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| Aaraattu” ritual, Kerala adotrip.com |
Rich in
culture and tradition, Often referred to as the God's own country because of its breath-taking geography and picturesque scenery, Kerala state has lots of Hindu temples where the temple festivals are
unique, colorful and quite fascinating. They are held on specified days for a particular reason and the age old tradition is being observed even today. Many of them held for a long time to propitiate the Gods that have bestowed them with the best land with lots of greenery and water bodies. Among the Hindu temple festivals of Kerala, Vrishchikolsavam of Tripunithura sree poornathrayeesa temple and the Thrissur Pooram, Vaddakunathan temple are most people, drawing a sea of people. Equally famous are the Utchavams of Padmanabha swami temple at Trivandrum Guruvayoor Anayottam (Elephant race; Spreme Court of India banned it in the recent past), Chottanikkara Makam and Sivarathri festival in Aluva temple, Padanilam temple at Mavelikkara, Maradu Thalappoli at Maradu, and Kalpathy Ratholsavam Palakkad, etc.
Among them, the most common features of Kerala festivals are the ''flag-hoisting'' ceremony (each Hindu temple across India has a flag-pole called ''dwjasthambam'' and a specific flag to be used on festive occasions). The flag is hoisted on the first day of the festival and is brought down on the final day toward the end of the festival. Yet another important ritual is “Aaraattu”, giving a ritual
bath to the procession idol (Utchavar) in the river or any other water body before taking the idol back to the sanctum.
In most of the temple festivals in Kerala
you can see the participation of well-decorated, caparisoned elephants
specifically trained for this purpose. Decorated male elephant normally carries the idol on its back along with three priests escorted by two elephants before and the small procession goes around the temple court yard (prathkshana path), a common ritual in the evening as part of evening puja.
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| Decorated elephants, male carrying the idol of god. Kerala thebetterindia.com |
In this post we are mainly focused on the festivals of Evoor Major Srikrishna Swamy temple, near Alappuzha, the annual temple Utchavam is quite interesting. In this temple God Sri Krishna himself had installed the idol in the Srikovil (sanctum)
The annual festival at Evoor
Major Srikrishna Swamy temple is so popular it draws thousands of
Hindus to this temple set in the midst of a wooded area of Kerala close
to the world famous Serpent temple Haripad. The most inspiring aspect of this kind of festival is participation of various Hindu communities who themselves follow their own tradition of worship and puja rituals.
According
to Vedic scholars the idol in the sanctum which is in a ferocious form
has a unique divinity '' in-resistible aura'' with high intensity.
Normally, in all Hindu temples following Vedic tradition Jeeva Chaithanyam
(living aura) radiating in and around the deity in the sanctum
(garbagriha or Srikovil) plays a crucial role. This is because of
chanting of certain relevant mantra during the consecration ceremony
and during daily regular puja protocol invoking
the deity's blessing. The deity is energized now and this helps the
devotees standing close to the sanctum get positive vibration from the
main idol, displacing negative aspects in our mind and body. This is the
reason many true devotees come out of the temple calm and composed with
better confidence level than before.
Consecration
of idols amidst chanting of certain mantras plays no less role in
Vedic temples where the prime deity is instilled with aura/divinity.
When great Yogis like Bogar, Agasthiyar and Rishis installed idols of
god, they took special care to create mystical power in them and it was
done to benefit the humanity. At Evoor, it was God Sri Krishna had
himself energized the deity. Naturally the God's aura - a bundle of
positive energy permeates in all places around the temple. Tantric
meditation, chanting of Vedas, ‘Pushpaanjali’ and ‘Abhishekam’ with
Vedic mantra, besides the priest's discipline all add up to the
sanctity of this place.Besides, special festivals “Utsavams ” (annual
festivals), annadhanam (distribution of free food), etc further
increase the power of the moolavar in the sanctum. “Utsavam” or temple
festival is held with a view to rejuvenating the divine power
“Chaithanyam” of Deity, by way of conducting specified purification,
anointing of the deity.
At Evoor Sri Krishna temple it is a 10-day long “Utsavam” and during that period the entire place comes alive filled with lots of devotees who actively take part in it with religious fervor. It
begins on the first day of the Malayalam month of ‘Makaram’ (January)
and ends on the 10 day with a ritual bath in the nearby water tank
commonly referred to as “Aaaraattu” (Holy Bath). During the festivities, this place is nicely decorated with colorful arches and thoranas, etc.
As for houses, etc., cut plantain trees, bunches of coconut and
arecanuts and light illumination invite the visitors. As in many Hindu
temples of Kerala, the temple tower and the lamp (Villakku) madam/deepa
sthambam are illuminated. Oil lamps are used in the Villakku madam,
etc.
Th utchavam covers the whole gamete of rituals and among them "Prasaada Sudhhi" (purification of Murthy), " various homams associated with "Abhishekams" "Kotiyettu" (Flag hoisting), "Pallivetta" (Holy Hunting), "Aaraattu" (Holy bath), "Kotiyirakku", "Pallikkuruppu are worthy of mention. The festival comes to a close on the 10th day with Aaraattu" (Holy bath) and "Pallikkuruppu"- reverentially carrying the idol to the holy bed room (in Tamil Palliarai) for slumber with his consort.
