Thiruvonam

(तिरुवोणम)

Literal Meaning

The sacred Onam star

Etymology & Sanskrit Root

Malayalam thiru (sacred) + Onam, from Sanskrit shravana, the lunar mansion.

Spiritual Insight & Context

The main day of Onam, when the star Thiruvonam rules in the month of Chingam. Mahabali is held to visit his people then.

Where Thiruvonam Comes Up

Onam and the Return of Mahabali

Kerala's grandest festival marks the yearly homecoming of King Mahabali, the generous asura ruler whom Vishnu as Vamana sent below, yet let return each year.

Topics

Vamana and King Mahabali: The Story Behind Onam

Vamana's three paces and King Bali's kept promise as the Bhagavata Purana tells it, and how Kerala's Onam tradition tells Mahabali's yearly return.

Katha