Men Dress up like Women, Offer Prayers on Chamayavilakku at Kottankulangara Sree Devi Temple

During the 'Chamayavilakku' festival of the Kottankulangara Sree Devi Temple in Kerala's Kollam district, men shave off their moustaches, wear women's dresses, get decked up with pieces of jewellery and elaborate make up and take out processions with lamps.

Kollam (Kerala): In a unique and one-of-its-kind festival, men dress up in traditional women's dress and offer prayers. This is the famous 'Chamayavilakku' festival of the Kottankulangara Sree Devi Temple in Kerala's Kollam district.

The two-day annual festival began on Saturday, March 24 and will conclude on Sunday night after performing traditional rituals. It is a festival where the men shave off their moustaches, wear women's dresses, get decked up with pieces of jewellery and elaborate make up and take out processions with lamps. It is a part of their sacred offering to the goddess for answering their prayers.

According to their beliefs, a group of men, who used to herd cows would dress up as girls and offer flowers to a stone, which became the norm. The first pujaof the temple was held by a group of these men and the ritual came to become the annual festivity. Nowadays, men of all age groups throng the temple every year in womanly garb with lamps in their hands to please the deity.

Another belief over the Kottankulangara Devi temple and Chamayavilakku festival: A group of boys used to play around a stone. One day, the children tried breaking a coconut with a stone. The stone suddenly started bleeding. The children rushed home and informed their families about the incident.

The families then called the priests from the vicinity. After visiting the site, the local priests said that the stone has the divine energy of 'Vanadurga', a goddess. They advised to build a temple there. The festival is celebrated on the tenth and eleventh of the Malayalam month 'Meenam'.

While some of the devotees are dressed up by their family members, a grooming room is set up near the temple two days before the celebrations for some of the devotees to get ready and do their makeover.