Neelamperoor Padayani l The Padayani Village - Neelamperoor l Temples in Kerala

പടയണിയുടെ ഗ്രാമം l Neelamperoor Pooram Padayani l Temples in Kerala

Neelamperoor Padayani or Neelamperoor Pooram is a Padayani festival held on the Pooram day after Thiruvonam in the astrology or malayalam month of Chingam (August – September) at the Palli Bhagavathi Temple located in Neelamperoor, Kuttanad Taluk, Alappuzha District, Kerala, India. During the month of Sagittarius, it is a time of war in central Travancore. Some will have a 28-day parade. The next day of Thiruvonam in the month of Chingam in Neelamperoor is a 16-day procession from there to Pooram day which is celebrated as the birthday of Bhagavathy (Goddess).

Padayani means army or long line of troops.The name Padayani is derived from the fact that it is a festival where people (pada) line up as if in a war. There is a local variant called ‘Pateni’.
Neelamperoor Padayani has some difference from other Padayani performances held in the temples in Kerala. The key feature of this festival is the procession of statues. They include the figures of animals like swans (Annams), elephants, etc. and figures (kolams) of deities such as Bhima, Ravana, Yakshi, etc. as an offering to the goddess. It is associated with Cheraman Perumal - a legend of Padayani. Neelamperoor Padayani is started as a symbolic sanction of Cheraman Perumal in the western side of Bhagavathy temple. Devotees march towards the monument of Perumal with lit torches of coconut leaves. This ritual longs for four days.

This days are followed by 'Kudapadayani' which consists of floral decorations in umbrella made from the stems of coconut leaves. The next four days statues made up of jackfruit leaves are offered to the deity. The last two days are of models of swan (Annams) which is made up of plantain stems and slender leaves of coconut trees with ixora (chethipoov) floral decorations. The highlight of the last day is 45 feet long swan statue.These decorated statues shows the craftsmanship of artists in Kerala.

‘Thothakali’, a rhythmic dance performed in front of the fire accompanied by drumbeats and traditional music is another part of Neelamperoor Padayani.

The Neelamperoor Padayani was started to commemorate the arrival of Perumal. One day, Cheraman Perumal was traveling by boat from Thiruvanchikulam through the backwaters when he was fascinated by the landscape of the Neelamperoor area. He built a palace in the village and settled there. Perumal enshrined his deity, Perinjanathu Bhagavathy, in a temple on the north side of the Shiva temple at Neelamperoor, facing north. The temple was named as "Pallibhagavathy" temple as it was directly dedicated by the king. Perumal used to get up at the palace to enjoy the artistic performances.

It is believed that the battalion was started to refresh its memory. King Banaperumal of Palli left his headquarters in Thiruvanchikulam (Kodungallur) for Kottayam and Changanassery after converted to Budhism at Neelamperoor and later, died here.

Another belief is that the idols of Neelamperoor and Kiliroor were made by the same Perumal. The ‘Malika Palli’ then located outside the wall in front of the Neelamperoor temple was considered as the tomb of Banaperumal.

Legend has it that after the slaying of Darika, Mahadevan's demons threw sticks in front of Bhadrakali, who did not rest on his laurels, and Bhagwati became happy. The Neelamperoor Padayani is believed to be about a thousand years old. Hindu and Buddhist cultural communities can be seen in this battalion. Fahien, a famous Chinese traveler, described in his travelogue that it was very similar to the Buddhist festival at Pataliputra (Patna) in Bihar.

One can reach Neelamperoor Palli Bhagavathi Temple by air - about 100 km from Nedumbassery Airport, by train - 15 km from Kottayam Railway Station and by road – from Kottayam - Changanassery MC Road, 3 km west of Kurichi on Kainadi route.

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