Thousands perform ancestral rites at Kerala temples on Karkidaka Vavu

Thousands of people of varying ages and genders from the Hindu community turned up at temples and "snan ghats" across Kerala from the small hours of Wednesday to perform the "bali tharpanam" ritual on the auspicious occasion of "Karkidaka Vavu", to pay homage to their ancestors.

The rituals were performed at Thiruvallam Parashuramam temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Thirumullavaram beach in Kollam, and other "tharpanam" centres at Varkala, Shankhumugham, Veli, Aruvikkara, Aruvippuram, Kadinamkulam, Aluva and Thirunavaya across the state.

Visuals showed thousands of devotees performing the rituals under cloudy conditions, walking to a nearby waterbody, turning their back to it and dropping ritual offerings wrapped in plantain leaves into it.

Where the rituals were performed on beaches, such as at Varkala, devotees were not allowed to walk into the sea to drop the offerings or take a dip, in view of the strong waves.

Arrangements, including sheds, platforms and parking facilities, were made by various Devaswom Boards to ensure devotees could perform the ritual without hindrance, officials told the media.

Kerala Devaswoms Minister K Muraleedharan had said on Tuesday that preparations were complete at the "tharpanam" centres under the various Devaswom Boards.