Kannur: The darshan season at Kannur's renowned Kottiyoor Mahadeva Temple commenced as the sacred 'Bhandarams'—treasure chests—were ceremoniously brought from the Manathana Karimbanaykkal tower to the Akkare Kottiyoor Temple by midnight on Monday.

Earlier in the afternoon, a ritual feast known as 'Yogiyootu' was organised at Manathana Poothanakool, led by members of the Yogi community for those associated with the temple rituals. As part of the festivities, traditional umbrellas preserved at Ammarackyal Devasthanam and Malom Devasthanam were also taken to Kottiyoor.

The highlight of the night was the ‘Bhandaram Ezhunnallathu’, the procession carrying the Bhandarams, accompanied by tuskers and traditional instruments. The ritual began at the Manathana Karimbanaykkal tower, where senior representatives from various communities, including the Valasha Karanavar—the eldest member—and the Adiyantharan Yogakkar, key ritual participants, retrieved the treasure chests and sacred utensils from the basement. These were handed over to ‘Kanakka Pillai’, the temple’s treasury official, who then entrusted them to the ‘Kudipathi Sthanikar’, the designated person authorised to carry and present them to the temple for use during the festival season.