MALAYATTOOR

GENERAL STUDY OF THE REGION

General Perception or Image of the region of Angamaly-Chalakudy-AthirapallyMalayattoor-Kalady

What is the region famous for- major contributors of the economy of the towns
such as tourist spots, events , festivals
General understanding of the regions land-use and morphology (especially the
relationship between forest and urban areas)
Regional Connectivity and transportation modes within the region
General data- climate, demography, administrative boundaries,
Religious characteristics of the region- demographical statistics, religious
buildings, processions, etc

PERUNNAL

General details about the evento What is the event?

o What is the time span of the event?
o Season timing? When is the peak time during the season?
o Physical spread of the event
o Approximate footfall on the region due to influx of pilgrims?
o What other places/tourist spots in the region are benefitted due to the
event
o What are the episodes during the events?
Itinerary of people for the event
o Where all do people come from for the evento What all do the pilgrims do during the event?
o What is the time span of their visit?
o What are the facilities they require during their visit?
o Crowd management plan for the area?
Movement
o How do people arrive to the region for the event- Movement modes, modal
split, time taken
o Traffic management and parking plan for the region- Parking characteristics
and numbers for the event, distance from parking spots to the event
location.
Transformations in the area due to the event
o New commercial establishments
o New recreational events
o Congregational programs happening in the area
o Entertainment facilities arranged for the people
o Religious activities in the vicinity
Infrastructure
o Additional infrastructure required to support the incoming pilgrims

o
o

Food and water, comfort stations, accommodation facilities, shelter

provisions especially at night, transport facilities
Solid Waste management plan for the area

PERUNNAL
GENERAL DETAILS ABOUT THE
EVENT
o

What is the event?

Malayattoor and the region surrounding it are fairly admired for the growth and
developments in Christianity. The region which comes under the influence of such a
religious progression comprises of the towns of Angamaly, Malayattoor and
Chalakkudy. But the wave of the Christian movements has spread up to places like
Kalady, Ayyampuzha and Athirappally. The boom of Christianity was planted deep
into the soil of Malayattoor about 2 millenia back when St Thomas visited Kerala and
step foot on the Kurisumudy hill near the Manappattuchira (an expansive lake
covering an area of approximately 100 acres), a portion of the Western Ghats. It is
one of the most important Christian pilgrim centers in Kerala. People from
neighbouring states are also pulled towards the center due to its national
recognition. The famous Good Friday procession that takes place during the month
of March is the spiritual rally from the Malayattoor church to Kurisumudy. The tiring
and cumbersome climb to the top of the hill is considered as a blessing and
redemption from ones sins. Therefore hordes of people march to the summit of the
mount, some climb hands-free while other carry wooden crosses.
The area of Malayattoor was jetted to its present fame by the visit of the apostle of
Jesus Christ, St Thomas. St Thomas arrived in Kerala in AD 52 and while travelling
from Kodungalloor to Mylapore, he founded a few churches along the way. One of
his places of visit along the way was Malayattoor. But, over there, he was
confronted by hostiles who chased him and made him flee to the mountain top.
Legend has it that he lived and prayed for days on the mountain through which God
was pleased and upon touching a rock, blood sprayed out of it. Later, he left the
place and continued his missionary work to Mylapore. But afterwards, a few
indigenous hunters, while passing by the spot of the blood splattered mark, found a
radiating glow spreading from the rock. As they looked closer, they were stunned to
see that the source of glow was a golden cross and later also discovered the
footprints of the Saint close by.. So the news spread like forest fire down to the
nearby settlements and the religious image of the spot hiked to an enormous
extent. Today, large multitudes of people flock to the holy spot to pray and get
blessings from the lord as it is marked as an international shrine. Henceforth, the
hillock came to be known as 'Punning Kurishumudi' (hill of the golden cross) and St
Thomas came to be known as Punning Kurishumuthappan (Patriarch of the Golden
Cross). The Kurishumudi hills base is adorned by the biologically vibrant and