Kotiyettam is a symbolic beginning of a temple festival with hoisting of a specified flag of that temple. It
involves invocation of the deity by tantric rituals such as ‘ Kalasam ’
and other poojas ; and then infusing divinity to the flag bearing ‘Garuda’ emblem in this case”. It has been a tradition that the Travancore Devaswom board and specific groups of devotees sponsor first five days of events. With respect to 7, 8 and 9th day events, three
villages (called‘Karas’) such as Evoor South, Evoor North and Evoor
North-West conduct them respectively. Each ‘village competes with the
other to make the best out of the “ Utsavam”.
When the normal
rituals and pujas are over , it is time for cultural programs such as
“Ottanthullal” etc, In the evening thousands of oil lamps on the temple
premises are lit and after Deeparadhana”, two hour long ‘Seva”
starting at 7.15 PM draws lots of people. It is the depiction of direct manifestation (Thidambu) of the deity
and the temple priest atop the male elephant sits with the utchavar
idol. After the last puja protocol is over. colorful cultural programs
take place such as ‘Kathakali', velakali etc., traditional dances of Kerala.
The 9th day event
is marked by the inclusion of “Kala-kali ” (decorated effigies of
Bulls); people carry the small ones and big ones are mounted on wheels
for easy mobility. It is a sort of thanks giving offering to the deity
for the welfare of the society and successful agricultural season. Kala-kettu goes around the temple or prathakshana patha thee times.
Upon regular seva and “Deeparadhana” , Pallivetta ” (Holy Hunting) is held at
midnight before a huge gathering. This cultural program is symbolic of
god hunting the evil forces in the bygone era close to a Banyan tree
near-by. The lord atop the the gold caparisoned elephant, to the accompaniment of servants and devotees, go on a hunting trip -Pallivetta. Trdition ("Jeevatha Ezunnallathus'')
has it upon his successful hunting trip back to home, the god is
accorded a ceremonial welcome by his sisters from the nearby Bhagavathy temples - Kannamballil and Kalloorath. Dancers
hailing from priestly section of the Brahmin community, wearing the
traditional dress and holding the heavy "Jeevatha "on shoulders,
perform the divine dance. The rhythmic dance goes through many phases
expressing various emotions in unison with the beats by the drummers. God's sisters Bhagavathys also dance with ecstasy before God Krishna. Upon reaching the temple, the sisters quickly
complete ‘pradakshina’ around the temple, bow down again before the
sanctum and run outside. Bhagavan Sri Krishna bids goodbye to his
sisters with sad countenance and gets back to Srikovil (sanctum).
The 10th day event is an interesting one and the long-drawn festival utchavam
comes to an end with a grand “Aaraattu” procession. The utchava
murthy is taken atop the elephant to “ Aaraattu palace tank at “
Muttam'' 3
Km away - purported to be the place where sage Kanva-Maharshi used to
worship the lord before. “Aaraattu” is a ritual bath in the water, a
sort of sacramental ablution of the utchava murthi in the sacred tank.
Afternoon, marks the “Kettukazhcha” procession conducted by communities from three villages -“ Karas “ around the temple and
Decorated effigies of bulls, etc go around the temple three times.
In the night after this event, thousands of oil lamps are lit all
around the temple. Now an important event takes place that is transfer of divinity / aura from principal deity to
the “Utsava deity” to be mounted on the “Thidambu “ that is carried by the chief priest Melsanti and other three priests. Atop the decorated elephant covered with ornamental silk umbrella escorted by
two other elephants (Poojaris carrying
“Muthukkutas” atop them), the Aaarattu procession consisting of people in thousand will move on. There will be display of thunderous fireworks on the way at some points.
At the sacred tank, the final destination, after conducting poojas
by 1 am, the Tantri and Melsanti bring the “Utsava murthy” to the tank
platform and perform more poojas. Next, they carry the deity in
their hands, take three dips in the water and complete the
ritualistic “Aaraattu”. Afterwards, the “Utsava Deity” is seated at the
palace for Darshan.“Kotiyirakkam” (Lowering of Flag) is yet another event before the end of the festival. The Aaaraattu “ the procession returns to Evoor temple and by 5 am “Kotiyirakkam” starts around 5.00 AM. After the transfer of divinity in the flag by the priest, the flag is lowered to complete “Kotiyirakkam”ritual.
Soon the “Utsava murthy ” is shifted to the
“Ardha mandap” before the sanctum inside temple for “Pallikkuruppu” (sleep) where the deity sleeps after a busy day. Tradition has it a small calf (young cow) is tied to the
pillar and the main temple is closed. The lord would wake up only after
hearing the cry of the calf. Till such a time the temple priests and others wait in anxiety. When
the calf cries, the main priest melsanti gets into the temple and will
be busy transferring the divinity. aura from the “Utsava murthi ” to
the principal “ deity”. Then the temple door
is opened, to allow ‘darshan’ to the devotees.
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| Sri Villiputhur rath yatra, Tamil Nadu. srivilliputtur.co.in |
The
same tradition is followed in many temples of Kerala and as for other
Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu, etc, the rituals are more or less similar
except the “Aaraattu” ritual. In Tamil Nadu, normally processional deities are not carried on the elephant's back, but are mounted on a nicely decorated huge wooden ratha (chariot) and go around the four Mada streets (close to the temple
) for
''Pothu Darshan'' and it is of immense help to senior citizens and physically-handicapped devotees.
http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Evoor_Sri_Krishna_Temple
