The temple festival without a temple 

A temple festival without a temple. That's one of the charms of the exotic yaga festival at Kottiyoor. Thousands throng the venue of the festival in the dense forest braving the freezing temperature, lashing rains and rushing waters. The dark clouds over the skies ensure continuous rain and the earth below becomes swampy, making trekking the holy hills tedious.  
Situated on the eastern border of Kannur district in Kerala, Sri Kottiyoor is tucked on the western slope of the western ghats on the banks of Bavalee river. The river is considered holy by the devotees. Devotees bathe in the wild brook before trekking on the holy hills. They carry with them auda flowers (white fibres flowing down and looks very much like a white beard). Legend has it that the auda flowers are the beard of the ancient king Daksha, who once held a yaga in this place. On the orders of Lord Siva, his demons beheaded Daksha. Later, conceding to the plea of Brahma and Vishnu, Lord Siva gave life to Daksha and completed the yaga.  
The idol here is considered swayambhoo ie., nobody installed the idol there, but people just discovered the Siva idol there and started worshipping. The abhishekam here is with milk, ghee (clarified butter) and karikku (tender coconut water). These special days on which abhisheka is held are considered most auspicious in the month long annual festival here. The exotic and esoteric religious rituals here make this festival stand apart from the other temple festivals in Kerala. Here, there is no temple as such sans the "thara" formed by a small heap of stones, called Manithara. This is the only visible signs of the ancient temple that draws thousands of faithful every year. Many feel the Siva power is solidified as the idol here.