I am no phlebotomist but if I were friends with
the Culicidae family, I would have been a billionaire today. Since early years,
I discovered that the females from the Anopheles family were very fond of
me.The nymphomaniac variety would seek
me out in the dark and plant their deepest kisses on my epidermis. The foreplay
and after play sessions invariably left a long-lasting imprint on my body.I would thereafter carry signs of such
nocturnal quests several weeks into the future in the form of red visible perturbations.
An itchy reminder of their continuing
love affair with me.
Life is never easy in a tropical temperamental God’s
own country where number of female species outnumber males! With passage of
time, I have discovered new patterns and changes in my temporal existence
having to encounter tastes and preferences of such lot.I learnt new ways to face them.My experiments with truth showed that
repellents, swat racquets or nets never really deterred these determined femme
fatales and theycontinue to chase me
out in the dark.
As I watch the sun set into the distant horizon,
I have learned to cope up with destiny. Allurements of the worldly perhaps keep
such enchantresses drawing life from me through day and night.I have laid down my defenses. I no longer
seek revenge or hold grudges against them. I am tamed today and invariably bow down
to their oeuvre.
Be positive, I would whisper to myself.
Someone with O+ve blood group is bound to be generous
and donor some.
Enjoy the bite if it is inevitable!
O+ve - A universal....
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Kanniyarkali – New
heights – Rising glory
Jaya Prakash Kallikkal
Enmeshed in the cultural ethos of Palakkad are traditions
that have delectable mix of Kerala Nair community and its culture.A tinge of folk dance and music traditions, drawing
inspiration from various historical and social traditions from Chera, Pallava and Chola
dynasties resonate through Kanniyarkali. Interweaving the life of common folk creatively
communicated through the medium of story-telling, mono acting, group dance,
costume, theatre and musical traditions Kanniyarkali, encapsulates folk traditions.
Palakkad upholds a unique identity in the landscape of
Kerala. Often referred to as ‘The Granary of Kerala’, passage of time has not
penetrated this gem of a land in the map of Kerala. While towering concrete
structures and crowded market places are replacing rural topography with
passage of time, Palakkad is perhaps a hidden paradise that greets a visitor to
a vast expanse of virgin green lands bordered by pretty hills endowed with a
cultural heritage that retains its innate freshness and charm.
Passage of time has not shrunk the cultural identity of
Palakkadan lifestyle. The village temples continue to conduct age old rituals
and some of the festivities (Velas and Poorams) like Nemmara Vela find its rightful
place in the Kerala Tourist calender and have world-wide following.
In the chain of temple festivities in the district of
Palakkad, a distinct folk dance form known as Kanniyar Kali continues to be followed
with fervor by the Nair Community. Primarily
known as Desathukali, Kanniyarkali is a vibrant folk art form deeply rooted in
the cultural landscape of Palakkad. This folk-dance-drama tradition is
performed, celebrated and followed with great fervor in several agrarian
villages of the Palakkad plains, especially in and around Chittur Taluk, during
the Vishu season (mid-April), coinciding with the end of the harvest.
Kanniyarkali is not merely a folk dance form that is limited
to few members or an hour of performance.It enshrines the principles of story telling, mono acting, group dance,
costume and musical tradition drawing inspirations from various historical and
social traditions that extends from night to dawn for several days. Communities
collectively organize this event where representation of village (deshams) is considered a matter of
immense pride.
During the season of Kanniyarkali celebrations, the
performances commence each night with the men of the community gathering in the
temples and performing a rhythmic circular dance called vattakali (vattakali
literally means a circular dance). The vattakali is followed by several
'puraattu' kalis.The purattu does not
have a standard format and each purattu lasts for an hour. The purattu depicts
the life and social customs of various castes and tribes of medieval Kerala and
Tamil Nadu. Since the purattu depict various heterogeneous castes and tribes,
the various purattus have different costumes, style of dancing and songs with
different tempos. Certain purattu which depict fierce tribes or warrior tribes
have performances resembling stick fights and martial movements whereas certain
other purattus have slow and rhythmic movements. Certain purattus are laced
with humor and depict a scenario wherein a long lost husband and wife have a
reunion.
