Aaratu ritual: Flights suspended for five hours at Thiruvananthapuram airport to make way for the divine passage

Thiruvananthapuram, November 1

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Flight operations were suspended for five hours and a number of services rescheduled at the airport here on Tuesday to enable the traditional “Aaratu” procession of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple pass through the runway, in lines with a decades old practice involving the local Royals.

At least 10 flights of major carriers, including that of Indigo, Air India Express and Air Arabia, were rescheduled at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport as services came to a halt from 4 pm to 9 pm, Airport sources here said.

The airport has been pausing operations and rescheduling flights twice every year for decades to enable the bi-annual centuries-old ceremonial procession of the shrine to pass through the runway.

The practice of the temple procession passing through the route to reach the Shangumugham beach for the holy bath of the idols began centuries ago and it has been continuing even after the establishment of the airport in 1932.

When the airport was constructed in the particular place, the then Travancore King Sree Chithira Thirunal had made it clear that facility would be open for public for 363 days in a year and for two days for Lord Padmanabha, the titular deity of the royal family, according to historians.

The royal-era ritual has been continuing even after the Adani Group took over its management of the airport last year.

The airport issues a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) twice every year before the runway is closed during the bi-annual Alpashi festival which falls in October-November and the Panguni festival in March-April.

Sporting the traditional green silk cap and carrying the ceremonial sword, Sree Moolam Tirunal Rama Varma, the present head of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, led the procession on Tuesday. It began from the shrine at around 5.00 pm.

The “utsava Vigrahas” (idols) of Padmanabha Swamy, Narasima Moorthy and Krishna Swami, were accompanied by a large number of devotees including women and children.

After entering the airport premises, the idols were kept at the ‘aaratu mandapam” near the runway for some time and later taken to the nearby beach for the rituals.

After a dip in the sea off Shankumugham beach, the idols were then taken back to the shrine in a procession lit by traditional torches which marks the conclusion of the festival.