Nemmara Vela - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Nemmara is a predominantly rural village in the Palakkad district of the state of Kerala in India. Nemmara and Vallangi form the two parts of this village.-Location:...

, a small village in the Palakkad District

Palakkad district

Palakkad District is one of the 14 districts of the Indian state of Kerala. The city of Palakkad is the district headquarters. Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by the Malappuram District, on the southwest by the Thrissur District and on the east by Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. The...

of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

state, southern India is known far and wide for its 'Vela' festival known as Nemmara-Vallangi Vela.

Description

The Vela is a festival celebrated in the villages of the Palakkad and Thrissur (especially in Talappilly Taluk) districts in summer, after the harvest. The prominent crop in this area is rice. After the harvest, the fields are empty and dry, and this is the time for the Vela. The Nemmara Vela is celebrated on a grand scale, equalling the famous 'Trissur Pooram'. The festival is believed to be the birthday of the presiding deity of the village temple or the memory of a major event like the killing of a demon by the goddess.

The Vela falls on the 20th day of 'Meenam', the month in the Malayalam era (2nd or 3rd of April). Two competing groups, Nemmara and Vallangi, have their own temples plus a common temple, the Nellikkulangara, where the two groups can mingle. The festivities start ten days earlier than the actual day of Vela, with the hoisting of a flag (Kodiyettam

Kodiyettam

Kodiyettam is a 1977 Indian feature film production written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It is in Malayalam. The film notably does not feature any kind of film score.-Plot:...

), in the respective temples. Natives are not supposed to leave the village once the flags have been raised.

The Nemmara group starts its Vela from the Mandam or Vela Mandam and the Vallangi from the Siva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

temple. There are 11 to 15 elephants for each of the two groups. These elephants are decorated and to the accompaniment of percussion instruments, are paraded through the main thoroughfares of the town. In the evening, these groups reach the Nellikulangara temple. There is an area of empty fields here, enough to accommodate a large crowd.

The festival attracts a lot of people not only from nearby, but also from the neighbouring districts of Trissur, Malappuram

Malappuram

Malappuram is a municipality in the South Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 33.61 km2. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Malappuram district. As per the 2011 census Malappuram urban agglomeration is the fourth largest UA in kerala with a total population of...

and from Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

. The Vela is also an occasion for family reunions. People of the villages settled elsewhere, make it a point to attend the festival. People celebrate this event as a whole without any discrimination of caste/religion.Some foreign tourists are also usually seen. Many TV channels broadcast the festival live.

Another attraction of the festival is the Aana Pandal which is an arch-like structure, where the caparisoned elephants remain for some time. The 'Pandal', fully decorated with coloured electric lamps, give out different light patterns when switched on. Both groups keep the design of the illuminations a secret. The switching on of the 'Pandal' on the previous day of the festival is a grand occasion for the local people.

The finale of the festival is the fireworks display. It is a magnificent show, with both sides vying to get the upper hand. New techniques are tried every year to bring out the best performance. The quality and quantity of the fireworks are discussed by the people for many days after the event.

The Elephants

The selection of the elephants is another prestigious issue for the organisers. They compete to get the best elephants in Kerala, paying exorbitant sums. Both sides (Nemmara

Nemmara

Nemmara is a predominantly rural village in the Palakkad district of the state of Kerala in India. Nemmara and Vallangi form the two parts of this village.-Location:...

and Vallengi), are very competitive. Sometimes, they try to get the same elephant, resulting in unrealistic bidding. If the Nemmara have 21 elephants, the Vallengi will try to match that or have more and vice versa.

Other events

Various folk arts like Kummatti, Karivela

Karivela

Karivela is a festival in which many volunteers paint in black with charcoal and walk through the streets, this festival is conducted as part of other festivals, like Nemmara Vela, Kuthira Vela etc. These men usually controls the people who come to watch the festival. Kari Vela is usually seen in...

and Andivela and so on, mark the next few days.

The Pothundy Dam is 6 km from Nemmara and is a stopping point for visitors to the Nelliyampathy hills.

How to get there

Nearest Airport: Kochi

Kochi (India)

Kochi , formerly Cochin, is a major port city on the west coast of India by the Arabian Sea. Kochi is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. Kochi is often called by the name Ernakulam, which refers to the western part of the mainland Kochi...

or Coimbatore

Coimbatore

Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....

Nearest railway station: Palakkad

Palakkad

Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...

or Trichur or Kollengode

Kollengode

Kollengode is a small town in Palakkad district of Kerala state, south India.Kollengode, 19 km from Palakkad town, has endless green paddy fields, an ancient Vishnu temple and the Kollengode Palace, built in the traditional Kerala architectural style....

. From Kochi Airport: travel to Trichur - 30 km, take a taxi to Nemmara or by bus from Trichur bus stand to Nemmara - 48 km.

From Coimbatore Airport : By Taxi or bus to Palakkad - 60 km.

From Palakkad: By taxi or bus to Nemmara, 28 km.

Satellite image of the place where festival is conducted

Satellite images of the place

External links