Thiruvananthapuram Airport To Temporarily Halt Flight Operations On April 11; Here's Why (image: x.com/AshwiniML2)
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: A royal tradition dating back centuries continues to carry cultural significance in Kerala.
The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport will temporarily suspend flight operations for over four hours on April 11 to accommodate passage of the traditional ‘Painkuni Arattu’ procession from the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. It is the only airport across the world that is being closed for a few hours for a temple festival.
The airport operations will be suspended from 4.45 pm to 9 pm, the airport authorities informed on Tuesday.
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“The runway at Thiruvananthapuram Airport is closed twice a year to allow the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple procession to pass through. This tradition, which involves taking the route to Shangumugham Beach for the idols’ ritual bath, dates back centuries,” the airport said in a Facebook post.
Painkuni Festival
‘Painkuni’ festival is one of the important annual festivals celebrated at the iconic Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple. Situated in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, temple’s cultural history and heritage is deeply embedded to erstwhile Travancore kingdom.
A century old event, the festival begins with the kodiyettu, the hoisting of the ceremonial flag, and the ten days of celebrations and rituals concluding with a grand arattu (holy bath) ceremony or arattu procession. The concluding event is a grandiose event wherein the male members of the Travancore Royal Family, including the king, escorting the opulently decorated giant figures of the deities to the Shanghumugham Beach for the ceremonial bath.
Airport runway on Lord’s land
363 days for public and 2 days for Sri Padmanabha Perumal!
This is the condition in which the airport was handed over to the govt by Sri chithira thirunal Maharaja in 1947
the traditional route taken by the lord of Thiruvananthapuram to sea for… pic.twitter.com/IrhwvZi7V0— Ashwin Sampatkumaran (@Ashwinsampathk) April 22, 2024
The head of the royal family, wielding the ceremonial sword and wearing the traditional green cap, will symbolically leads the procession. They walk barefoot beside the temple idols and their regular route passes right across the runway of airport, which lies just 4 kilometers from the temple.
Held during the months of March and April, the ‘Painkuni’ festival is one of the magnificent cultural celebrations drawing lots of devotees and tourists to the capital city.
To commemorate its significance the airport shuts down operations twice every year: during the ‘Painkuni’ festival and again for the ‘Alpassi’ festival (October–November) to honour the aarattu ceremony.
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The airport authorities issues a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) twice a year, before closing the runway during these times.
As per the historical accounts, when the airport was built in 1932, Travancore King Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma stipulated that it would be available for public use on 363 days of the year and reserved for Lord Padmanabha, the royal family’s deity, on two special days. The tradition, which has been observed over many generations, is continuing even after the Adani Group took over the management of the airport.
