#Onam in #Kerala A magnificent and favourite #festival

The magnificent festival of Onam celebrates the annual visit of Kerala's beloved King Mahabali Chakravarthy also lovingly called Maveli. Everywhere, we can find Onam Sadhyas being served on banana leaves in a traditional way and colourful pookalams decorating  the entrances of houses. No wonder then that it is the favorite festival of Keralites.

Here is an excerpt from my book Kerala the Divine Destination on this festival.

'Kerala is synonymous with its most important festival, Onam , which is celebrated in the beginning of the month of Chingam, the first month of Malayalam Calendar, corresponding to the months of August-September. There is a festival atmosphere around the whole region, with each house having a pookalam, a floral rangoli adorning its portico. 

Come dawn and the mist is driven away by the first rays of the sun revealing a kaleidoscope of colours in each pookalam. Simple yet stunning, it’s floral magnificence captures the spirit of the land, the joy and merriment associated with the festival of the season  The making of the pookalam starts on the auspicious day of hastham (attam). Every day more and more intricate designs are added for a period of ten   days culminating in a huge magnificent floral carpet on the final day of Thiru Onam. Preparations for the festival also start on this Attam day.

Houses are cleaned, pickles are prepared, and everyone is involved in the festivities. In villages, people prepare swings hung between the boughs of two big trees and decorate it with flowers allowing for the entire span of ten days to be spent in joy and playfulness by the kids of the houses. The joint family system, or the Tharawad as it is popularly known, still prevails in most parts of Kerala. On Utharadam, the day prior to Onam, the members and dependants of the tharawad present the produce of their farms consisting of vegetables, fruits coconuts and three varieties of plantains to the Head of the Tharawad, generally the eldest person in the family. This is known as onakazhcha. 

In return, he presents them with a sumptuous feast. Utharadam is followed by the most important day of the festival, the Thiru onam.  

Legend has it that the great King Mahabali visits his subjects once in a year. Mahabali belonged to the Asura clan but was an ardent worshiper of Lord Vishnu. His bravery and strength of character earned him the title of "Mahabali Chakravathy" or Mahabali - the King of Kings. It is said that there was no poverty, sorrow or disease in the reign of King Mahabali and everybody was happy and content. At the request of the Gods, who were worried about the king’s growing strength and popularity, Lord Vishnu assumed the Vamana avathar, that of a poor Brahmin, and approached King Mahabali for a gift of a piece of land. The King who was known for his generosity did not disappoint, and requested the Brahmin to take as much land as he wanted. The Brahmin however had a strange request. He wanted land that would cover his three steps. Startled, the king agreed.  The Guru of Asuras, Shukracharya, recognizing the divine presence of Lord Vishnu, tried to prevent the King but in vain and lost one of his eyes in the process.Vamana, the Brahmin, began to expand and eventually increased himself to the size of cosmic proportions. With his first step he covered the whole of earth and with the second he covered the whole of the skies. He then asked King Mahabali for place to keep his third foot. The King realised that he was no ordinary Brahmin and so with folded hands and bowed head asked him to place his last step on his head so that he could keep the promise. The Brahmin placed his foot on the head of the King, which pushed him to patala, the nether world. There the King requested the Brahmin to reveal his true identity. Lord Vishnu then appeared before the king extremely pleased with his devotee’s generosity and benevolence. He asked the King to ask for a boon. The king was so attached to his subjects that he requested the Gods to allow him to visit his people for one day in a year to ensure their well being. The people of Kerala wish to show their beloved king that they are as grand and prosperous now as they were during his rule.

Rituals on the auspicious day of Thiru Onam begin as early as 4am. People wake up very early. The finishing touches and the last circle of flowers are added to the pookalam. Then they make a conical figure of clay depicting Thrikkakara Appan, Lord Vishnu in his Vamana avathar and place it in a the pride of place in the midst of the floral carpet. They decorate Thrikkakara Appan with a paste of rice flour and water, and flowers. Everyone wears new clothes or the Onapudava which are presented to them in a ceremonial manner by the head of the family. They prepare neivedyam, an offering to the God and begin their prayers.