Kanniyar
kali performances are primarily conducted near or in vicinity of a temple in a
specially constructed arena called a Kanniyarkali pandal which is consists of a
roof supported by nine pillars and is square shaped. Colourful floral decorations adorns the
performance area where a nilaviakku (a
lighted lamp) is placed in the centre where the singers occupy the central
position of the stage and the dancers dance along the periphery of the pandal
in a circular and weave pattern.There
are also solo and group performances with Question and Answer sessions with
song and music sessions. The lyrics of the songs are mostly in Malayalam and
certain porattus have lyrics with influence of Tamil and Dravidian society. The
singers are accompanied by artists who play various musical instruments such as
the Elatalam, Chenda, Maddalam and the chengalam.
The participants are primarily men and women are represented
by cross-dressing men who imitate the body language and way of speaking of
women.However, changing times are
witnessing advent of young girls into the pantheon of Kanniyarkali performers.
Enmeshed in the cultural ethos of Palakkad and God’s Own
Country, Kanniyarkali has today transcended geographic boundaries of Kerala and
is touching new heights and recognition.Kanniyarkali performances in Middle East and foreign nations is getting
due recognition.This traditional folk
dance and music form from Palakkad, Kerala is now an folk dance/music tradition
that has been given due recognition by Kerala State Government and Department
of Culture. University of Delhi has assigned
additional points for students proficient in this folk dance form, seeking
admission through the cultural segment.Kanniyarkali has withstood the challenges of time.
Recent event by Kerala Kanniyarkali Arts Promotion Council (KKAPC)
Kerala Kanniyarkali Arts Promotion Council (KKAPC) organized
a two day Kanniyarkali festival on 16 & 17 May, 2025 at Pallasena which was
streamed live on You Tube.The event
witnessed assembly of large number of troupes from several villages (deshams)
from Palakkad and their performances were watched by thousand of Kanniyarkali
lovers from across the globe.
Several deshams gave solo and group performances at Pallasena.
Performances by Thiruvazhiyad, Kuzhalmannam, Anju Moorthy, Kizhakkencherry,
Puthiyangam, Kuthanoor deshams and Pallasana formed integral part of the
programme and got huge accolades.
Names of the prominent groups who participated in the event
organised by KKAPC (alongwith the dance item) are listed below:
Festival is a celebration that is
inclusive and brings about a sense of joy in participation, sharing and dwelling
among a large confluence of like-minded individuals in a community.Festival of letters focuses on literature and
significantly brings together a large gathering of celebrated writers, poets
and experts excelling in the world of literature..
Sahitya Akademi once again hosts
Festival of letters at Rabindra Bhawan in New Delhi between 11th and
16th March, 2024.Expected to
be largest literature festival in the world, featuring more than 1100 writers
representing more than 175 languages, this year the festival is envisaged to
have more than 190 sessions where discussions, deliberations will be initiated
encompassing a wide gamut of themes and activities revolving around the world
of writing and literature.
Some of the themes slated for the
first day of the festival include Yuva Sahiti – Short story readings, Poetry,
The Mirror of Soul, Why Do I Write?, Multilingual poetry reading etc. The
second day of the festival dwells on themes such as What Literature Means to
Me?, The Idea of India, Translation in a Multilingual, Multi cultural Society
(this session is chaired by Alok Bhalla and has eminent writer, poet, translator
Ms.Bina Biswas).Other themes are The
Future of Poetry, Importance of Mother tongues, Tribal Poets’ Meet etc. Day 03
of the festival i.e.13th March, 2024 has LGBTQ Poets’ Meet, 21st
Century Indian Writing in English, Novels of Future, Authors, Publishers and
Copyright issues, What Freedom means to Me?, Literature and Social Movements
etc. Day 04 dwells on topics such as Books to Reels & Reels to Book:
Interplay of Cinema & Literature, Writing: Passion or Profession?,
Playwriting in India, Creativity boosting Education, Folktales of India.Similarly, rest of the days too have a large
number of immersive topics that would be brain stormed and discussed amongst
the Masters, teachers, students and public interested in Literature.
