Kerala: Flight operations at Thiruvananthapuram Airport to be suspended for 5 hours on April 21; Here's why
The Painkuni festival is a significant religious event celebrated at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Twice a year, the airport releases a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) before the runway closing for the biannual Painkuni festival in March/April and the Alpassi festival in October/November.
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FollowThiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL) announced on Wednesday that flight services from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport will be suspended for five hours on April 21. The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL) announced that flight services would be suspended from 4 pm to 9 pm on April 21 to facilitate the smooth continuation of the holy 'Painkuni Arattu' procession of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple across the runway. TIAL also mentioned that the updated timings of the flights are available with the respective airlines.
The tradition of the temple procession following that route to reach the Shangumugham beach for the ceremonial bath of the idols dates back centuries and has persisted even after the establishment of the airport in 1932.
Twice a year, the airport releases a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) before the runway closing for the biannual Painkuni festival in March/April and the Alpassi festival in October/November.
For decades, the airport has been postponing flights and suspending operations twice a year so that the centuries-old, ceremonial procession of the shrine can pass down the runway.
During the Painkuni Festival, huge fibre glass figures of the Pandavas (the five sons of Pandu in the Indian epic Mahabharata) will be placed at the eastern entrance to the temple. As per belief, the figures are put up to propitiate Indra, the Rain God.
The Painkuni festival spans ten days, during which special rituals are conducted daily. On the ninth day, the head of the Travancore Royal Family participates in the palli vetta (royal hunt) ritual near the Vettakorumakan Temple in the Fort area. The festival concludes with the aarattu procession to the Shanghumugham Beach, where the idols are ritually immersed in the sea. Male members of the Royal Family of Travancore, including the king, escort the deities during the procession.
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