The feeding of elephants held in temples was without public participation earlier. Later on, it was allowed, taking into account the sentiments of local people and the event took the form of Aanayoottu festival.
The grandest of all elephant feedings in Kerala takes place at Vadakkumnathan Temple in Thrissur. The temple is situated at the heart of Thrissur city. Vadakkumnathan Temple is one of the largest and ancient Shiva temples in Kerala. The temple is a classic example of Kerala style architecture. It holds beautiful murals which depicts various episodes from the epic Mahabharata. There is a Koothabalam (traditional theatre for Koodiyattam performance) in the precincts of the temple. It and the shrines display exquisite carvings in wood. It is believed that the temple was built by Sage Parasurama, one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu. It is in the sprawling Thekkinkadu ground which forms a circle around the Vadakkumnathan temple, that the festival of Thrissur Pooram, which is renowned all over the world, takes place. The celebration falls in the period of April to May every year.
The feeding of elephants as per the traditional beliefs in Kerala is a one of its kind festival. It usually happens in the Malayalam month of Karkidakam, which corresponds to June and July. The ritualistic feeding ceremony that takes place inside the premises of Vadakkumnathan Temple happens on the first day of the month of Karkidakam.
The month of Karkidakam, according to the traditional healthcare practices in Kerala is specially kept aside for practices of body rejuvenation based on the principles of Ayurveda. Ayurvedic practitioners prescribe this particular period as the most appropriate occasion for the body to undergo Ayurveda therapies. Southwest monsoon is also prevalent in Kerala during this month.
On the day of Aanayoottu, which is usually marked by intermittent rains, the elephants are taken inside the premises of Vadakkumnathan Temple for the feeding ceremony with special eatables. The presiding deity is bowed to and saluted by the elephants on Mahout's instance. It is poetic justice that the animals too are worshipped later during "Aanayoottu". The next step is to make the elephants stand in a single line. Standing face to face to them will be thousands who are excited and feed the elephants with their offerings. They believe that they can please Lord Ganesha and will have obstacles removed from endeavours by worshipping and feeding elephants.
The special feed of the elephants basically consists of sugarcane, rice, ghee, coconut and jaggery. The chief priest of the temple initiates the feeding session with his offering.