Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam

Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam
Kottiyoor Yajna bhoomi
Official name	Vysakha Mahotsavam
Also called	Kottiyoor Utsavam
Observed by	Hindu
Type	Religious
Observances	Circumambulation of the Swayambhu linga through the sacred pond (Thiruvanchira)
Begins	Swati in Saka Calendar:Vaisakha; (Gregorian Calendar: May–June)
Ends	Chitra in Saka Calendar:Jyaistha; (Gregorian Calendar:June–July)
2016 date	20 May - 16 June
Related to	Daksha Yaga

Kottiyoor Ulsavam or Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam (Sanskrit: वैशाख महोत्सव) is a 27-day annual pilgrimage observed by Hindus commemorating the Mythology of Daksha Yaga. The pilgrimage is similar to the Kumbh Mela of Prayag, where ablutions are performed. The Vysakha Mahotsavam is a yearly pilgrimage like the Hindus' Sabarimala Pilgrimage or the Muslims' Hajj Pilgrimage, where devotees, travelling from multiple locations, go en masse to a shrine at a specific period of time during the year. The temple and grounds are also known as Dakshina Kasi.

In Kottiyoor (Kerala), there are two shrines on the banks of the Vavali (Bavali) river. On the west bank sits the Thruchherumana Vadakkeshwaram Temple (called Ikkare Kottiyoor Temple by natives), which is a nalukettu temple complex. On the east bank, there is a temporary shrine called "Akkare Kottiyoor", where the festival ceremonies take place. This is opened only during the Vysakha Mahotsavam. During the Vysakha pilgrimage, puja is performed in a temporary temple (Ikkare Kottiyoor) in the same prehistoric Vedic location. Only temporary thatch huts, which are removed after the festival, are built. Every year, thousands of pilgrims come to the Yajna bhoomi. Yajna shala has a Swayambhu Shivalinga, where ablutions are performed. The Akkare Kottiyoor temple, where the yajna takes place, has no Sreekovil/Garbhagriha(Sanctum-sanctorium); instead, it is located on a raised platform made of river stones named Manithara (മണിത്തറ). The temple is located at the center of a pond that is the origin of a spring. From the pond, water flows towards the Vavali river to the west. The entire shrine looks like Shivalinga itself if viewed from the sky. This pond is called Thiruvanchira(തിരുവഞ്ചിറ). Devotees circumambulate the shrine within the pond, mostly in the rain. There is another raised circular platform beside the main shrine, called Ammarakal Thara(അമ്മാരക്കല്ല് തറ). Finally, there is a giant Jayanti vilakku (a type of Lakshmi lamp) and an idol covered by a palmyra leaf umbrella (ഓലക്കുട) there. It is believed that Sati immolates herself on Ammarakal Thara.