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The village of Aranmula is an appealing day-trip - so long as you start early - from Kottayam, 30km south of the town and 10km beyond Chengannur. Its ancient temple is dedicated to Parthasarathy, which was the name under which Krishna acted as Arjuna's charioteer during the bloody Kurekshetra war recorded in the Mahabharata , and the guise in which he expounded the Bhagavad Gita . Each year towards the end of the Onam festival (Aug/Sept), when a Snakeboat Regatta is celebrated as part of the temple rituals, crowds line the banks of the River Pampa to cheer on the thrusting longboats (similar to those seen at Alappuzha). Aranmula is also known for manufacturing extraordinary kannady metal mirrors , produced, using the "lost wax" technique, with an alloy of copper, silver, brass, lead and bronze. Once a prerequisite of royal households, these ornamental mirrors are now exceedingly rare; only two master craftsmen, Subramanian and Arjun Asary, and their families, still make them. The most modest models cost in the region of Rs300, while custom-made mirrors can cost as much as Rs50,000. The Vijana Kala Vedi Cultural Centre offers ways of "experiencing traditional India through the study of art and village life". Introductory courses are offered in Kathakali, Mohiniattam and Bharatanatyam dance, woodcarving, mural painting, cooking, Kalarippayat, Ayurvedic medicine, and several Indian languages. Courses cost upwards of $200 per week; book by writing to the Director, Vijana Kala Vedi Cultural Centre, Tarayil Mukku Junction, Aranmula, Kerala 689533.
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