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The ceremonial procession of Ezharaponnana Picture
The annual Arattu Festival at Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple is all set to begin on 5th March 2011. Ettumanoor Shiva Temple is one of the oldest Kerala temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. Ettumanoor Temple is located at Ettumanoor, around 12 km north-east of Kottayam town in Kerala. Arattu festival, popularly known as Ettumanoor Ezharapponnana, is a 10 day long festival which falls in the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February - March). The Arattu (Arat) is on the 10th day on Thiruvaathira (Aardhra / Ardra / Arudra) Nakshatra. This year, Ettumanoor Temple Arattu Festival 2011 is on 14th March 2011. 

The ceremonial procession of Ezharaponnaana (seven and a half elephants) is on the 8th day of the festival. Ezharaponnana (‘Ezhara’ means seven-and-half and ‘Ponnana’ means golden elephant) is a unique treasure of the temple which was donated by a Travancore Maharaja. Each of the seven elephants is two feet high and the eighth one is of one foot only. Ezharaponnana represents the Ashtadigjam - which are Airavatham, Pundareekam, Kanmudam, Ajnana, Pushpadantham, Supradeekam, Sarvabhauman, and Vamana. As Vamana is a short one, the eighth elephant is a short one. The 7th of the Ettumanoor Arattu Festival also holds special importance as the temple's famous golden umbrella is taken out and for procession on this day.

Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple

Mahadeva temple is an ancient Shiva temple in Kottayam, Kerala, India. It has brought glory and fame to the place. Myths have it that the Pandavas and the sage Vyasa had worshipped at this temple. The name of the place has its origin from the word 'manoor', which means the land of deer.
The present temple building, with its gopuram and the fortress around it, was reconstructed in 717 ME (1542 AD). There are Dravidian mural paintings on the walls inside and outside of the main entrance. The fresco of Pradosha Nritham (Dance of Shiva) is one of the finest Wall painting in India. There is a golden flag staff inside the temple. On the top of it is the idol of a bull surrounded by small bells and metal leaves of the banyan tree. The temple roofs are covered with copper sheets and it has 14 ornamental tops. Bhagavati, Sastha, Ganapathy and Yakshi are installed here as subordinate deities. It is believed that the great philosopher, Sankaracharya wrote 'Soundaraya Lahari' staying in the temple.
The Thulabharam is one of the important rituals of this temple. People make offerings to God for favours received. On balance, the child or man for whom offerings were promised to God, is weighed against offerings ranging from gold to fruits.

Christian family donates 50-year-old teak tree for Hindu temple in Kerala 
A Christian family in a Kerala village has donated its 50-year-old teak tree to a Hindu temple for being used in a religious ceremony. The tree was needed for the past seven years to build Lord's flag mast by temple authorities. 
The special teak tree was needed at Sri Mahadevar Temple at Ettumanur near Kerala's Kottayam District for an ideal flag mast that started just after the "Devaprasnam" ceremony at the temple in the year 2000. 
Temple authorities had already visited nearby States in search of the appropriate tree. Eventually, they found it at Maniyangattu House owned by M.K.Joseph, near Pala. 
"I felt happy and somehow I could help the temple for its flag mast. Earlier, I had 40 teak trees and had to cut all of that, but I could never touch this one. When the temple authorities asked for it, I just donated it happily," said M.K Joseph, Teak Tree Owner .Read more

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