The festival arena set up in
Rabindra Bhawan has stalls displaying books from Sahitya Akademi which are for
sale.The venue also has number of
enclosures named Valmiki Sabhagar, Ved Vyasa Sabhagar, Mirabai Sabhagar, Kabir
Sabhagar,Tulsidas Sabhagar, La led Sabhagar,
Sankaradeva Sabhagar, Narsi Mehta Sabhagar etcwhere panel discussions, poetry/story reading sessions etc. will be conducted.Programmes are also listed in Meghdoot open
air theatre and Kamani Auditorium, where Sahitya Akademi 2023 Award winners
will be felicitated.
This year apart from writers from
other languages, E. V. Ramakrishnan, an eminent writer, critic and translator
in Malayalam/English born in 1949, hailing from Kannur, Kerala is being awarded
for Malayala Novelinte Deshakalangal, a
work of exceptional literary criticism in Malalayam which traces the evolution
of Malayalam novel from its origin in the late 19th Century to the
early 21st century through the Nationalist, Progressive and Post
Modernist phases of evolution in time.
Jpkallikkal/2024/New Delhi
Friday, August 4, 2023
REUNION
The other
day my wife broached upon the subject of school re-unions.She said, hers is likely to happen on the New
Year eve 2024.
‘Great Idea’!,
I said.
‘But this
time it is going to be with spouse, I mean you have to join me’, she retorted
‘With Me?Naa... I am not interested to meet your
classmates!Neither would they be’, I
muttered.
‘No, no,
you should attend this one, my friends would be happy to meet you’, she said.
‘Let me think it over’, I replied.
Social media, especially watsapp, facebook,
Instagram have added a new dimension to human connections.A decade ago few schools and colleges had
alumini meets but rarely did entire bunch of classmates or batchmates decided
to meet up to relive old times through re-unions so frequently as now.While human brains seek reassurance and
bonding in social terms, studies indicate that social connections and support
forms a critical space for physical and emotional well being of human beings.Such responses are often triggered by neurotransmitters
present in the human body in form of hormones. Re-unions are occasions when
nostalgia is evoked.Past experiences
and present circumstances conjoin to bring out new set of emotions. These are triggered on meeting long lost
friends and mates with whom a significant phase of adolescence is spent during
school or college times.Nostalgia often
plays an important aspect on people seeking to meet over re-unions.According toa study published in Journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience,
such re-unions trigger important neurotransmitters such and dopamine and
Oxytocin during social bonding.Oxytocin
which is also called the ‘love hormone’ perhaps justifies the urge of human
minds to repeatedly seek opportunities to kindle past memories that are joy
through such get together.
It is
not necessary that each person enjoys the same set of emotions during
re-unions.There may be many who may not
enjoy reunions and may feel anxious during such occasions.This could be due to trauma or pain
experienced with individuals or occasions in the past that they fear may get
re-kindled during such occasions.On
such occasions people who struggle with social anxiety may in fact end up
triggering their stress hormones such as Cortisol which may make them more
stressful and uncomfortable.
Present is as much an excitement as the past.However, I find that each phase of life takes
mood and temperament of a person to different directions during different
points in time.A mood of an individual
may vary depending upon his personal well being and social status.Someone who has not performed well
professionally or financially in his life may not be keen to meet up his/her
old mates fearing adverse reaction from them.On the contrary a highly successful person may be more than happy to
share his success story with his long lost friends.
I on my part have been part of numerous reunions
and gettogethers.My observation as to
the mode, venue, time, season and size of the gathering has impelled me to
write this piece. I have discovered that
joy of meeting long lost friends is indeed a joy filled experience however if
the reunion is organised over dinner or lunch most attendees end up being one to one with
select few friends and over a period of a hour or two and the entire group gets
scattered.Primary focus invariably gets
into food and drinks than any worthwhile discussion or deliberation.Common interests do not persist and few from
the group try to snatch away the discussion towards their own comfort and direction.Those specializing in sales and marketing over
do it to such an extent that many feel that their voices are stymied or muffled
and they suffer in silence.
In the Indian context, I have observed that persons who volunteer and
perform any acts are treated as a character from the Hindi Movie from ‘Bheja
Fry’! I am reminded of an experience during a get-together, when the host/compare
went on stage to announce, “While some of our dear friends will entertain us
with their songs and music, let us (meaning the rest) head towards the dinner
table to splurge on some delicious dishes that have specially been ordered for
the occasion’. I to may dismay found the entire bunch of around 100 persons lunged
towards the dinner area deserting the poor performers on stage and their voices
deluged under sounds of clanking crockery, laughs and loud harangues!
