‘Illam Nira’, a ceremony that is part of the harvest festivities of Kerala, is celebrated in temples during the Malayalam month of Karkkidakam (July – August) and is considered to be a tribute to nature. As part of the ‘Illam Nira’ ceremony, freshly reaped paddy spikes are brought into the temple, and special pujas are performed in honour of this gift of the earth. ‘Illam Nira’ is symbolically representative of a good harvest - a harvest where store-houses and granaries are filled with plenty, right up to the next season. (Extracted and adapted from ‘Kerala Rekhakal’ by VS Moni)
