Immerse yourself in the vibrant Chamayavilakku Festival at the Kottankulangara Sri Bhagavathy Temple in Chavara, Kollam, Kerala. This unique two-day event involves men dressing in female attire to carry traditional lamps in a procession as an offering to the goddess.

Join hundreds of men dressed as women lining up before the deity. As part of the main ritual, cross-dressed men carry traditional five-wick lamps to seek blessings from the Goddess. They line up in a ceremonial procession, with rituals continuing until midnight on both days.

Begin the festival at 3 a.m. with the deity’s procession from Kunjalummoodu while devotees stand in long lines from the temple gate with the lamp for the ceremonial arrival. After the ritualistic bath (aarattu) in the temple pond, the deity rests in a canopy made of coconut palm leaves (kurutholapanthal) erected in the temple courtyard. With this, the ritual ends and the festival is conducted with equal importance on both days.