Roopakkalam
The ritual of Roopakalam is usually carried out in connection with the annual festival of Thiruvellattu, in the Malayalam month of Makaram, in the Vishnumaya temples of Kerala. The Roopakalam is a form of ritual or offering to lord Vishnumaya, wherein enchanting and colorful figures of the lord and sometimes, of his trusted friend and ally Karimkutty, is drawn on the ground using multicolored herbal and organic powders.
After the Roopakalam is drawn, a family member who is a priest performs puja as per the tantric rites and invokes the lord into the Roopakalam. This is followed by a sacred ritual dance by the priest around the kalam, to the accompaniment of wild music. The dancer then erases the kalam using coconut palm leaves. The colored powders are subsequently distributed to the devotees after the ritual.
Main Offerings to the Deity
The main offerings made by the devotees include Roopakalam, Chuttuvilakku, Niramala, Brahmavellattu Karmam, Veethu, Guruthi, Divasapooja and Pushpanjali.