Venue: Sree Parthasarathy Temple, Adoor, Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.
The beautiful land of Kerala always surprises us with its spellbinding natural beauty, awe-inspiring culture and traditions, spectacular festivals and many more. Kerala hosts a countless number of festivals that are unique, vibrant and colourful. The most noteworthy feature of every Keralatemple festival is the grand elephant pageantry. Keralites cannot even think of a religious carnival without elephants. The mighty pachyderms richly caparisoned with gold, silver and some gold-plated ornaments, bells, and necklaces make for a wonderful spectacle during the festivals.
Keralapeople’s love for elephants is incomparable and you could hardly find any place in the world where elephants are loved, revered and groomed like Kerala. The land of festivals, Kerala which shows so much love for elephants also hosts a fair of elephants every year known as Adoor Gajamela at Sree Parthasarathy Temple, Adoor in Pathanamthitta district. This year the spectacular Adoor Gajamela falls on 4th February 2020.
Read on to know more about Adoor Gajamela 2020:
Adoor Gajamela 2020:
Serving as a visual treat for the spectators, Adoor Gajamela is the grand pageant of richly caparisoned elephants that forms the star attraction of the ten-day annual festival held at Sree Parthasarathy Temple in Adoor, Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. ‘Gajamela‘ is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘Fair of Elephants‘. Nine mighty tuskers, adorned in glittering ornaments take part in the grand procession during the festival which starts from Adoor Sree Parthasarathy Temple and culminates at Chennapatti Temple, 3 Km away. Each elephant has a rider on them holding a colourful and beautifully decorated umbrella and the traditional art forms like panchavadyam (percussion ensemble) add extra vibe to the procession. Hundreds and thousands of visitors flock to Parthasarathy Temple during Gajamela to feast their eyes with the magnificent elephant pageantry.
Apart from locals, numerous tourists also visit the place to witness the amazing Gajamela. The main highlight of Adoor Gajamela is that the elephants compete with each other for the ‘Gajarajappattam‘ a title which literally means ‘the king of elephants‘. And the best and the strongest among the nine elephants is awarded the ‘Gajarajappattam’. Various ethnic artforms like Ottamthullal, traditional dances, and music performances are staged during the festival that creates a festive mood all around.
Adoor Sree Parthasarathy Temple:
Adoor Sree Parthasarathy Temple is one of the most revered and oldest temples dedicated to Lord Krishna in Kerala. It is located at Adoor in Pathanamthitta district.
Lord Krishna is the presiding deity of this Temple who is known here in the name Parthasarathy, meaning Partha’s Charioteer. ‘Partha‘ is the other name for Arjuna who was one among the five Pandava Princes, the real heroes of the epic Mahabharata and the word ‘Sarathy‘ means charioteer. During the Battle of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna drove Arjuna’s chariot and hence the name Parthasarathy. Apart from Gajamela, the temple celebrates Ashtami Rohini, the birth anniversary of Lord Sree Krishna with great pomp and grandeur.
Popular Tourist Attractions In Adoor:
The traditional town of Adoor is known for its culture, heritage and pilgrimage sites. Temples and churches form the major tourist attractions of Adoor which play a significant role in the cultural history of the region. Some of the tourist attractions in Adoor are:
Pandalam Palace.
Pandalam Mahadeva Temple.
Pattupurakkal Devi Temple.
Puthenkavil Bhagavathy Temple.
Trichende Mangalam Mahadeva Temple.
Sreenarayapuram Mahavishnu Temple.
Anandapally.
St.Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Cathedral.
St.George Orthodox Church.
Getting There:
By Air:
Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is the nearest airport to Adoor Sree Parthasarathy Temple which is situated at a distance of 92.2 Km. Cochin International Airport is another airport near the Temple which is situated at a distance of 151.3 Km. From the airport, one can board a bus or hire a cab or taxi to reach the Temple.
By Rail:
Chengannur Railway Station is the nearest railway station to Adoor Sree Parthasarathy Temple which is situated at a distance of 26.1Km. From the railway station, one can board a bus or hire a cab or taxi to reach the Temple.
By Road:
Adoor is well-linked to all major cities of Kerala like Cochin, and Thiruvananthapuram. Regular State transport buses and private buses are easily available to Adoor.
Adoor beckons all the lovers of mighty tuskers to come and witness the spectacular Adoor Gajamela and treat your eyes with the fabulous pageant of caparisoned elephants.
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