The festival is more of an anniversary of a catastrophic event in the past than a ritual of the temple. The festival commemorates the events of 1920 when a huge fire engulfed most parts of Sree Poornathrayeesa temple. The wooden structure of the temple inside, the thatched elephant shed and the eastern gopuram were destroyed in the fire. The festival is called locally as “Ambalam kathi ultsavam” (festival of the temple fire). The temple was later rebuilt in 12 years by the King popularly known as Madrasil Theepetta Rama Varma Thampuram.

Source: The Hindu October 25, 2017 20:03 UTC