Machad Mamangam - A unique Temple Festival

Thiruvanikav temple with Goddess Durga is located in Machad and the Machad Mamangam is the annual festival of this temple. Prior to proceeding on the Festival, a need arises to recall the legend behind the installation of the Durga devi here. Once an aged devotee visited Kodungallur and worshiped Goddess Kali. Impressed with his devotion, Kali accompanied him on his umbrella. On his return, he took rest in Machad keeping his umbrella there. A lower caste man (Harijan) took him to Palissery tharavadu nearby to spend the night. At the break of dawn, when the devotee tried to take his umbrella to further walk to his native place, umbrella remained unmoved. The villagers assembled and on 'devaprasnam', it was found that the presence of Goddess Durga there and that the deity be worshiped there. Thus the Thiruvanikav Bhagavathi temple was formed. This is about 25 kms from Trichur. Machad Kuthira vela was later termed as 'Machad Mamangam'.

The traditional customs and rituals in the festival are 800 years old. 5 Desams in a competitive but complacent way conduct the 5 day vela every year. The festival begins on the first friday of the month, Kumbha (February) and the fifth day is the Pooram day. The festival starts with the "Parayadeppu' and the velichapad in a procession here starts only late in the evening and full night. Unlike other temples, the drums are not used for the procession; instead only Kuzhal and Kombu are used. So also, unlike other velichapads, here the velichapad is moving on the shoulders of four youths throughout the 5 days. On the pooram day, all the five desams reach the temple from their desams in procession of their dummy horses and assemble here.

Unlike other temple festivals where caparisoned Elephants are on display, Machad Mamangam is mainly attracting the people due to the presence of tall, huge sized fabricated Horses, decorated. The desams compete each other not only on the plays with their Horses but also on fire works. This is something unique and tourists even from abroad visit this place to watch the Mamangam. At the festival, there are various folk arts such as Poothanum Thirayum, Aandi, Nayadi, Tholpaavakoothu etc. In a sense, the Machad Mamangam bridges the new generation of youths to the traditional richness once we possessed.