expansive lake of Manappattuchira. The roar of event is most exhibited near the
Manappattuchira base called Adivaaram.
Today the mountain top has several structures like parishes, mandapas, a life-size
statue of St. Thomas, a natural spring, a few stalls, toilet blocks, a hall containing a
massive golden cross and a large expanse of land encompassing the natural lush
beauty of the forests of Kerala. The climb to the mountain is through a forest stretch
which is a showcase of nature in itself, but the climb is a burdensome task as people
have to tread over large boulders and march on greatly ascending slopes. Scaling
up the mountain is a tedious errand and, on completion of the ascend and praying
on the summit, it is said that one would receive surplus blessings and miracles from
the lord. The entire regions religious image has prospered because of such a
historical background with its accompanying legend. The hilltop has become a
pilgrim destination for Christians all over the state as well as adjacent states like
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the most prominent Christian pilgrim
centers in South India.
The entire region surrounding the Malayattoor area become spiritually aroused
during the fasting period and prepare for the holy pursuits during the month of
March and April. The Malayattoor Perunnal scheduled during the month of April is a
much flamboyantly celebrated event than Onam, Vishu or Christmas. The people,
Christians and non-Christians, auspiciously await the occasion to perform the climb,
be cleansed of their sins and receive boons from above.

What is the time span of the event? Season time? Which are the
peak footfall days?

The Malayattoor Perunnal is three-and-a-half months spanning event. The actual

Perunnal day is on the Sunday after Easter but the advancements towards the
Perunnal begins from the mid of January when the fasting period begins. The rush
towards the mountain begins at the same time and lasts till April. The number of
people who approach the holy mount during an off-season weekday is about 100
per day while off-season weekends might show a number of 200 per day. But the
Good Friday rush amounts up to 3 lakh people per day presenting a massive stride.
The Malayattoor seasons beginning is marked by the commencement of the
Christian fasting time or Upavasam. While fasting, a person is meant to give up
his/her luxurious life and devote most of his time to prayer and spiritual activities. It
is said that one should channel ones thoughts, words and actions through faith in
order to do gods deeds during the period while giving up ones extravagant style of
existence. In doing so, one would be able to focus and muster up ones entire
energy and effort towards spirituality. Pilgrims who climb towards the Kurisumala
peak start surging from the commencement of the fasting period and the numbers
progress slowly as the days progress towards Good Friday which is somewhat
towards the end of March. A steady increase of pilgrims can be found towards Good
Friday, but a sudden spike of the numbers up to lakhs can be seen from the
Passover Thursday afternoon onwards.

The Passover Thursday marks the beginning of the peak hours of the footfall to the
hilltop. Pilgrims from distant lands find these dates and the ones following it as the
holiest for climbing the hill. They arrive via train, bus and walking to the site and
perform the task. The peak hours last all throughout the day of Good Friday and
extend up to the morning hours of the next day (Saturday). The day after that,
Easter Sunday, presents a slight drop in the footfall numbers but still presents a
significant amount compared to the subsequent days. Then one would find a steady
number of mass of pilgrims flowing to the location the next 6 days up till the
following Sunday. The Sunday after Easter is considered as the main Perunnal day
and the numbers surge again but is less as opposed to the Good Friday crowd.
Again after a week comes the Ettaampadi, which shows the next surge in visitors,
but still numbering less than the count on Good Friday. From that day forth, the
number of visitors start dwindling to its off-season count within two weeks.
During the peak day, pilgrims flock up the mountain day-and-night on a non-stop
24-hour basis. Majority of the pilgrims consider the Days of Good Friday to Easter
Sunday as the holiest and make it a point to visit the verdant hill on those days
itself. Pilgrims coming from distant locations pay visit during these holy dates while
people who live in the vicinity perform their climb on another peaceful date that
comes close to the holy dates. The season period is holier than Christmas or any
other days of Christian importance and features a festive time of the year for the
region. It is a grandly rejoiced event in the region and is celebrated with the utmost
fervor and zeal by a bulk of the folks living there irrespective of their religion.

o
o

Physical spread of the event? Approaches to the site?

Traffic management and parking plan for the region- Parking
characteristics and numbers for the event, distance from parking
spots to the event location.

The event of the Perunnal has a massive spread of people, vehicles and activity
concentration in a 3 km radius around the Malayattoor church. One would find an
array of action happening in and around the spread during the festive season. The
festivities are expressed by shopkeepers who introduce new products in their stalls,
by the households who provide free food and drinks to the walking pilgrims, by the
auto-rikshaw drivers who provide constant shuttling service to and fro the
Malayattoor church and by the town itself which re-designs its transportation routes
and facilities. A spread of transformations can be found within a certain radius of
the spot which facilitates the visitors to an extent. The Periyar River passes adjacent
to the Malayattoor St Thomass Church (Thazhathu Pally) and marks an arbitrary
border for the activities. Thus the southern parts have not experienced much uproar
of the event. The Periyar river marks a physical division of the activities but also
acts as an integral part of the event serving as a bathing ground for the visitors. The
site is approached via four roads- Two from the west coming from the town of
Angamaly, one coming from Athirappally in the North and one stretching across the
Periyar from the South. The base of the hill called Adivaaram is the bustling event
spot of the festival bursting with shopkeepers, street vendors, food and drink stalls
and retiring and resting place of tired amblers.

