सनातन पुस्तकालय Sanatan Cultural Library

The Sree Krishna Temple at Ambalappuzha was raised under the rulers of the old Chempakasseri kingdom, and though the idol is of Parthasarathy — Krishna the charioteer, whip and conch in hand — devotees experience the deity as Unnikannan, the mischievous child. The temple's identity is bound to its palpayasam, a sweet milk porridge offered daily. Tradition holds that Krishna, disguised as a sage, once defeated the king at chess and asked only for rice grains doubled square by square across the board — a debt so vast it could never be paid, until the Lord accepted payasam served to pilgrims in perpetuity as settlement. The temple also sheltered the idol of Guruvayurappan during Tipu Sultan's incursions into Malabar, a memory that still links the two shrines. The satirical art of Ottan Thullal is said to have been first performed in this temple precinct by the poet Kunchan Nambiar.

The utsavam opens with kodiyettam, the hoisting of the temple flag, and each evening the processional deity circles the shrine on a caparisoned elephant amid melam drumming and rows of oil lamps. A distinctive feature is velakali, a martial dance in which rows of performers in red and white, bearing shields and swinging swords, re-enact the combat of the Pandavas and Kauravas before the deity — Ambalappuzha is one of velakali's great homes. Through the festival the palpayasam offering continues, and pilgrims queue for it as eagerly as for darshan. On the tenth day, the Thiruvonam asterism of Meenam, the deity is carried in procession to the arattu kadavu for the ceremonial immersion. After the holy bath the deity returns in a final, blazing procession and the flag is lowered, closing the festival year.

The Arattu belongs to Ambalappuzha itself — the processions, velakali, and the bath at the kadavu happen there, and Malayali families in Canada usually follow the festival through live streams and recordings shared by the temple and Kerala media. At home, the most natural way to mark the day is the one the temple itself would recognise: prepare a simple palpayasam of rice, milk, and sugar, offer it before a picture of Krishna with a lit lamp, and share it with family. Chanting a favourite Krishna prayer or reading the chess-board story to children keeps the legend alive. Families planning a Kerala visit in March–April can time it to the utsavam; check your local temple in Ottawa for any Krishna pooja held around the same season.