Devotees take part in ancestral offerings during Karkidaka Vavu Bali at Thiruvallam Parasurama Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 12 August 2026 — a centuries-old Hindu tradition honouring departed souls. (Photo: NationPress)
Devotees offer prayers and perform Bali Tharpanam at Thiruvallam Parasurama Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram on 12 August 2026, observing Karkidaka Vavu — the new-moon day in the Malayalam month of Karkidakam considered most auspicious for ancestral rites. (Photo: NationPress)
Devotees perform Bali Tharpanam — ritual offerings of water and sesame — as part of Karkidaka Vavu Bali at Thiruvallam Parasurama Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 12 August 2026. (Photo: NationPress)
A devotee performs Bali Tharpanam at Kovalam beach in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on Karkidaka Vavu day, 12 August 2026, paying homage to departed ancestors — a ritual observed by Hindu families across Kerala on this day each year. (Photo: NationPress)