The town of Angamaly, located on the west of Malayattoor is about 17 km away and
is the closest town to the festive spot. But due to the lengthy distance separating
the two places, the feel of the festivities do not actually influence the town. Midway
between Angamaly and Malayattoor is the miniature settlement of Kalady which
shows some of the commotions of the celebration. Even traffic congestion during
the peak hours is seen from Kalady onwards towards the site. There is a road
parallel to the Angamaly-Malayattoor road which passes through the residential
areas of Kidagoor, Chandrapura, Manjapra and Naduvattom. The road partially
enters into the forest area before reaching the festive spot and has 2 kms lesser
running length. But since the road does not have a town-level significance, the
towns traffic does not enter into these roads during an ordinary day. But during the
season time, even these roads are not spared from cramming.
The road from the north coming from the Athirappally waterfall areas give way to
Malayattoor through an entirely forest setting. Very few visitors approach the site
through the forest route. A slight hike in the number of visitors can be seen during
the festive season, but since the path owns a desolate and fearsome image, it is
seldom chosen by visitors as their course. The new bridge constructed close to the
Malayattoor Thazhathu Pally brings in people from Perumbavoor and Southern parts
of the site across the Periyar but due to the physically wide river lying strong and
formidable, the vitality of the event does not go across it. One would only find a
trivial rush of foot-travellers and cars during the peak days.
As a result, the spread of the event is more to the western areas towards the places
of Kalady. Despite the limitations in the spread, a larger radius involving towns such
as Angamaly, Chalakkudy and Aluva undergo a booming atmosphere of people and
merry ambience on the onset of the season. The railways and bus terminals start
seeing a spike in the number of passengers turning up from distant places. The
entire region prepares itself to welcome and aid the incoming population in terms of
their nourishment, commutation and accommodation. A feeble boom of the event
from the major towns in the region is physically manifested on the ground as traffic
of vehicles and ambling population within the 3km radius of the ecologically famed
Manappattuchira spot.
Managing the incoming traffic is a cumbersome duty and requires a large number of
police force members to deal with the streets and parking lots. The site has been
provided with 8 parking lots in and around the Adivaaram site. The parking lot areas
were acquired by the church one by one from private parties over the year and used
for parking to accommodate the peak day vehicles. The four approach roads are
totally crammed with vehicles on peak days and people enter their vehicles into
parking lots, some are two kilometers away from the Adivaaram site while other are
three kilometers away. People tend to walk the remaining distance while some
drivers are adamant and would park their vehicle only at Adivaaram. Such adamant
people will have to sluggishly move in the line-up of cars for over half a day to reach
the site.
In order to control he traffic to an extent, the traffic management police would
convert the roads into one-way streets. The approach road from Kalady is used only
to reach the Adivaaram site, whereas the Kidagoor-Chandrapura-Manjapra road is
changed into a return route. The rest of the two approach roads are allowed to be

used as two-way streets as they experience the least traffic. The Adivaaram site
alone can incorporate 1800 cars, 200 tourist buses, a KSRTC bus stand and an auto
stand for 15 auto-rikshaws at a time. The other parking lots can accommodate an
altogether figure of 1000 cars. But the peak time traffic is much more than the
provided parking space numbers.

What are the episodes during the events?