The religious rituals are then followed by the most exciting part of the onam celebrations, the Onasadhya, the grand feast organized by each and every household. 
Traditionally the onam sadhya is served on plantain leaves in a row on a mat laid on the floor. There is a fixed order of serving the sumptuous vegetarian dishes and a set place for each dish on the leaf.  First the payasam , the sweet dish, is served on the lower right corner. Kichadi, curry, kootu, kalan, avial, and olan are served from right to left on the upper portion of the banana leaf. Then follow the pickles. The pickles are generally made of mango or lime and are served on the extreme left.  Bananas are then served on the left upper corner. The Pappads and plantain wafers known as varathupperi are served next to the pickles. After everyone is seated, rice is served. It is followed by a spoon of ghee and then sambhar. Rasam is next. The main sweet course is then served the adapradhaman and palpayasam. The meal ends with curd and rice.  It is to be noted that the entire meal is usually eaten with hand and not with spoons. The people also make it a point to offer the entire meal to Lord Ganapathi as an offering and then proceed with their own meals.

After this fabulous mouth watering meal, the youngsters seek enjoyment in games. 

There are various forms of onakalikal like Kummattikali, kaikotikali, pulikali etc. Kali means game and onakalikal means games played during Onam. The kaikotikali is a popular rhythmic group dance performed by the womenfolk of Kerala around a gorgeous pookalam with a ghee villakku (lamp) placed in the centre. 

The elderly people retire to play indoor games like chess or dice. The young men however prefer to play outdoor games like the panthukali, a ball game, or thekayyankali, a combat game or kutukutu which is similar to the nationwide popular game of kabbaddi.

The Vallamkali or the Snake Boat Race is the most enchanting facet of the festival of Onam.  The race was popularized by the first prime minister of India, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, who was so enchanted that he instituted a trophy for the winning boat. The event is promoted as a major tourist attraction of the state of Kerala and draws a large number of domestic and international tourists. The race is very competitive and requires great skill and balance. Even a small mistake by one of the oarsman may cause imbalance and lead to the boat overturning. This race instills a great sense of unity and team spirit amongst the participants.

Another important feature of the Onam festival is the elephant procession held in Trissur. The elephants are decorated with ornate gold caparisons on their foreheads and project a magnificent sight.

Onam in Trikkakara, a place 10 km from Kochi (Cochin) on the Edapally- Pookattupadi road, said to be the capital of the mighty King Mahabali is celebrated with great pomp and vigour. A temple with a deity of 'Trikkakara Appan' or 'Vamanamurthy' is also located at this place. The Ona sadhya is itself an offering to the Lord here. 

Onam is a festival which mirrors the cultural ethos and the unity and secular nature of the inhabitants of Kerala. The grandeur of the celebrations and the underlying faith of the people during the festival of Onam, can be actually experienced, if one takes part in the gamut of cultural activities held to mark the festivities.'

#Onam  #Maveli #MahabaliChakravarthy #OnamSadhya #Onakazhcha #VallamKali #Pookalam #Vamanamurthy #TrikkakaraAppan

The Wisdom of #Ganesha wins the #contest with #Karthikeya - Ganesha Story 2

 

Ganesh and Karthikeya are the two sons of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Once as they were engrossed in playing games, Sage Narada, known for his mischievous nature, entered with a luscious mango in his hand.

“Oh Lord! I have been given this mango by my father Lord Brahma. This is not an ordinary mango. The person who consumes it will be blessed with everlasting knowledge and wisdom.” So saying, he handed the fruit to Lord Shiva. 

Shiva knew Narada’s mischievous nature very well. He accepted the fruit and handed it over to Parvati.

“Let us give it to our children,” the Goddess exclaimed.

“Ganesha, Karthikeya, come here,” she called out. The siblings immediately ran towards their mother.

“See. Narada has brought this extraordinary mango.”

“But Mother,” interrupted Narada. “You cannot cut the mango into two. The fruit will be effective only if one person eats it fully.”

 Lord Shiva smiled. “So this is your idea! I knew that there would be a catch in this, when you came here itself.”

 He turned to Parvati, who did not know what to say.

 Both the children wanted the mango after knowing that it would grant them knowledge. It was a dilemma for the divine parents.

“Let us find a way,” said Mahadev. “Why not hold a competition between both of you?”

Parvati agreed. The children were excited.

“Both of you go round the world thrice and the one who finishes first will be the winner of this wonderful mango.”

Karthikeya was happy and got on his peacock and flew away to complete the rounds.

Ganesh was stunned. He knew that his mouse would not be able to compete with the swiftness of the peacock. He thought for a few moments. Then he got on his mouse and commenced his journey. He made Shiva and Parvati sit down and then did three parikramas round his parents and held out his hand for the prize.

Parvati looked at her son in bewilderment.

“You have not even stepped out of here, Ganesh,” she said.

“But Mother. You asked me to complete three rounds of the world. Both of you mean the world to me. For me the world is at your feet. So I did three parikramas of you both. Am I not the winner?” he asked.

