Beneath its modern veneer lies a traditional world in which the energies of the human spirit are still alive, evoked in temples and village shrines by countless magnificent rituals.
At the hermitage we offer a key link with the people we live amongst, and their time-honoured customs.
We are fortunate to be able to offer our guests a unique cultural programme, under the guidance of our Cultural Director, Alistair Shearer MA (Cantab); MA (Lancs); FRSA; FRAS. (www.alistairshearer.co.uk) The programme revolves around Alistair’s evening lectures. Covering topics that range from history, art, and architecture to religion and philosophy, they are delivered in a relaxed and informal setting, usually before dinner. As well as these lectures, we offer musical concerts and dance performances, and visits and guided tours to local temples and festivals, many of which are not usually seen by tourists.
The hermitage is also a living celebration of the artistic richness of India
You will find fine examples of both traditional and contemporary art in our rooms, specially chosen to complement the hermitage’s atmosphere and intentions.
Festivals & Dates
Theyyam Behind its luxuriant coconut groves and paddy fields lies another Kerala, different and more private than what one might see from the main roads. The simple country people inhabit a traditional universe that is dominated by the gods; their lives are regulated by an almost incalculable number and variety of festivals and rituals that bring the human world into harmony with itself and the Divine. The most important of these rituals is Theyyam, ‘the dance of the gods’.
Snake Festival Of Malabar- Northern Kerala
Bhadrakali temple, a fierce form of the Mother Goddess. Set in a lovely spot overlooking the river estuary, the temple belongs to the Valans, a fishing community who migrated here from Cochin at the beginning of the twentieth century. Reconstructed some thirty years ago, the temple has a pleasant atmosphere and many colourful carvings depicting the major deities of the Hindu pantheon.
But it is with its festival each February that the place really comes alive. Women from local Valan families have the tradition of acting as spirit-mediums for Bhadrakali in her form as the Snake Goddess, who manifests each year to instruct and bless her worshippers The whole community takes part in the festival, with processions and feasts and meetings in the temple. Beautiful sand paintings are constructed to honour the Goddess and invite her to appear, and pujas with solemn music and vocal accompaniment continue throughout the festival , principally in the early hours of the morning.
When the Goddess does eventually manifest, the possession of her mediums is a dramatic affair. With hair unkempt they dance and leap around the temple courtyard, one minute writhing like snakes along the ground, the next rushing unpredictably through the crowds, brandishing the huge ancestral swords that signify the power of the Goddess. Symbols of stability and order that have been set up are energetically destroyed, as the antics of the possessed women convey the teaching of universal impermanence, and all is in reality nothing but the unpredictable play of the Great Goddess.
For information on our memberships and associations click above
Featured in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 'Go Green'
Voted among the top10 Eco Hotels - VOGUE
Voted Hotel of the Month - FOOD & TRAVEL GUIDE
Voted among the Best 101 Hotels of the World - TATLER TRAVEL GUIDE
Voted among the 4 Best Ayurvedic Retreats in Kerala SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
Best for reconnecting with yourself - LONELY PLANET design | website - wickmedia