The actual day of the Perunal of Malayattoor church is on the Sunday after Easter.
But the festivities begin from the commencement of the fasting season. From Mid of
January the fasting season commences and fasting is concluded on Good Friday
with the holy climb to the mount. The next Sunday is the Perunnal and the Sunday
after that is Ettampadi. The season period dies out within a fortnight after the
Ettampadi.
The dates till Maundy Thursday (Pesaha Vyazham) show a meager number of
visitors to the spot, a minor rise from the off-season time. The afternoon of Maundy
Thursday marks the beginning of the peak hours of visitors. The place becomes
equivalent to an ant hill blown out of proportion by midnight as the day enters into
Good Friday. Maundy Thursday also marks the onset of economic boom for the
vendors at Adivaaram, the base of the Kurishumudy hill. All the shops, stalls and
facilities at Adivaaram start crawling with people and the entire management of the
event do not get a break from serving them. The afternoon of the Thursday starts
seeing an influx of vehicular traffic from all four entries and is clogged within
minutes. Hereafter, the pilgrims are found climbing from dawn to dusk even all
night.
Good Friday is the pilgrims day for salvation from their wrong-doings and they
guarantee their deliverance by climbing the hill on that day itself and praying at the
hilltop parishes. It is the most beneficial day for the vendors also as they make the
most money out of their time by drawing pilgrims into buying their products or
having food or drinks for sustenance. Pilgrims, after climbing the hill, have a bath in
the Periyar river prior to return home. The next day (Saturday) also experiences a
moderate rush of pilgrims which again spikes on Easter Sunday.
The Sunday after Easter, the real Perunnal or the Puthu Njayar festival,
celebrated with pomp and gaiety, officially marks the end of the fasting season for
the people of Malayattoor and the surroundings. They make it an exception to break
their fast on the Perunnal day while others break it about a week back. The region
sees an influx of more outsiders and vehicular traffic rather than foot-travelling
pilgrims on the day. The day also showcases a lot of cultural events in and around
the spot. Eight days after the Perunnal is the Ettampadi which again sees a
moderate rise in pilgrims after which the pilgrim numbers start dwindling and
season ends.

 ITINERARY OF PEOPLE FOR THE

EVENT
o

Where all do people come from for the event? Who are these
people? How do people arrive to the region for the eventMovement modes, modal split, and time taken?

The populace arriving at the spot to take part in the celebration are people from
different religious and ethnic backgrounds. People converge from three different
states of the Indian subcontinent to participate in the event. Apart from the obvious
Keralites (from Kerala), one would find Tamilians (from Tamil Nadu) and Telugu
people (from Andhra Pradesh) as pilgrims for the event. Majority of the people
coming from outside Kerala are Tamilians and only a bitty section of Telugu people
can be found. The Keralites living in the immediate vicinity and the nearby towns
are a very insignificant lot compared to the numbers of the outsiders. The region is
crawling with transit visitors and ardent devotees on the Good Friday date. The
People coming from distant lands such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh either
arrive at the nearest town of Angamaly by train or come directly to the spot in
outsized tourist buses. Tourist buses are mostly hired by groups of persons
comprising of family members, relatives and friends who have strict prompt
seasonal expeditions every year. Such groups have a schedule of pilgrim centers
which need visitation over the year and unavoidably pay visits to these locations
annually. The famous South Indian centers of religious interest, besides Malayattoor
are Attukal, Kanyakumari, Sabarimala, Chakulathukavu, Vaikom, Edapally,
Ettumanoor, Guruvayoor, Palani, Rameshwaram, Madurai, Tirupati, Kuttalam,
Velankanni, Tanjavur, Chithambaram, Rameshwaram, etc. The groups traverse a few
selected locations in a single trip one after the other depending on the nearness of
the season dates between each festival. Mostly, the span of the visits of outsiders is
quite prolonged. Generally, they arrive on the Good Friday date and have to resort
to a brief rest before the climb. As soon as they finish their climb, prayers and bath,
they return to their native lands. They might even rest on the mountain top and or
at the base after the climb. Such travellers do not burden the destination for food,
drinks, and other basic amenities. Along with their luggage, they carry raw food
materials for cooking and a little kerosene stove. When it is time for nourishment,
they halt at a not-so-deserted spot, unload their equipment with materials and
prepare their food. Most of the outsiders answer natures call in the open itself
behind bushes and trees. They carry minimal clothes and accessories needed for
survival when making such trips. Such transitory people, after arriving at the
destination, spend about a full day in the location.
Masses of pilgrims come from adjacent districts by walking all the way from home to
the location. Such foot-travellers mostly conduct their journey barefoot and take
days to reach the destination. There are pilgrims who start their walk from far-off

