Vallipuram Alvar Temple Annual Festival

Come and partake in the 17-day annual festival (Thiruvilla or Perehara) of Vallipuram Alvar Temple. This Vaishnava temple is quite unique to Sri Lanka, as the type of Hinduism native to the Island is Saivism. Vaishnava religion considers Lord Vishnu as their primary god whilst for the Saivism it is Lord Shiva. The Lord Vishnu diety housed in this temple is called Alvar. On each day of this annual festival the deity will be taken in procession on a different vehicle. The Flag hoisting festival signifying the beginning of the Thiruvilla, falls on the 16th of September. The Chariot festival will be on 1st of October. On the 2nd of October visitors to this temple will be able to partake in the procession that takes the deity for a ritual bath in the ocean. The procession will walk over sand dunes and rough terrain to reach the seashore.