Aluva Sivarathri Night Trip

Keep the Sivarathri vigil on the Aluva Manappuram sand-bank of the Periyar, then offer bali tharpanam for your ancestors at the river as dawn breaks. Your own vehicle, a driver who waits all night, a ride home. Event dates: ≈Sat 6 Mar 2027 · night vigil & bali at dawn (Estimate — confirm with the Travancore Devaswom Board).

Itinerary

• 8:00 PM — Pickup
  Home, hotel, Ernakulam South station, Vyttila Hub or Cochin Airport.
• 9:00 PM — Drop near Manappuram
  About 22 km up NH 544. We drop you as close as the police allow; walk over to the sand-bank. (Walk the last stretch)
• Night — Sivarathri vigil
  Prayers at the riverside Shiva temple and night-long devotion on the Manappuram. (Stay awake)
• After midnight — Bali tharpanam
  Rites for the ancestors with priests along the riverbank, through the small hours to dawn. (Main moment)
• 7:00 AM — Home
  Pickup at the meeting point; back home, to your hotel or the station.

Good to know

• 🕉️ Aluva Sivarathri: One of Kerala's great Sivarathri gatherings: devotees keep vigil on the Manappuram, the sand-bank of the Periyar, at the Aluva Shiva temple. After midnight, families perform bali tharpanam for their ancestors on the riverbank; a fair runs alongside for weeks.
• 🚧 Roads & crowds: Police close roads around the venue on the main days. Your driver drops you at the nearest open point and you walk the last stretch. Agree a meeting point and time with the driver before you get out — phone networks jam in big crowds.
• 📅 Date: Maha Shivaratri falls on Saturday 6 March 2027; the vigil runs that night and bali continues into the morning of 7 March. The Devaswom Board fixes the timings — we re-confirm before your trip.
• 🌊 By the river: The Periyar is deep and fast — stay on the steps and the marked area; never let children into the water. Wear clothes you can get wet in; carry a towel and a dry change.

Included

• Private vehicle and driver for the day
• Door-to-door, in Kochi or from your city
• Driver waits through the event — no waiting charge
• Driver bata (+ night allowance on late or 2-day trips)

Not included

• Food and stay
• Tolls and parking
• Bali rites and offerings

What to carry

• Towel and a dry change
• Water bottle and snacks
• Cash for the rites
• Phone, charged, with our number saved

Cancellations follow our cancellation & refund policy.

More from Kochi