The presiding deity here is Mariyamman. It is believed that the tribals helped king Pazhassi Raja in the war against the British Empire. In regards to this help, it is believed that the king gifted this temple to tribal devotees. The customs and rituals are different from other temples.
Batheri Mariyamman Temple Festival:
Mariamman festival is celebrated every year in the month of February with firecrackers, elephant parade, performances of Theyyam and other tribal art forms.
The festival starts at Vetti Vinayagar temple in Sulthan Bathery where the devotees from the surrounding villages and towns gathered in their traditional dressing. The women sparkling in their Kerala sarees carried Puja Thaalis with them, each Thaali arranged with flowers, lights and dhoop sticks. There are four temple elephants, well-fed and taken care of before the grand event.
Theyyam is a type of ritual dance popular in northern regions of Kerala. Theyyam includes dance, music and reflects the stories of ancient tribal cultures which involves the stories of ancient heroes of Kerala culture. The dancers wore vibrant colored cloths mostly red/orange and covered their faces with the typical Theyyam make-up. It is said that there are over 400 types of Theyyam performed in different festivals at different temples in Kerala.
The elephant parade started at around 7:00 pm and this is the last part of this Mariamman festival in which the elephant procession involves music and tribal dance performances with both sides of the streets followed by women with their pooja thaalis with lights. The procession ends at Mariyamman kovil.
Batheri Mariyamman Temple Address:
Manikuna road,
Opp Mena Tires,
Sultan Bathery,
Kerala – 673592.
Phone: 04936 222 445