districts such as Alappuzha (approximately 100 kms apart) and Pathanamthitta

(approximately 140 kms apart). They move about wearing the same piece of attire
up to the destination and back home. They simply carry a miniature satchel or the
like containing the minimal necessities in order to undertake the journey with least
weightiness. Their nourishment is in the form of rice porridge (Kanji in Malayalam),
butter milk (pacha moru or sambhaaram in Malayalam) or plain water offered by
sympathetic bystanders and households of the streets. The pilgrims would find
various households along the way who sponsor free food and drinks from the onset
of the season. Some pilgrims merely survive on water alone during their journey.
When tired from a long walk, they seek momentary shelter below whatever eave,
roof or shade they can find along the roadside. Such resting spots are used for their
nights sleep too. One would find pilgrims napping and relaxing under the roofs of
bus shelters, awnings of shops and canopies of trees during the season time. Some
pilgrims consider evening and night ambling as more comfortable owing to the
scorching heat of the morning hours. In doing so, within a day or a few depending
on the distance, the pilgrims arrive at the destination and repose for their next
tedious task.
People arriving from distant districts in their private vehicles usually need to start
only a day or few hours before. Such visitors are generally not tired from their quick
and comfy trip and simple require a few hours to gather their strength so as to
engage in their nest chore. They can also leave immediately after completing their
climb. The only time they consume is to get from the Thazhathu Pally to
Adivaaram (approximately 2 kms apart) which on the Maundy Thursday evening or
Good Friday would take more than 12 hours. On such days, the streets are
crammed from Kalady onwards and vehicles take enormous amount of time to reach
the destination. Once they reach the destination, finding a parking spot is yet
another painstaking duty. Trips made in private vehicles after Good Friday are the
most short-lived ones spending the least amount of time on the location as their
normally on a tight schedule. Such visitors spend around 6 hours at the destination
between parking their vehicle and leaving in their vehicle. People from the nearby
towns reach the site via private vehicles, transport buses and auto-rikshaws.
Wandering business people and nomadic vendors are commonplace in festive spots
of such scale. Such vendors, aboriginals from all parts of India, arrive at Malayattoor
during the season. Resembling the yearly pilgrimage schedule of the
abovementioned pilgrims, the wandering lot of nomads also travel from one place of
festivity to the next making sure they have a year-round occupation. They spread
out a rug on the sidewalk or erect a petite stall in crowded settings so that they can
get an all-out attention of the passersby. On the peak days, the pilgrim center
becomes a bustling spot of street and stall vendors demonstrating an outcry of
products. Commercial establishments are also sponsored by the church such as
food and refreshment shops. The nomadic people also introduce horse riding and
certain other recreational events for fun and frolic. Boat riding in the vast lake of
Manapattuchira is profoundly famous during the season time.
An assembly of priest and clergy men at Malayattoor can be seen during these
days. Several worship sessions are conducted in the church to accommodate groups
of people arriving at different times. Such countless sessions require more number
of officials to run the series of events. Even VIPs arrive during these days and they

require a special treatment during their span of visit. More staff is invited to manage
the entering crowd. Entire fleets of police are found in and around the site in order
to maintain peace and security while managing the incoming traffic of vehicles and
people. More staff is hired to run the amenities of toilet blocks, resting halls,
dispensaries and first aid centers.
Similar to the households who supply food and drinks to the foot-travellers, several
teams arrive in vans at Adivaaram and supply free nominal nourishment to
hundreds and thousands of pilgrims. They bring their equipments, utensils, food and
water and distribute it among the starved pilgrims as an act of their compassion
and benevolence. Several institutions and organizations of the nearby towns muster
up their financial gains over the year and devote it to providing bread to the
famished arrivals. In the matters of food and drinks, the sponsoring teams provide
the lions share of the provisions to the spot. There are toilet blocks and rest rooms
which are sponsored by the church which the pilgrims can use. Both paid and
unpaid facilities exist for such amenities.
The entire event is aired on television channels via satellite through live coverage of
the happenings. A media and video coverage crew is present on site 24x7 during
the peak days in order to capture the entire showdown. Groups arrive with their
camcorders, handy-cams and remote-controlled hovering drones to seize every
moment of the event into tapes and discs. A series of ground and aerial cameras
move around the pilgrim site without disrupting the various episodes of the event. A
procession that takes place on Good Friday from the Thazhathu Pally to
Kurishumudy hilltop is captured in depth by the cameras.

What all do the pilgrims do during the event? What is the time
span of their visit?

