Ramayana Month: Kerala Observes Sacred Karkidakam Tradition
Reading the Ramayana consequently became associated with seeking spiritual strength, peace and guidance during the challenging monsoon phase.
By : DC Web Desk
Update: 2026-07-22 07:22 GMT
Ramayana Month, locally known as Ramayana Masam, is a month-long period of devotion observed predominantly in Kerala during Karkidakam (Karkkadakam), the final month of the Malayalam calendar, usually falling between July and August. This year, the Ramayana period commenced on July 17 and ends on August 16.
During the period, Hindu families and temples traditionally read the Ramayana, with many devotees attempting to complete the epic before Karkidakam ends. Prayers, devotional gatherings and recitations form an important part of the observance.
Karkidakam coincides with Kerala’s monsoon season and was historically regarded as a difficult period because agricultural activity slowed and illnesses were more common, and the torrential monsoon rains confined people indoors. Reading the Ramayana consequently became associated with seeking spiritual strength, peace and guidance during challenging times.
The specific text recited is the Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu, a celebrated Malayalam translation of the epic authored by the 16th-century poet Thunchath Ezhuthachan.
P. Parameswaran, also called Parameshwarji, was a respected RSS pracharak and thinker. He was the one who turned the practice of reading the Ramayana in Karkkidakam into a statewide tradition. During the Vishala Hindu Sammelanam in Kochi in the late 1970s, he suggested "Ramayana Masacharanam". Earlier, Karkidakam, the last month of the Malayalam calendar with heavy rains and shortages, was seen as an inauspicious time. Parameshwarji’s idea changed that. He made it a sacred month where people come together to read the Adhyatma Ramayanam with devotion and unity.
Devotees gather in the evening around a traditional brass lamp, the nilavilakku, and read a portion of the epic daily. The reading is paced so that the entire epic is completed from the first day to the last day of the month.
Many devotees also visit temples during the month. The Nalambalam pilgrimage, involving temples dedicated to Rama and his brothers Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna, is another Karkidakam tradition which is completed in a single day.
The period is also traditionally associated with Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapies, making Karkidakam a distinctive blend of faith, cultural tradition and personal renewal in the state.
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar extended greetings to the people of the state on occasion of the Karkidakam month.