People offering Karkidaka vavu bali at Tirunavaya in Malappuram district on Tuesday.
Elaborate arrangements were made by the Tirunavaya Devaswom for the Karkidaka vavu bali.
Lifeguards, boats, divers, ambulances and emergency medical experts remained standby as Balitharpan rites took place in the Bharatapuzha.
People from different parts of the State had reached Tirunavaya on Monday night.
The vavu bali offering began in the early hours of Tuesday.
Tirunavaya is one of the most prominent places for Bali in the State.
The temples of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva in a triangle on both banks of the Bharatapuzha add significance to Tirunavaya, making it known as the Kashi of South India. It is believed that the Bali offering for the ancestors will bring about salvation or moksha for the souls of the dead.
The Vavu (no-moon day) of the month of Karkidakam is generally known as the day of ancestors.
Although Bali rites are performed at Tirunavaya on the Vavu or Amavasi (no-moon day) of the Malayalam months of Karkidakam, Thulam and Kumbham, the Karkidaka vavu bali is considered highly auspicious.