GURUVAYUR: The famous aanayottam (elephant race), organized annually to mark the beginning of the Utsavam festival of Guruvayur Temple, will be held on Friday.
The Guruvayur Devaswom managing committee has selected the five elephants which will be paraded during the race. The selected elephants are Chenthamarakshan, Devi, Gokul, Kannan and Valiya Vishu, devaswom chairman V K Vijayan said at a news conference here on Thursday.
The five elephants have been selected through a draw of lots from a list of 10 elephants approved by veterinary experts after evaluating their health condition. Two elephants have been selected as 'reserve team' and they will be allowed to take part in the race in case any of the selected elephants have some problems.
The devaswom administrator, K P Vinayan, who was also present at the press meet, said the managing committee has approved an estimated expenditure of over Rs 3.22 crore for this year's festival, which will conclude with 'Arattu' on March 12.
The chairman said one of the unique features of this year's festival is that it will feature performances by nationally-acclaimed artists in different fields -- Kathakali, Manipuri dance, Kathak, Hindustani music and music fusion.
A devotional orchestra featuring singer K S Chithra will also form part of the programmes. Two stages have been set up for showcasing these programmes, in addition to the Melpathur auditorium where the cultural programmes are held regularly.
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