Haripad, a town in Alleppey, is known as a ‘temple town’ as there are around 85 temples in and around Haripad which include the famous Sri Subramanya Swamy temple, Mannarashala, Chettikulangara and Evoor Srikrishnaswamy temples. The Payipad Jalotsavam is an annual boat race fiesta held in this region to commemorate the installation of the deity at the Subramanya Swamy Temple, Haripad. The legend behind this boat race festival is interesting. When the residents of Haripad decided to build a temple, all the landlords simultaneously had a vision that the fourhanded idol (Chathurbahu) which had been used by Parasuram for pujas, was deposited in the Kayamkulam Lake. The landlords along with divers and swimmers from the village rowed to the lake in search of the idol. But locating the idol in the lake was no mean task. Then they spotted puja flowers in a whirlpool in the lake which was a sign from above and retrieved the idol at Kandalloor in Govindamuttom backwaters. The Subrahmanya idol was brought to shore at ‘Nelpurakadavu’ amidst great fanfare by several Kerala style boats where it was kept for half an hour (Ara Nazhika). Even today this tradition is followed and the idol is kept for public viewing at this place under a banyan tree which belonged to a Christian family named Tharakanmar. There is also a small temple at this place known as ‘Ara Nazhika Ambalam’.
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