Paripally Gajamela

Paripally Gajamela is a famous festival of Kerala and is part of the annual festival of the Kodimoottil Sree Bhagavathy Temple dedicated to goddess Bhadrakali. Parippally is a village town situated in Kollam district, Kerala, India. It is 27 km away from Kollam city along the NH47. It is the boundary of Kollam district and Trivandrum District. The word gajamela in Malayalam means an elephant-festival in local Kerala language. One can see many cultural programs will also be arranged as part of the event in the temple premise. The get-together of the elephants takes place on the last day of the ten-day festival.

The Paripally Gajamela is celebrated every year in February-March. According to the popular belief of the local people it is said that an offering made to the elephants satisfies the deity and grants all the wishes of the devotees. The mega elephant pageant held as part of the annual festival on the tenth day of festivities dedicated to the Goddess Bhadrakali. About a 100 stunningly decorated elephants are lined up for the event.