Food is another issue during such get-togethers
in the Indian context.While there is
never a final agreement on choice of dishes, Vegan over Non Veg., Chinese over
continental, North over South etc. spats continue much after the meetups
without compromise.If the get-together
are laced with drinks then the situation often witnesses dramatic turn around.The social drinkers get on a high and past friendships
are rekindled in unknown ways.This is
the occasion when names of old flames catch flight and mingle with the fragrance
in the air, secret stories from the past are laid bare making many faces change
hues.It takes a sober leader from the
crowd to rise up on such occasions to calm nerves.
At this juncture, I am reminded of another story,
when spouse of a class mate (a celebrity settled abroad) decided to throw a
surprise party to all the batch mates on the occasion of birthday of her husband.While all the batch mates knew each other,
none ever had met this lady.The invitation
was extended to entire families and a large group of friends including their
spouses and children landed up at the designated restaurant on the designated
day at around 7pm.It was a reunion of
sorts, as it was two decades after passing out from school that the batch mates
were meeting up! Birthday boy (meaning our friend) had not arrived but his wife
was all dressed up for the occasion waiting at the foyer with her set of
relatives beckoning all the invitees to join them. She announced that the bar was open and the
group may kick off the evening with Cocktails and snacks, while her husband was
enroute. When our friend finally arrived
at 9pm, I noticed the colour on his face change on witnessing a large group of known
faces (his school mates) revving up the party.The party had kicked off around 7.30 pm and all went on fine till
11pm.However, it was time when the
resto manager was pleading with guests to start off dinner.Though the cake was cut, the boisterous male
members who were already high would notkeep their glasses away and kept on requesting for repeats. It was 12 at
night when some female members got tizzy and the party mood changed colours.Few kids were already asleep having guzzled
up soft drinks and juices. Food was yet to be served!The resort was to close at 1am and like fait
accompli at the insistence of Resto Manger few brave spouses announced dinner open.
However it was a shock to see few male members threatening the hotel management
to keep the Bar open till dawn!
Alas! There never was news of any other party
or reunion thrown in by this lady thereafter!
So much about reunions.It is time to attend one.Are you game for it?
I am certainly planning to join my wife on her
next school reunion.
Palakkad is a rare gem in the cultural milieu of fascinating
geographical diversity that God’s Own Country presents to the world. The district has to its name innumerable
personalities who have excelled and have been recognised for their
contributions to the world and humanity through their talent, hard work and
dedication. One such towering
personality is doyen of Carnartic Music, Chembai Vaidyantha Bhagwathar For a
lover of Carnatic Music, a visit to Kerala will be incomplete without a visit
to Chembai Gramam, home of the legendary Carnatic Vocalist who has taken this
musical form to great heights.
Music connects real with the
transcended.
In it, we get healed, with it we conquer
time…
Hidden amidst green paddy fields
and a serene country side is a sleepy village of Kottayi which has taken
Carnatic Music to great heights. A visit
to this village is akin to visit to a temple
of music that awakens the light of knowledge and melody of life in one’s heart.
Home and abode of doyen of Carnatic Music, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar.
Karuna Cheivan Endu Thamasam
Krishna
(Why is there so much delay in conferring your
mercy, Krishna?}, was the last Kriti sung by Vaidyanathan Bhagavathar, as he breathed
his last on 16th October, 1974 at an age of 78 during a concert at Poozhikunnu Sreekrishna Temple, the same
venue where he performed for the first time.
Ancestral House of Chembai at Kottayi
Born on 1st September,
1896 at Chembai Village to Parvati Ammal and Anantha Bhagavatar, Chembai Vaidyanatha
Bhagavatar belonged to a Tamil Brahmin family of Perakkool Madaom which is
located adjacent to Lokanarkavu near Vadakara.
