Vaikom Temple Festival - Vaikashtami

Vaika comes from Vaikom which is a reference to the revered Vaikom Mahadev Temple and Ashtami refers to the 8^th day of the Malayalam month Vrischikam (November-December - Sagittarius) according to the lunar calendar

On the banks of the Vembanad lake in Vaikom in Kottayam district stands the Vaikom Mahadev temple constructed of black stone on 8 acres of land. The temple is surrounded by four looming towers and has four big corridors or mandapams with spacious halls called prakrams

The Vaikom Mahadev temple is dedicated to the worship of Mahadev, Lord Shiva, the Destroyer in the Hindu Trinity

Lord Shiva is worshipped in three forms:

• Morning – Lord Shiva as Dakshinamurthy where He is manifest as the supreme guru and in his avatar of knowledge destroys ignorance. In this avatar Lord Shiva faces Dakshin, the south which is the direction of death

•  Noon – Lord Shiva as Kiratamurti which is the form manifest to Arjun, the Pandav prince

•  Evening – Lord Sambhashivan along with Goddess Parvati. Lord Shiva as originating from the ash tree

The Vaikashtami Festival spans 12 days during which the symbol of Shiva in the form of a 5m high Shivalinga is worshipped 

On the 7^th day of the Vaikashtami Festival, the idol of Lord Shiva in the symbolic form of Thidampu is borne forth in a spectacular procession and as it makes its way through the throng the crowds swell as it is joined by another grand procession bearing Lord Muruga (Subrahmanya) from the adjacent Muruka temple of Udayanapuram. Thus Lord Shiva meets his son Muruga in the temple and the short tryst ends with the farewell

The festival ends with the Asthami celebration, the most significant 8^th day of the festivities

It celebrates the day when Sage Vyaghrapada was blessed with the manifestation of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati. In Tamil Vaiyaghra became Vaikom

This luminous moment is marked by the lighting of the ceremonial lamps called Ashtami Vilakku

There are night long performances by Kathakali artistes on the 8^th day of Asthami

Throughout the festival there are music and dance concerts making for a rich cultural experience

The significance of the temple lies in the history of satyagraha (non-violent agitation) for the restoration of equality in worship where nobody could be debarred on grounds of caste and the crowds that gather reflect this honorific event

Location

From Kochi move south 30 km and from Kottayam move up north 40 km

Train and local bus is the best way to travel but arrive early so as to avoid jam-packed local transport

Date of the Vaikashtami Festival

December 7^th is the likely date of the festival this year