Kaliyoottu

An eight-day long folk ritual event. The theme is enactment of the combat between goddess Durga and the demon Darika. The ritual has different stages. The paranettu which is the climax of the play is performed on a 100 feet high special stage on the 8th day. Kaliyootu is conducted in the famed Sarkara Bhagavathy temple which is situated at Sarkara village, near Chirayinkeezhu. The festivals celebrated in this temple are Kaliyoottu in Kumbham and Bharani in Meenam that is February to March. Kaliyootu is celebrated to commemorate the fight between Darika and Bhadrakali. Bhadrakali, the Mother of goddess is the deity of farmers. Kaliyoot is the dramatic presentation of the genesis of Bhadrakali and Darika the representatives of good and evil respectively, their confrontation and later the extermination of Darika in devotional terms and with rhythmic footsteps. The object of Kaliyoot festival is to offer the elementary harvest to the Amma, the divine Mother, the defender of the land.  The legend connected Kaliyoot is that for expanding the domain of this kingdom, Marthanda Varma Maharaja tried to capture Kayamkulam province several times. On his way to Kayamkulam it is said that he chose the big ground near the Sarkara temple to take rest. Learning of the arrival of Maharaja in their mace, that leaders of the place or Karakkar and Katarigurukkars who were the grand teachers of military techniques at the Kalari came to visit the Maharaja. Hearing the Raja's stories of defeat at Kayamkulam, they suggested that the only way to his triumph was to offer a Kaliyoot to Sarkaradevi. In conformity with their suggestion the Maharaja decided to offer Kaliyoot to Sarkaradevi.