PALAKKAD: As the festival flag was hoisted marking the beginning of the Kalpathy chariot festival at 11.30am on Thursday, all three Palakkad by-election candidates of mainstream parties — Rahul Mamkootathil of the Congress, C Krishnakumar of the BJP and P Sarin of the CPM — ensured their presence, stopping their house visit campaigns midway.
The chanting of Vedic hymns, the rhythm of percussion and prayers of thousands of devotees who thronged the ‘agraharam’ streets filled the air at the ceremony, which also had a political undertone due to the presence of the candidates.
Kalpathy temple, which is believed to have been established by Tamil Brahmins who migrated to Palakkad in the 14th century, is known for maintaining the Tamil system of worship despite being located in Kerala. There is a sizeable population of people of Tamil origin in Palakkad constituency who cherish their culture and practices. There are 108 agraharams or residential areas of Tamil brahmins in the district and the BJP has widened its support base in the district winning the trust of the community.
There are 10 agraharams in Palakkad assembly constituency itself including the Kalpathy Agraharam and a majority of the residents are BJP sympathisers. There are more than 22,000 Tamil brahmins in Palakkad constituency which has made them a force to reckon with. Around 75% of the voters in the constituency are Hindus, and they regard the Chariot fest as a major religious event. This is the reason for politicians flocking to the temple.
“The claim that we are supporters of the BJP is untrue. We support people who support the community. Brahmins are a peace-loving community and we abide by the law. The incidents of Brahmins being involved in crime are very low in the state,” said Karimpuzha Raman, former state president of the Brahmin Sabha and a resident of Kalpathy.
Though political parties had been clamouring for shifting the poll date, they realised the mistake only after the demand was accepted. A majority of the youngsters in the agraharams have migrated to metros like Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi in search of jobs.
However, they never miss the Kalpathy chariot festival. Most of them have booked tickets to arrive on November 12 and return on November 16. In fact, shifting the poll date has denied an opportunity for a section of youngsters who would have cast their votes if the poll date was not changed.
The festival flag was hoisted by thantri Viswanatha Sivam and head priest Prabhudeva Senapathy. Apart from the candidates, Archaeology Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran and BJP state president K Surendran were present.
The festival flags were hoisted at Kalpathy Lakshmi Narayana Perumal Temple, New Kalpathy Manthakkara Maha Ganapathy Temple and Chathapuram Prasanna Maha Ganapathy Temple at the same time. Three chariots from Viswanatha Temple and chariots from the other temples will line up for the Deva Radha Sangamam at 6.30pm on November 15.