The holy month of Karkidakam, which is the last in the traditional Malayalam calendar, has started and the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Budget Tourism Cell has rolled out trips to facilitate ‘Nalambala Darshan’. The services for the ‘darshan’ are available from all seven depots in the Alappuzha district till August 16. As many as 17 trips are being organized from different depots of Alappuzha during this period. ‘Nalambala Darshan’ is an annual pilgrimage to temples in central Kerala dedicated to Lord Rama and his brothers Bharata, Lakshmana and Shathrugna.
As thousands of devotees undertake this religious journey in the month of Karkidakam, also known as Ramayana ‘masam’ (month), the demand is high for the KSRTC’s budget services to these places of worship. It is noteworthy that the temple committees and women’s organizations have welcomed these budget trips with both hands and plans are anvil to introduce more such services considering the high demand. The corporation is running the bus services with the help of co-coordinators in various depots. For more details, contact: 98464 75874.
What is ‘Nalambala Darshan’
‘Nalambala Darshan’ is a pilgrimage to temples dedicated to Lord Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shathrugna, who are the sons of King Dasharatha. The four temples that come under ‘Nalambala Darshan’ are Thriprayar Sree Rama Temple, Irinjalakuda Koodamnikyam Temple, Thirumoozhikulam Sree Lakshmana Perumal Temple and Payammal Shathrugna Temple. It is auspicious to be part of Thriprayar ‘nirmalya darshan’, Irinjalakuda ‘usha pooja’, Moozhikulam ‘ucha pooja’ and Payammal ‘athazha pooja’.