The itinerary of a Pilgrim during his/her visit embraces manifold deeds from prayer,
song and worship to hill-climbing, bathing and reposing. Pilgrims arriving from
distant lands come directly to the Malayattoor St Thomass church or Thazhathu
Pally and start their pilgrimage with prayers at the church. The church complex
consists of two churches- a new one and an old one. The new church is a more
immense and grandiose parish. The complex also has a large front plaza where,
during the season, comes up resting sheds, toilet blocks, police aid posts, etc. The
pilgrims attend any one of the timely services conducted in the house of God. A
number of priests conduct the liturgy at different timings and each of the liturgy
service is filled with congregation in the church during the festive season.
After the session of worship the tired pilgrims succumb to a brief relaxing time. The
resting sheds aside the church building grants the pilgrims a space to lie down,
stretch their legs and have a power-nap. Pilgrims who reach the site after days of
walking grab a full nights sleep within the sheds before proceeding for the climb.
The entire church complex acts as a comfort station with toilet blocks and
refreshment stalls for the weary and tired pilgrims. It is their venue for some R and
R at no cost and they take the full advantage of the facility. Pilgrims who arrive in
vehicles can park their cars in a parking lot adjacent to the church complex on its

rear end and then proceed for the worship session. The church has a high plinth
whose steps are swarming with tired visitors. Lighting candles along the way to the
Kurishumudy hill is a noncompulsory act performed by the people for which several
candle-stands are placed all the way up to the summit of the hill. The first candlestand is found in the Thazhathu Pally complex. People flock to the stand after their
prayer to light a candle and present their tribute to the Lord. After their series of
prayers, meditation and rest, the people progress to the hill at Adivaaram 2 kms
from the church. The church and its complex has a footfall of about 2000 people at
a time.
Foot-travellers start their walk again. The distance to the base of the hill is very less
compared to the journey theyve tread so far from home. Private vehicles, buses
and auto-rikshaws keep moving to Adivaaram but mostly remain stagnant in the
clogged traffic. Ambling pedestrians reach Adivaaram within an hour or two while
the vehicles remain stuck in commotion for almost half a day. The approach roads to
the Adivaaram spot has several parking lots acquired by the church but still doesnt
solve the congestion caused by the incoming number of vehicles. Once the drivers
fortuitously find a spot to shove in their vehicles, they can proceed to the base.
Adivaaram is the juncture where the road circling the Manappattuchira lake-edge
branches off perpendicularly towards the start-point of the hill climb. The spot
showcases the liveliest venue of all spaces for the Malayattoor festive event. It
displays the convergence of all pilgrims, vendors, management team members and
media team. It forms a expansive open platform in a grassy flourishing forest
setting for the pilgrims to say their prayers and brace themselves for the meticulous
ascend to the hilltop. Adivaaram provides the largest parking ground for private
vehicles, space for tourist buses, parking bays for KSRTC buses and auto-rikshaw
stands. Moving 400 meters on the perpendicularly branch road, one would reach the
start-point. It is a vast park-like location with gigantic and awe-inspiring trees and
basic amenities for the hikers. The climbers buy candles, water and other
necessities from the vendors at Adivaaram before proceeding to the hill. Those who
need a brief moment to catch their breath do so under the canopy of the trees. The
Adivaaram site holds about 5000 people at a time.
At Three oclock in the evening of Good Friday, the Thazhathu Pally conducts their
annual Perunnal procession from the church to the Kurishumudy hilltop. The 3 pm
hour is a deeply significant time for Christians, especially on Good Friday, as it is
the hour when Christ breathed his last and died on the cross for our sins and those
of the whole world. It was also the hour when his side was pierced with a spear and
whereupon blood gushed forth as a fount of mercy for all souls. The Thazhathu
Pally conducts a liturgy that ends at three oclock and a presumed figure of Jesus
Christ clothed in white attire is laid in an flower-adorned open bus-like vehicle for
display. An assembly of people gather to see the event and say their prayers for the
Son of God. The procession begins with a never-ending queue of men and women
moving in a snail-paced manner towards the hill led by vehicles mounted with
speakers playing mourning hymns for the departed Christ. A team of priests lead
the vehicle containing the figure of Christ with more devotees following them. When
the vehicle reaches Adivaaram, the body is taken down from it and carried to the
hilltop with great bemoaning and uproar. The procession is the main phenomenon of
the entire event and pulls in the most crowds during the evening hours of the day.