The family thereafter relocated to Kottayi village in the district of
Palakkad. Bhagavatar’s family connection to classical music spans across five
centuries. His father Anantha Bhagavatar was a violinist and singer to whom
Maharaja had awarded the title of ‘Gana Chakraratnam’ for his speciality of
musical rendition through a special closed mouth style of signing called
tanam. Anathan’s son Vaidyanathan
started his early lessons in Carnatic music at a tender age of 3 under the
tutelage of his father in the traditional guru-shishya Parampara. He also took
lessons in violin and flute till 1912.
As years passed by Vaidyanathan’s
voice grew more powerful and majestic. Some
of his awe-inspiring performances in his early years gave shape to his career
that started with his arangetram at Ottapalam in 1904 at an age of 09.. His
voice timber was noted for its unique depth and vibrance. He gave innumerable performances between 1907
and 1927 most notably ones at Vaikom and
Guruvayoor in 1907 and thereafter at different music sabhas and festivals which
included ones at Madras Music Academy and Jagannatha Bhakta Sabha.
Powerful singing style of Chembai
caught public attention and his fame spread far and wide. Music critic S. V. Seshari@Aeolus described
him as, ‘the musician who has meant the most to Carnatic Music in the first
fifty years of 20th Century’.
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagawatar was a recipient of several titles and
honours including the Madras Music Academy’s Sanageetha Kalanidhi in 1951 and Government
of India’s Padma Shree in the year
One major incident in the year
1952 changed the course of Bhagwatar’s life.
One morning Chembai discovered that he had lost his voice and could not
sing or chant his favourite diety Guruvayoorappan’s name. His prayers seemed to have been answered by a
stranger who appeared before him and provided treatment over a period of 18
days at the residence of Nilakantan Namboodiri in Poomallianmana. Chembai
recovered his voice and returned to sing with renewed vigour and devotion for
Lord Guruvayoorappan and also donated significant proportion of his earning for
Guruvayoor temple.
Resonance and depth in Chembai’s
voice was the hallmark of a great Carnatic vocalist who was unquestioned king during
his times. His vigorous, strong, vibrant
and ringing voice was clear, open-throated which required high
levels of physical and mental endurance.
Bhagwathar with his sheer practice and dedication sang in a seemingly
effortless manner. He also had a unique
sense of kala pramana (time measure) while singing. He could do niraval and swaraprastara from
any given point which aptly displayed
his mental alertness during a concert.
Chembai Home
Chemabi whole heartedly gave
encouragement to upcoming musicians. He
popularised several Carnatic compositions including Pavana Guru and Rakshamam
Saranagatam. His prominent disciples
included stalwarts like K. J. Yesudas, P. Leela, K. G. Vijayan, V. V.
Subramanyan, T. V. Gopalakrishnan, Guruvayoor Ponnammal, Mangu Thampuran and
Chembai Narayana Bhagvatar. He also mentored many aspiring accompanists who
included Palakkad Mani Iyer, Lalgudi Jayaraman,M. S. Gopalakrishnan, T. N.
Krishnan and L. Subramaniam.
Padma Bhushan
Chembai’s music career spanned
several decades. Glory of his singing finds testimony is the statements of stalwarts
of music who showered him with praises for his strengths and his unique
rendition techniques.
Sangeetha Kalanidhi G. N.
Balasubramaniam is said to have remarked "These are not ordinary men.
These are the Asuras of the music field. If I sing one concert, I need to rest
the whole of next day".
Legendary percussionist
Pudukkottai Dakshinamurthy Pillai would call him "Laya Brahma" for
his impeccable grasp of tala and laya.
Sangeetha Kalanidhi K. V.
Narayanaswamy has also remarked on Chembai's ability to hold notes aligned
perfectly to sruti for extended intervals of time.
During his career, Chembai also
helped popularize songs written by his friend T. G. Krishna Iyer of
Thripunithara. Krishna Iyer had composed
as many as 155 kritis in various languages including Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil
anld Sanskrit and sought help of Chembai to popularise these songs set to
Classical Carnatic style and published as Lalita Dasar Keetanangal. Chembai rendered
these kritis which were later released as records. Some the gems include kritis
like Evariki Telusunamma (Dhanyasi), Ennil Kaninda (Shankarabharanam), Pavana
Guru (Hamsanandi), Varijadala Lochani (Arabhi) among others. As a token of love for Chembai, T. G. Krishna
Iyer offered his house in Chennai at Santhome on Palace Road, Chennai forms
part of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagwatar’s heritage today.
