Kerala temple festivals, which highlight India’s most prized animal, the elephant, pay tribute to the presiding local god or goddess. Watch large processions of bejeweled elephants, drummers, musicians, and colorful floats carrying gods and goddesses around the harvest season in March and April. The largest festivals take place in the Thrissur and Palakkad districts in northern and central Kerala, but many small temples throughout the state offer small-scale festivities if you’re not one for noisy crowds.