The rally of the people and vehicles is comprehensively covered by the media as
the people sendoff Christ with a heavy heart.
Once the pilgrims are all loaded for the climb from the start point, they proceed to
the rocks lying ahead of them which mark the beginning of the hills ascend. The
entire hill is a rocky peak with large boulders and steep slopes on picturesque forest
landscape of the western ghats. The pilgrims have to undergo great strain and
pressure to keep ascending the 609 meters high mount. They have to scale on large
rocky outcrops and scramble on uneven terrains. An average ordinary person would
not complete the entire climb in a single go but will have to rest at intervals and
recuperate to the gradient. Small stepped stretched can be found along the way but
are also steep and presents the same kind of tediousness as rocks. There are about
a dozen candle-stands on the way for people to light their candles. Gangs of people
line up near each candle-stand, say a five-minute prayer and then continue their
climb. There are more ardent pilgrims who want to carry loads of weight on their
shoulder while making the climb. 30-feet tall crosses made of hardwood tree trunks
weighing up to a thousand pounds are brought to Adivaaram in huge trucks and
unloaded on to the base of the hill. Then the dozens of men who bought the cross
hold it on their shoulders while climbing the hill. Such heavy loads will completely
wear-out the haulers once they reach the top. About hundreds of such new crosses
end up on the hilltop every year as a symbol of the people efforts to share in Jesus
Christs suffering. Kids are found carrying miniature crosses suitable to their
physique. While going through such hardships during the climb, the pilgrims are
trying to mimic the affliction of Jesus Christ right before his crucifixion. They believe
they are sharing the Lords burden and pain while carrying his cross for him. In
doing so they deem themselves worthy of deliverance and greater blessings. The
bouldering individuals ceaselessly chant the mantra Punning kurishu Muthappo,
Ponmala Kayattam calling out to the apostle St Thomas. Men and women, toddlers
and old-age folks, Christians and non-Christians, all make the climb to the zenith of
the mount. An average ordinary person would take 75 to 80 minutes to complete
the climb and reach the hilltop. Pilgrims are found climbing during morning times,
evening periods, midnight and even the wee hours of the night during peak days.
Once the people reach the hilltop, they are confronted with a variety of edifices and
activities. They would find parishes for prayers, a mandapam containing a life-size
statue of St Thomas to which they pay homage, another mandapam containing the
Golden cross for people to pray again. A temporary tent hall for conducting liturgies,
stalls containing books and fancy items, toilet blocks, resting verandahs, a natural
water spring, and an administrative office. All these edifices are placed within a
large span of forest peak where one would find the huge wooden crosses brought up
and placed in standing position against tall trees. Pilgrims spend from an hour to an
entire day on the hilltop before descending from it. Tired pilgrims even have their
night sleep on the Verandahs of the parishes and other buildings. A number of
donation boxes are placed at different points into which people donate generously.
The hilltop area has a footfall of 2000 people at a time but close to 15000 people
are ascending or descending the hill at an instant of time during the peak day. After
the pilgrims feel content that they have received salvation from above, they are
pleased and move on downhill along the same path they climbed up. Moving
downhill is a much less tiresome task and one can complete the descend in about

45 minutes. As they reach the base, the pilgrims take another short break to mellow
out.
The people who arrived in vehicles have completed their task and can return home
satisfied and fulfilled but the foot-travellers have one last task remaining- a cold
bath in the purest of rivers, the Periyar. The foot-travellers walk down to the
Thazhathu Pally which is on the banks of Periyar, say a final word of prayer and
proceed to the river. A stepped walkway down to the river reveals the grandeur of
the overwhelming water body flowing sluggish, steady and clear. The walkway has
vendors who would provide the bathers with towels, hair-oil, soap and other
essentials required. During the peak season the flow from the dams uphill are
controlled and the water level of the Periyar is shallow posing no threats. Most of
the Keralites tend to sally forth to their homes after the climb but majority of the
Tamilians take a compulsory bath before returning as they havent showered since
the beginning of their journey. Along the banks of the river are police aid post,
refreshment stalls and hair cutting stalls where Tamilians shave their entire head
bald. People change into their minimal dresses and immerse their bodies into the
cold waters and cleanse their soiled body. Then they change into clean unsullied
clothes and immediately return back home. Very few pilgrims are noted to take a
shower before climbing the mount and even fewer are found staying back for a few
days after the descend in order to visit other attractive destinations in the region.
Most of them catch buses to the nearest bus or railway terminal and take the next
course back home.
A week after Good Friday is the Perunnal which is the real festival of Malayattoor
but the pilgrim crowd and vehicular count on the Perunnal day is slightly less than
that of Good Friday. The day is welcomed and celebrated with drum beats and
cracker sparked off at intervals. The usual church liturgies are carried out with
processions and the uphill climb. More of Keralites are seen on site on the day
rather than Tamilians and Telugu people. People coming from distant lands for the
Perunnal do not plan for a tight scheduled trip, but a leisure trip combining more
places of visit along the way. Some start 2 days earlier from their homes and visit
the rest of the churches in the region. On their way back home, most people visit
the Vellaarpaadam church and the renowned Cochin Marine Drive. Foot-travelling
pilgrims are a handful during the festival and most people resort to vehicles. About
80 tourist buses can be spotted parked on the Adivaaram site. Four to five public
transportation buses run every minute to and fro the site. A famous 3 pm
procession takes place downhill where the charity and donation boxes uphill are
taken down to the Thazhathupally. The boxes contain cumulative crores of money
in them out of which a lions share goes to charitable and welfare works while the
rest goes to the church. A week after the Perunnal is the Ettampadi which again
presents a similar kind of crowd and activities. The activities and people start
diminishing from the Ettampady date as the season period draws to an end