The Goddess wondered at his wisdom and hugged her son, declaring him the winner of the race. By this time Karthikeya had completed his three rounds. He came down on Mount Kailas on his peacock.

Seeing the mango being given to Ganesh, he was furious.

“How can you declare Ganesh as a winner, when I have completed three rounds as stipulated, whereas he has not gone anywhere?”

Parvati explains, “Karthikeya, you have completed three rounds of the earth. But Ganesh has also completed the three rounds faster than you, as he did three parikramas of us, his parents. And for a child, his parents are the world to him.”

 Karthikeya had to finally acknowledge his brother Ganesh’s intelligence.

 #Ganesh #Karthikeya #Shiva #Parvati #contest #Wisdom

#Neyyattinkara #ShriKrishna Swami #Temple in #Kerala #IncredibleIndia

 

This beautiful temple to Shri Krishna Swami is located just about 20 Km from Thiruvananthapuram at Neyyattinkara on the way to Kanyakumari. We wanted to visit this temple, having heard so much about it being considered as the Guruvayur of Thiruvananthapuram.

Depiction of the Bhagavad Gita on the Entrance Tower 

A divine scene from the Bhagavad Gita with Lord Krishna explaining the Gita to Arjuna, is beautifully depicted on the main entrance to the temple. The temple is built in the typical Kerala style of architecture with sloping tiled roofs amidst vast tracts of green land.

The long corridor leading to the Sanctum

We proceed towards the sanctum where the main deity of UnniKannan (baby Krishna) with butter in both hands is worshipped. 

The main Sanctum

The Lord is also called Navaneetha Krishnan. We were asked if we wanted to make an offering of ‘Thrikaiyyilvenna”. Vennai means butter and this is the most important offering to the deity at this temple.

 Another thing that caught my eye was a huge pazhakola kept in readiness to be offered. We were told that it was the first plantain produce of the season and the farmer wanted to offer it to UnniKannan.

Pazha Kola (plantains) as offering to Shri Krishna

The temple is also said to have historical significance and there is a very interesting story behind the construction of the temple by His Highness Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the erstwhile Prince of Travancore in 1750 to 1755.  The Prince had taken strict action against ‘Ettuveettil Pillaimar’. This turned them against him, and he was being chased and surrounded by his enemies. It is said that when he reached the place where this temple is situated, he was actually looking for a safe place to hide. A small boy appeared there and led the Prince to a huge jackfruit tree which had a hollow trunk. The boy asked the Prince to hide in the hollow space and assured him that no one would find him here. Miraculously that is what actually happened. The enemies left without finding him and his life was saved. The Prince searched for the boy but could not locate him anywhere. The Prince was then told by the astrologer that it was his Lord Unnikrishnan who had come in the guise of the little boy and saved him from his enemies. To express his gratitude to Shri Krishna, he built this temple. The tree where he hid himself is still preserved in the temple premises and protected by an enclosure. It is visible to all devotees who worship Shri Krishna at Neyyattinkara. It is called  ‘Ammachi Plavu’. (Plavu is Jackfruit tree)

The 'Ammachi Plavu' in a protective enclosure

The presiding deity is a west facing, panchaloha idol of Shri Krishna with butter in both hands. According to what we heard there, the original idol was made of wood. But the boat which was carrying the idol got stuck and stopped on the way. To keep the installation in accordance with the auspicious time schedule, the panchaloha idol was installed. This is also believed to be according to Shri Krishna’s wish.

Apart from the main shrine to Shri Krishna Swami, there are shrines to Lord Ganesh and Dharmasastha. There is also a shrine to Nagaraja outside the main complex. The temple is administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board.

Shops outside the Temple selling Puja materials and souvenirs

The main festivals celebrated at the Neyyattinkara Shri Krishna Swami Temple are Janmashtami called Ashtami Rohini, Vishu, Navaratri, Mandala Puja and the main annual temple festival in the Malayalam month of Meenam. As in all Kerala temples, this annual festival starts with the Kodiyettram on the first day and ends with a grand Araattu (a sacred dip of the deity in the river Neyyar) procession on the day of the star Rohini in the month of Meenam. During the festival the jewels and ornaments of the deity, ceremoniously kept at another temple, are brought to the Neyyattinkara temple to adorn Shri Unni Krishna. There is a huge crowd of devotees in the temple on that day waiting to have darshan of their beloved Lord adorned with all the ornaments.

#Neyyattinkara #ShriKrishna #UnniKannan #temple #incredible India #Kerala #Keralatourism #Thiruvananthapuram #Thrikayyilvenna