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FESTIVALS · KERALA · NOVEMBER

Kerala festivals in November.

4 festivals this month — dates, locations, and travel tips.

Chalakudy River Festival

Athirapally Falls

River conservation festival celebrating the Chalakudy River ecosystem. Nature walks, documentary screenings, river cleanup, and community events. Emphasizes the campaign to protect Athirapally from hydroelectric projects.

November (2 days)

Guruvayur Ekadashi

Guruvayur

The most important festival at Guruvayur Krishna Temple. Elephant processions, all-night singing, thousands of oil lamps. Lakhs of devotees. The temple courtyard becomes a sea of devotional energy.

November-December (11th day of waning moon)

Mandala-Makaravilakku Pilgrimage Season

Sabarimala

The major 41-day pilgrimage season at Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple begins in early November (Vrishchikam Malayalam month) and culminates in mid-January (Makarasankranthi). The Mandala Pooja marks the midpoint, while Makaravilakku (lighting of the sacred lamp at nearby Ponnambalamedu) signals the season's end. Hundreds of thousands of devotees undertake this sacred pilgrimage.

November–January; Makaravilakku (Makarajyothi lighting) ~January 14

Theyyam Season

Kannur

Kerala's most electrifying ritual art. Performers transform into deities with elaborate costumes, face paint, and towering headgear. Enter trance states and perform superhuman feats. Hundreds of different Theyyam forms across North Kerala temples.

November to May (6 months)

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