Age-old trade fair

Pakkil village in Kottayam is known for the Dharmasastha Temple and the annual trade fair that happens on the temple premises. The temple is believed to be established by Sage Parasurama, the legendary founder of Kerala. 
The annual festival of Pakkil temple is the Sankranti Vanibham - a fair of household articles. The festival is celebrated in the Malayalam month of Midhunam (June/July).

Kitchen utensils, agricultural implements, pottery, handicrafts, furniture and other traditional market fare are displayed in the fair. The main attraction here is the presence of traditional household articles such as Muram (winnow), Kutta (baskets made of reed), Vatti (Kerala's traditional sieve baskets), Thazhappaya (screw pine mats, the traditional mats of Kerala), Kalchattis (stone vessels) and Manchattis (mud vessels) of various sizes and so forth.