Overview

• Thousands of devotees performed balitharpanam today on Kerala’s beaches, riverbanks and temple ghats despite persistent monsoon clouds.
• Participants offered rice and flowers on banana leaves to honor ancestors, a practice believed to secure moksha for the departed and peace for the living.
• Key sites including Thiruvallam Parasurama Temple, Varkala Papanasam Beach and Aluva Siva Temple saw large gatherings beginning before dawn.
• Lifeguards and police officers kept worshippers out of rough waters while KSRTC provided extra buses to manage the influx of participants.
• Many families conducted home-based ceremonies, highlighting the ritual’s enduring significance in Kerala’s cultural and spiritual traditions.