THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ten-day Painkuni mahotsavam of Padmanabha swamy temple will conclude on Wednesday with a traditional pageantry.
The auspicious Pallivetta ceremony will be held on Tuesday. According to tradition, Padmanbhaswamy will venture into Ananthapuri to hunt down and eliminate demons and bad spirits of the land.
The effigy of the lord on Garudavahanam holds a bow and arrow in the hand during Pallivetta and Arattu. The Valiyathampuran, who is the senior member of the erstwhile Travancore Royal family, will aim arrows at a coconut that symbolises evil and will support Pallivetta.
On the final Arattu day on April 20, the deities will be escorted out of West Fort to Shangumugham beach by armed members of erstwhile Travancore Royal Family. As the procession, including mounted police, will pass across the Thiruvananthapuram international airport, as per tradition, several flights will be rescheduled.
Air India and Air India Express alone have rescheduled 10 flights to West Asia and metro cities between 5.40 p.m. on Arattu day and early morning on April 21.
The darshan timings have been re-arranged and will begin from 3.30 a.m. The evening darshan will be held from 5.30 p.m. after Sheeveli.
