Pulavanibham

Palluruthy Pulavanibha Mela, shortly called as Pulavanibham, is a historical trade festival held every year since the late 1700s at Palluruthy in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala.[1] The festival is a commemoration of Palluruthy Azhakiyakav Devi's entry into the temple as per the special proclamation of the King of Kochi in the 1700s, when the lower caste community was denied entry to the temple. Through this proclamation, the north side of the temple was opened to the Pulaya people on the last Thursday of the month of Malayalam month Dhanu in every year.[2] At that time, lower caste people from Kochi, Malabar and Travancore used to travel for several days to reach here. They used to sell the products they made in the temple premises to pay for their travel expenses. But upper caste people called it as Pulavanibham (business by Pulayas). This objection was later accepted by the Pulayas and it is still celebrated every year on the last Thursday of the month of Dhanu.[3]

  1. ^ Special, Weekly Edition (13 January 2012). "History of Pulavanibham". Malayala Manorama. pp. 2, 3.
  2. ^ "To MARKET, to market!". The Hindu. 8 January 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  3. ^ S, Priyadershini (26 March 2020). "How a small pox epidemic launched Kochi's Pulavanibham market". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 January 2023.