Thiruvananthapuram, April 2 -- Aircraft movements paused, and the runway fell silent at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Thursday as a centuries-old ritual unfolded, drawing thousands of devotees and offering a rare moment where modern aviation gave way to living tradition.

On the occasion of the annual Painkuni Arattu, a procession of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple was carried out, remembering a festival rooted in Kerala's royal and spiritual heritage and historically associated with the temple traditions of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom.

Named after the Malayalam calendar month "Painkuni" and referring to the ritual sea bath ("Arattu"), the festival marked the symbolic purification of the temple's deities through immersion ...