Kottayam

The Panachikkadu Festival, held at the Panachikkadu Saraswati Temple in Kottayam, is a vibrant celebration centered around the sacred tradition of Vidyarambham, which marks the beginning of education for young children. This important ritual takes place during the last day of the Navaratri Festival, known as Vijayadashami, and is one of the holiest sites for this ceremony in Kerala. The temple, often referred to as the Dakshina Mookambika (Mookambika Temple of the South), is dedicated to Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge.

The Navaratri celebrations at Panachikkadu are colorful events filled with cultural programs that attract devotees from various parts of India. The temple has a rich history of over a thousand years and is traditionally maintained by three Brahmin families: Kizhupuram, Karunad, and Kaimukku. According to legend, a Brahmin from the Kizhupuram family, disappointed by not having a male child, prayed to the deity at Mookambika. The deity appeared to him, guiding him to return to his native place and adopt a child from the Karunad family. The Brahmin, blessed by the deity, brought the divine power back to Panachikkadu, leading to the establishment of the temple with the deity's power incarnated in an old idol.