Nemmara is a small village under Chittur Taluk in Palakkad district of Kerala state, India. It is famous for its festival known as Nemmara Vallanghy Vela or simply Nemmara Vela.

Nemmara is a predominantly rural village, under the administration of Nemmara Grama Panchayat. Nemmara and Vallanghy form the two parts of this village. This area was earlier under the Cochin kingdom before independence. It is situated on the Thrissur Pollachi route. From here, one can go to Tamil Nadu via Kollengode and Govindapuram to reach the town of Pollachi. The district head quarter is 30 km away. Nemmara is the entry point to Nelliampathy, which is situated 30 km away. Pothundi Dam is 9 km from Nemmara on the way to Nelliampathy.

The major occupation is agriculture. The crops are paddy, vegetables, ginger and rubber.

History

The two villages of Nemmara and Vallanghy were important trade centres in the past. In fact, the name Nemmara is believed to have been originated from the words 'Ney Maari' meaning the place where ghee was traded.

Famous festival in Nemmara

Nemmara is known far and wide for its 'Vela' festival known as Nemmara-Vallanghy Vela. Vela is a festival celebrated in the villages of Palakkad district in summer, after the harvests. The prominent crop in these areas is paddy. After harvest, the fields are empty and dry, and this is the time for Vela. Nemmara Vela is celebrated on a grand scale, equaling the famous 'Thrissur Pooram'. The festival is believed to be the birthday of the presiding deity of the village temple or the memory of a major event like the killing of a demon by the goddess.

The Vela falls on the 20th day of 'Meenam', the month in the Malayalam era (2nd or 3rd of April). The two competing groups, Nemmara and Vallanghy have their own temples plus a common temple, Nellikkulangara, where the congregation of the two groups take place. The festivities start ten days earlier to the actual day of Vela, with the hoisting of flag in the respective temples. Natives are not supposed to leave the village once the flag hoisting is done. All the ten days, there will be some ritual in the night.

Nemmara starts its Vela from Vettakorumakan temple and Vallanghy from Siva temple. There will be 11 to 15 elephants each for the two groups. These elephants are decorated and along with the accompaniment of percussion instruments, they are paraded through the main thoroughfares of the town. In the evening, these groups reach Nellikkulangara temple. There is a vast area of empty fields here, enough to accommodate a large crowd.

The festival attracts a lot of people not only from the nearby areas, but from the neighboring districts of Thrissur and Malappuram and from Tamil Nadu. Some foreign tourists are also seen usually. The TV channels telecast the festival live.

The finale of the festival is the display of fireworks. It is indeed a magnificent show, with both sides vying to get the upper hand. New techniques are tried every year to bring out the best performance. The quality and quantity of the fireworks are discussed by the people for many days after the event.

Another attraction of the festival is the Aana Panthal which is an arch-like structure, where the caparisoned elephants are made to remain for some time. It is fully decorated with colored electric lamps, which give different patterns of light, when switched on. The switching on of the 'Pandal' on the previous day of the festival is a grand occasion for the local people. Both groups keep the design and the illumination of the 'Pandal' a secret.

The selection of the elephants is another prestigious issue for the organizers. They compete to get the best elephants of Kerala, paying exorbitant sums. Sometimes, they have tried to get the same elephant, resulting in unrealistic biddings.

The Vela is also an occasion for family reunions. People of the village, settled elsewhere and employed in other cities and countries, make it a point to attend the festival.

It is also known as Nellikkulangara Vela. This festival (Vela) is conducted by two villages Nemmara and Vallanghy. There is always a healthy competition between these two village, that the Vela conducted by there side should be better than the other.

The festival is famous for its fire works and the processions of richly caparisoned elephants. Each side (Nemmara and Vallanghy) will be very competitive to make their vela better. For example if Nemmara side bring 9 elephants for their vela Vallanghy side will try to bring two more than that.

The fireworks is one of the beautiful thing to see, its even better than Thrissur Pooram (festival).

The main temple of this village is of Sri Nellikkulangara Bhagavathi temple where Nemmara Vallanghy Vela is celebrated. Its is on the 20th of Meenam (in Malayalam era) - this may come on 2nd or 3rd of April. There is also 'Navaneetha Krishna Temple' at old village - famous for the annual 'Ratholsavam' (Car festival).