Festivals in Kerala

Almost all of the festivals in Kerala include at least one richly caparisoned elephant. Elephants carry the deity during annual festival processions and ceremonial circambulations in the temples. The temple elephants are decorated with gold plated caparisons (nettipattom), bells, necklaces. People mounted on top hold high tinselled silk parasols (muthukuda), swaying white tufts (venchamaram) and peacock feather fans (aalavattom) to the rhythm of the orchestra .