Awards
During a performance at concert at Poozhikunnu Sreekrishna Temple
where he gave his debut performance, Chembai breathed his last on 16th
October, 1974. He was talking to his
disciple Olappamanna Vasudevan Namboothiripad when Chembai collapsed and left
for heavenly abode.
Legacy of Chembai Vaidyanatha
Bhagwatar remains alive in the village of Chembai known as Chembai gramam which
today is a heritage village. Situated with the geographical limits of Kottayi in
the district of Palakkad. The place
hosts the annual Chembai Parthasarathy Ekadasi Music festival in memory of the
great singer in February/March. Renowned singers perform music concerts during
the festival. Year long events and
programmes for promoting Classical Carnatic Music are held in this village.
Chembai Music Academy at Kottayi
In memory of Chembai Vaidyanatha
Bhagawathar, Government Musical College in Palakkad has been renamed as
'Chembai Memorial Govt' Musical College’.
Initiatives of well wishers, family members and followers of Chembai, the
village of Chembai is set to become a heritage memorial village of South India
that would attract connoisseurs of arts and music. A cultural complex that can host bigger music
festivals is being initiated with the support of the state government.
It was a delightful experience to have visited Chembai Village located at Kottayi on Legendary Musician's Birthday. His family members accorded warm welcome and opened up the door of their home for me to walk around and breathe in the soul of music revaberating through the walls, doors and windows of Chembai's home.
Hinduism offers answers to innumerable cryptic puzzles
of life that are very simple to observe but too complex to gauge through available
information in the current scientific system of understanding and research. 1500
year old Chottanikkara Bhagawathy temple situated in the suburbs of Ernakulam
in the state of Kerala carries forward the ancient system of ritual worship centred
around Goddess Bhadrakali that untangles the web of paranormal and supernatural
through mantric practices. Precincts of
this majestic temple exudes a distinct aura and energy field that follows a
devotee in and around the temple.
God’s own country, Kerala can also be called a
land of festivals, temples and rituals. During a recent visit to Kochi, I was
impelled to visit Chottanikkara Bhagawati Kshetram, a powerful devi temple located
at 9.9331° N, 76.3911° E, in the suburbs of Ernakulam. Believed to be more than
1500 year old, the temple carries a mystical force around its precincts that dwells
around a devotee visiting the temple.
According to legend a forest dweller
named Kannappan who practiced animal sacrifice lived in deep jungles where
Chottanikkara temple exists today . To
please his ista devata (Bhadrakali or Durga) he used to sacrifice one beast each
day. Eventually a day came when he had no animals left for sacrifice except his
daughter’s pet calf but his daughter preferred to sacrifice her own life than
her pet calf’s. It is then when Kannappan had a revelation and heard his ista
devata’s voice which turned out to be the calf he was going to sacrifice. That
day Kannappan realized the ultimate truth of life.The place where Kannappan sacrificed animals
to please Bhadrakali eventually became the guruthi kalalm of keezkavu at
Chottanikkara temple.The place is
believed to hold immense healing powers that can alleviate people haunted by
supernatural spirits or those who are mentally deranged for whom modern
medicine offers no answers.
Chottanikkara (Jyotikara)
literally translates into ‘One who enlightens. Possessing unlimited powers
through manifestation of Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati, the temple is
consecrated as a deity with multifarious manifestations of energy. Worship of the deities in this temple is
believed to cure even life-threatening diseases. The temple housed in a massive
compound placed at two levels.The
higher level comprises of the primary sanctum sanctorum of Bhagavathy and Lord
Vishnu besides other deities including Dharma Sastha, Siva, Brahma, Ganesha,
Karikeya, Hanuman Swamy and the serpent gods (Nagas). The lower level houses
the Keezhu Kavu where another temple of Bhadrakali exists beside a pond
(mentioned earlier) where special Guruthi Poojas are conducted to cast away
evil spirits out of people or from those who are believed to be possessed by
supernatural forces often referred to by the medical fraternity as extreme
cases of Schizophrenia or people with mental maladies to whom modern medicine
does not offer any relief.
