The Thiruvonathoni carrying provisions for the Onasadya (Onam feast) at the Aranmula Sree Parthasarathy temple on Friday set off from the Maha Vishnu temple ghats in the Pampa river at Kattoor, near Kozhencherry, at 6.30 p.m. on Thursday.
Hundreds of devotees thronged the temple ghats to witness the Thiruvonathoni’s customary journey to Aranmula. Raju Abraham, MLA; P.K. Kumaran, Travacnore Devaswom Board member; K.G. Sasidharan Pillai and Radhakrishnan, Palliyoda Seva Sanghom, president and secretary, were among those who present on the occasion.
Legend has it that the eldest member of the Mangattu Illom at Kumaranalloor in Kottayam, whose ancestors hailed from Kattoor, take rice, provisions, vegetables and various other articles for the Onasadya at the Aranmula Sree Parthasarathy temple on a specially designed boat, Thiruvonathoni, on the eve of Thiruvonam. M.R. Narayana Bhattathiri, eldest member of the Mangattu Illom, escorted the Thiruvonathoni that set off to Aranmula immediately after the deeparadhana at the Kattoor Maha Vishnu temple. The Melsanthi handed over an oil lamp brought from the sanctum sanctorum to Mr. Bhattathiri before the journey. Four snake-boats belonging the nearby Karayogams of Kattoor, Kottathoor, Chderukol, and Edappavoor escorted the Thiruvonathoni.
Snake-boats join
A large number of devotees thronged the river banks to witness the ceremonial trip of the Thiruvonathoni. Another fleet of snake-boats joined the procession when it approached the Puthiyakavu Bhagavathy temple ghats near Ayroor. The Thiruvonathoni will reach the Aranmula temple ghats on Friday morning.
