'Athachamayam' celebrations herald start of 10-day Onam festivities in Kerala

Athachamayam celebrations heralding the start of the 10day Onam festivities in Kerala saw a colourful rally of caparisoned elephants floats and folkdance performances at Tripunithura here on SundayThe celebrations were officially inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan who said that since the time of the royal era the Kochi kingdom and Tripunithura have been examples of secularism as people from all religions and communities took part in the Athachamayam festivitiesHe further said that the history and heritage of Tripunithura should be highlightedIt should be turned into a heritage city he saidThe CM said that there were many historical castles in the city but many were demolished and the rest are also being gradually removedI request that they be protected If it becomes a heritage city they will be protected In European nations they protect such old buildings Satheesan saidHe urged the MLA MP and local bodies representing the city to work together to protect its heritage statusThe CM suggested that they bring an expert from abroad study the issue and prepare a good proposal for protecting the heritage of Tripunithura once the capital of the erstwhile Royal Kingdom of KochiHe said that if such a proposal comes the government was ready to protect the heritage status of the citySo you should start the work for that he addedHe also recalled how since childhood he used to come to see the festivities every yearState Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Anoop Jacob unfurled the Atham flagSubsequently Malayalam film actor Jagadish flagged off the rally which commenced from Atham Nagar in TripunithuraThousands across all age groups and from all walks of life braved the intermittent rains and turned up to watch the colourful procession which was lent a rhythmic touch by the chendamelam and panchavadyam performances by percussionistsWomen in traditional Kerala attire of set mundu children in different kinds of fancy dresses various folk art forms like Theyyam Kolkali Mayilattam Ammankudam Pulikkali and classical art forms like Kathakali added colour to the Athachamayam processionPeople including some foreigners lined both sides of the procession route to witness the festivitiesDuring the royal era the Maharaja of Kochi used to participate in the procession from Tripunithura to the Vamanamoorthy temple at ThrikkakaraAccording to legends the festival is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali whose spirit is believed to visit Kerala at the time of Onam to see his subjectsKerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar extended Atham greetings to the people of the state on the occasionHeartfelt Atham greetings to everyone he said in a social media postMeanwhile the famed Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta will open at 5 pm on Sunday for Chingam month pujasOnam the harvest festival is celebrated during the auspicious Malayalam month of Chingam Thiruvonam the most important day of the Onam festivities falls on August 26 this yearThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever