Kalpathy delegation visits Tamil Nadu temples before chariot fest

A delegation from Kalpathy, Palakkad is received by the Mayuranathaswamy temple officials in Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu on Sunday.

Representatives from the four Kalpathy temples on Sunday visited the Mayuranathaswamy temple in Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu to honor their historical ties ahead of the Kalpathy Car Festival to be held from November 7 to 17. The delegation offered prayers and presented festival invitations to the temple. He also visited temples at Vaitheeswaran Koil, Thiruvarur, Thiruvidaimarudur and Kumbakonam and met Swami Vimuktananda, head of the Sri Ramakrishna Math in Thanjavur.

The car festival at the Mayiladuthurai temple is believed to have inspired the car festival at Kalpathy. The Tamil Brahmins who settled in Palakkad in the 13th century are believed to have come from Mayiladuthurai, Kumbakonam and Thanjavur and brought their Vedic scholarship and temple traditions. “The festival would not be complete if we do not remember our ancestors. We visit these temples to honor our ancestors and seek their blessings,” said KS Krishna, convener of the Kalpathy festival committee.

The Kalpathy Car Festival follows a tradition similar to the Car Festival held during the last 10 days of the Tamil month of Aipasi in Mayiladuthurai. The festival has been celebrated in Kalpathy for centuries.

The four participating temples are Sri Visalakshi Sametha Sri Viswanathaswamy Temple in Kalpathy, Mandakkara Sri Mahaganapathy Temple in New Kalpathy, Sri Lakshminarayana Perumal Temple in Old Kalpathy and Sri Prasanna Mahaganapathy Temple in Chathapuram.

Led by temple committee office-bearers CV Murali Ramanathan, KS Krishna and AV Vasudevan, the delegation included representatives and residents of the four Kalpathy agraharams. He invited priests, religious leaders and devotees in Tamil Nadu to participate in the temple car festival.

Published – 25 Oct 2026 20:04 IST