Original Idol of Devi in the main
temple is consecrated in irregular shaped red laterite stone that is believed
to be ‘svayambhu’ or self-revealed. However, temple priests decorate the idol
in elaborate jewels or Gold Kavacha for general darshan.However, in the mornings, the idol is draped
in white saree representing Saraswati, a bright red saree at noon representing
Mahalakshmi and in a blue saree in the evening to represent Mahakali or Durga.
The Chottanikkara Bhagavathy amman (goddess) and the
Keezhu Kaavu Bhadrakali amman are worshipped as the healing goddesses. Interestingly, in Hindu faith, Bhadakali is
believed to be the patron goddess of exorcism.Thus, this temple is a unique blend in shakti worship, which gives a visitor
a glimpse of the paranormal activities manifesting in the region through some
of the devotees. The temple also has an ancient ‘Pala’ tree (Alstonia
scholaris) which has hundreds of iron nails implanted by devotees using their
foreheads, who have been cured of possession by malevolent spirits.The tree is a testimony to the miraculous
healing through pooja and darshan at this temple, a fact that can be verified
through the rising number of devotees to this temple with passage of time.
Considering the large number of
devotees who bring in their relatives suffering from psychosomatic conditions or
Schizophrenia at this temple, makes me believe that this temple is indeed a
space that exhibits a higher level of energy that makes exorcism, a science
that needs more research and understanding. The above stated medical condition
is managed through a ritual called Guruthi
Pooja at Keezh Kaavu pond.The arena
transforms into a supernatural location each evening, where a ritual Guruthi
(ritualistic sacrifice) involving chanting of divine verses and offerings in
the form of pots (12 in number) is performed using a mixture of turmeric and
lime that transforms into a blood red liquid representing sacrificial blood to
the Devi.The sight is certainly not for
the faint hearted and can be quite disturbing too, as innumerable devotees
suffering from mental issues can be seen turning hysterical during Guruthi
pooja oblivious to the presence of other devotees.
Amidst the screaming, wailing and
laugher it is a stark silence that makes the entire event leave an indelible
mark in the mind of a visitor.I was alarmed
to see a 20 year old looking girl turn hysterical in front of me.A pretty girl of about 5’2 in height, a body
and attire that reflected affluence but a mind that had lost sense of the
real.She had abruptly starting shaking
her hands fiercely and an eerie laugher emanated from her lips.I tried to take my eyes away but my head kept
moving to witness her condition.She was
laughing and crying at the same time.Her relatives (perhaps her father) tried to hold her to prevent any
injury but suddenly adjacent to her, another woman started shaking her body
violently, as if a chain of hysterical confusion had been set to motion in the
arena. The entire place seemed to be in possession of some super natural spirit!
Personally, I find myself to be a
believer who tends to tread the path of rationality and scientific temper. A
visit to the temple was an eye opener to the fact that supernatural energy and
vibrations do affect our physical and mental faculties.Scientists offer many theories to such
occurrences. In Florence, Italy, there have been instances in the early 19th
Century when people have been found to faint while taking in Florentine art. This was later named as ‘Florence Syndrome’ in
1979 by Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini who observed over a hundred
similar cases among tourists. Similar is the experience of several visitors to
the city of Jerusalem who are said to get afflicted by a syndrome which was
regarded as a form of hysteria referred to as "fièvre
Jérusalemienne".
I would not call this a ‘Chottanikkara
syndrome’, as we Indians have our own treatise on spiritualism, occult sciences
and temple rituals.Our Vedas have deep
discourses on aspects that cannot even be in the line of vision of modern
sciences.It seems as if the Vedas begin
from where scientific research ends its dissertation. Modern medical sciences offer tangible
solutions and remedies to innumerable physical and mental diseases but there
are a million other ailments that do not have any scientific answers.
Spirituality and temple darshans are perhaps the only succour left in
situations where medical fraternity asks humans to have faith in God!
Chottanikkara Bhagawati temple is
indeed a temple to be in, if you wish to get into a state of trance and charge
your metaphysical energies.Irrespective
of your scientific understanding, do attend the Guruthy ritual that will make
you realize that life is truly precious. I believe, Hinduism offers answers to innumerable
cryptic puzzles of life, in forms and representations that are very simple to
observe but too complex to gauge through knowledge available in the current scientific systems of
understanding and research.