What are the facilities they require during their visit? Crowd
management plan for the area? Infrastructural shortage and
requirement

When multitudes of people gather in a certain area for a particular task and when
the site has more people than the capacity the site can hold, a precise crowd
management technique needs to be put in place. Such crowds would not only
contain public that come to visit the area, but massive gatherings draw in
commercial, recreation and congregational arrangements. Handling the masses on
a Good Friday date is a Herculean task which involves controlling the number of
people entering the site, providing them with basic facilities, monitoring the
hundreds of vendors, supervising other amenities like rest halls, toilets, dispensary,
first-aid center etc. In order to abate the number of visitors, on 2015s Good Friday,
the official introduced a new system of making the local population visits on days
prior to the peak days. The congregation members of other churches in the region
were tugged into buses and brought to the site to finish their task starting a
fortnight before the main event days. Even the people of the nearby towns planned
their climb in peaceful and less crowded days. But despite of the effort made by the
people of the region, the crowd on the peak days is still an immeasurable figure.
A management team is hired by the officials of the church to control all the
activities in and around the site. But the team is lucky that most of their work is
shared by the households who live in the region. The residential areas of the region
surrounding Malayattoor are deeply sympathetic to the exhausted pilgrims and the
burdened state of the church during the event. The households pull out a table on
to the sidewalk abutting their house and provide food or drinks, sometimes both to
a meager number of foot-travelling pilgrims. The same is done my organizations in
bulk at the Adivaaram site. Before Easter, since a majority of the people are
undergoing their fasting, they food they consume is a trifling amount and do not
pose a burden to the surroundings.
Accommodation facilities are seldom sought after by the pilgrims. Their timetable is
quite short involving a quick visit, climb, bath and return on Good Friday.
Nonetheless, all the lodges and hotels are nearly full of sojourners. Since a majority
of the pilgrims do not seek a formal accommodation and resort to shelters on the
street, the accommodation facilities of the region do not experience a need for
appending more rooms. When it comes to responding to natures call, most of the
pilgrims make use of partially hidden spots in the open, but a few pilgrims are in
need public toilets along the way. Pilgrims do not find such a facility until they reach
the Thazhathupally. The region needs to be upgraded with toilet blacks at street
junctures and intersection. But such facilities need to function 365 days of the year
serving as a utility for the general public also who walk along the streets on a
normal day. Intense heat during day times drive pilgrims to rest and continue their
walk at night. But proper safety of the ambler after sunset is not ensured with
streetlights and patrolling of security. A proper system of managing the street
during the hours after nightfall need to be started up to bring in the visitors safely
to the site. Once they reach Malayattoor, the place is fully equipped to greet the
visitors with whatever facility they need.
Solid waste management is an easy task for the officials except for the plastic
bottles generating from the event. Other sold wastes are a miniscule amount and
can be easily collected, distributed and managed. But in the case of plastic, one
would find six-foot-tall piles of plastic bottle in four to five spot on the hill top. Since
the climb is a wearisome mission, the people always carry a few bottles of water for

the climb so as to rehydrate their perspiring bodies. They would have consumed the
entire liquid as they reach the summit and would be in need of more. The empty
bottles are discarded into the heaps of already heaped plastic bottles. Also the
noon-time heat and the general humidity of the state of Kerala require people to
incessantly hydrate their bodies. Such heaps can also be found at Adivaaram. At the
end of each peak day, all these bottles are brought down from the hill and taken in
trucks to the nearest recycling plant. But one cannot ensure that the entire site is
cleared of plastic bottles. The material is not in the least bit suitable to the forest
environment and would leave a detrimental score on the environment. The site and
its surroundings need to be converted into a plastic-free zone to ensure the integrity
of the ecosystem.

Map

Land-use of the region

Transportation routes? Approach roads
Traffic Management plan
Activity map of Adivaaram and Thazhathu Pally