. Another specialty is that they can be preserved for days without getting spoilt. The secrets of the making of this food item are not unveiled yet by the traditional Mudaliar families who prepare it for long years.

Preparation of Ramasseri Idly

The whole process of preparation of an idly include - making a batter with rice and black gram(urad dal), keeping it for long hours, usually a whole night, and finally pouring it in the idly mould to steam.

The Batter

The soaked rice and black gram is grind separately after washing and removing the skin of the gram and they are mixed together. A pinch of fenugreek and salt is added to this. This batter is kept aside for fermentation. After 10 to 12 hours, they are steamed in clay pots to make delicious idilis.

The Baking

A wet cotton cloth is placed tightly covering the mouth of the specially designed clay pot for making Ramasseri idilis. The batter is poured into this cloth and steamed for 2 to 3 minutes. Since the idilis are baked in steam they are soft and fluffy.

Serving

Ramasseri Idly is served with coconut and tomato chutney and podi in fresh banana leaf. The podi, a fine spicy powder, is made from mixing dal and pepper powder. Three to four idilis are cooked at a time in mud pots arranged in tires.

The idly shops in Ramasseri are busy in every mornings and evenings. The customers, even from other villages and states wait before the shops for this idly.

Where to get Ramasseri Idly

Two of the tea shops in this village famous for Ramasseri Idly are Sankar Vilas Tea Stall run by Jeevanandan and Saraswathy  Tea Stall (09744946160) by Bhagyalaxmi Ammal.

How to Reach Ramasseri

In Palakkad- Coimbatore highway, take a deviation at Puthussery to reach Ramassery.

Thiruvtsavam at Thiruvambady temple, Thrissur

The Thiruvambadi temple at Shornur road in Thrissur,  Kerala is one of the main temples participating in Thrissur pooram festival. The main deity of the temple temple is Lord Sree Krishna with equally important Godess Bhagavathy worshipped in a shrine to the left of Lord Krishna. The other sub deities of the temple include Lord Ganesha and Dharmasastha.

Thiruvambadi temple is celebrating the 8-day festival called Thiruutsavam from 12 to 19 March 2014. The festival is conducted every year in the Malayalam month of Kumbham in Pooyam aster. The festival begins with kodiyettam and end up with aarattu on the final day.

This year, on 12^th March 2014 there will be kodiyettam in the evening. Many other cultural programmes are conducted during these days in the temple.  Some of them are Chakyarkoothu (Sanskrit dance drama), Thayambaka (using percussion instruments), Kathakali (the traditional classical dance of Kerala) and other classical dance programmes. On 18^th and 19^th , the last two days of the festival, there will be rituals like ‘Palli Nayattu’ (the holy hunting of God), ‘Palliunarthal’ (rising up of the God from sleep),’kodiyirekkal’ (setting down the festive flag) and ‘aarattu’(the holy bath). There will be processions by caparisoned elephants for all the ritual and tantric events. 

The Kabini Art Fest - An Awareness on Captive Elephants

The Kabini Art Fest is coming up at Wayanad, Kerala in a view to create awareness on the sorry plight of the captive elephants of Kerala. Several artists from India will take part in the five-day art festival at Blooms Green Farm, Kenichira, Wayanad from 08^th to 12^th March 2014. The event is a venture of Society of Elephant Welfare (SEW) and Chithra Iyer, Singer,Actress & one of the trustees of SEW in association with the Dark Horse Productions Pvt. Ltd.

On 08^th March 2014, the initial day of the festival, there will be a bharathanatyam recital by Dr. Rajashree Warrier. The other four days of the festival will feature music programmes by Chithra Iyer, contemperory dance by Samudra Dance Academy at Thiruvananthapuram, comdy show by Jayaraj Warrier and flamenco fusion by Santhosh Chandran, Varun Sunil and Shirish Malhothra.

www.sew-india.org

Kulasekhara Theatre Festival

Kulasekhara #Theatre #Festival 2014 organised by International Centre for Koodiyattam began at Thrippunuthura, Eranakulam, #Kerala on 01^st March 2014. The festival showcasing seminars, presentations and stage shows will continue till Wednesday, 05^th March 2014 at International Centre for Koodyattam - Thrippunithura.

Uthralikikavu Pooram, Thrissur

Uthralikikavu temple celebrated its Pooram at Wadakkanchery, Thrissur on 25 February 2014 .  The festival began with ceremonial procession with elephants  accompanied by panchavadyam ( in percussion instruments) led by Annamada Parameswara Marar and Chottanikkara Vijayan. Both Enkakkadu Desam and Kumaranellur Desam with thousands of people participated in the festival making it more colorful. The festival ended up with spectacular fireworks.

Post by Welcome Kerala Magazine.