KERALA: The temples and religious institutions in the districts of Thrissur, Kottayam and Alappuzha bristled with thousands of children, mostly aged between three to five, on Monday, as they were initiated into the world of letters.
Thrissur At the Sri Dharma Sastha Temple at Thiruvullakkavu, which is well-known for the ritual for the past many years, the Vidyarambham ceremony commenced at 4 a.m. ended around 1 p.m.
The temple authorities said that over 10,000 tiny tots made their formal entry into the world of letters on the day. Last year, around 8,000 children had performed the ritual at the temple.
Kottayam Thousands of kids from far and near were initiated into the world of letters on Monday at the Saraswathy temple in Panachikkad near here, which is also known as the Dakshina Mookambika temple.
As usual with every Vidyarambham day, young ones depicted contrasting moods. Many tots wept and screamed as their tender fingers were drawn into the plates strewn with raw rice followed by scribbling of letters on their tongue with gold. A few other kids were seen delighted. The temple witnessed heavy rush from the wee hours itself. It took nearly two hours to cover the five-km route from Chingavanam to Panachikkad.
Around 30,000 people are believed to have reached the temple on the day.
The Panachikkad temple is unique for the presence of evergreen creepers and a perennial stream flowing beside the main idol placed in a lowered ground.
The shrine is one of the most sought-after venues for the Vidyarambham
ceremony.
The ceremony was held under the aegis of various media and publishing houses and other cultural organisations in the town.
Alappuzha Right from the morning, the temples in the district witnessed a heavy turnout for the Vidyarambham ceremony. Hundreds of parents brought their children to be initiated by the ‘acharyas. Temples like Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Swami temple, Chettikulangara Devi temple, Kanichukulangara Devi temple, Alappuzha Kidangaparambu Devi temple, Alappuzha Mullackal Devi temple, Punnapra Aravukadu Sreedevi temple, Thanneermukkom Sree Chalinarayanapuram temple, Thanneermukkom Njettayil Devi temple, Thanneermukkom Pozhiyamparambu Sree Khandaakarna Swami temple, Thanneermukkom Elanjamkulanghara Devi temple, Muhamma Aryakkara Bhagavati temple, Muhamma Kaavunkal Devi Temple, Ambanakulangara Devi temple, Varanadu Devi temple,
Cherthala Karthiyayini Devi temple, Vadakkumkara Devi temple and Aroor Devi temple in the district witnessed a good turnout of children for the initiation ceremony.
Vidyarambham was also organised at the Kunjan Smarakam, Ambalappuzha.
Scores of children were initiated into dance and music at the Vipanchika Cultural Organisation at Pattukulangara in Kuthiyathodu. Vipanchika also started a project named `Music Village’ for the musical lovers at Kuthiyathodu grama panchayat on Monday.