Aluva Shiva Rathri

 

After more than a year of being pestered and reminded, I went to Aluva during the annual Shivarathri festivals. Although the actual Shivarathri is traditionally only one night, here the festivities go of for almost a month. The hottest selling item there this year is :…the dust mask. Due to the ever growing crowd and the fact that the main area is actuall the river bed, there is tremendous amount of dust kicked into the air. The place near the temple is completely occupied by vendors and hawkers who have set up their temporary stalls.

 

The usual toys, sweets to plants and household items were for sale. And at the very end, they have the rides. There is a walkway constructed across the river from the bank to the temple shore. And the night time sights from the top was indeed beautiful.

But the place itself is terribly commercialized. The items are priced high. Are of low quality.