‘Aanayoottu’ and ‘Asthtadravya Maha Ganapathi Homam’ ritual, meant to propitiate Lord Ganesha, were held at Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur, on Monday, the first day of the Malayalam month of Karkkidakam. As many as 52 elephants participated in the feast.
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The Thekkinkadu Maidan was packed to capacity and the event resembled a miniature Thrissur Pooram. The only difference was that the elephants had lined up without accoutrements for the Aanayoottu. Children were seen perched on their parents’ shoulders to catch a glimpse of the majestic animals.
To kick off the eating marathon, temple Melsanthi Payyappilly Madhavan Namboodiri offered rice balls to elephant Lakshmikutty by 9 a.m. Aanayoottu was held after the Ashtadravya Maha Ganapathi Homam and Gaja Puja. Soon, people started competing with each other to feed the elephants. In no time, the animals polished off 500 kg rice, laced with ghee, jaggery, and turmeric powder. They were also given fruits and sugar cane along with specially prepared Ayurveda medicines.
By 50 priests
The Aanayoottu ceremony was insured for ₹1 crore. Stringent security was arranged for the function. A feast was served for around 7,000 devotees. Ashtadravya Maha Ganapathi Homam was performed by 50 priests led by temple Tantri Puliyannur Sankaranarayanan Namboodiri. In all, 10,008 coconuts, 3,500 kg jaggery, 1,500 kg avil, 300 kg malar, 100 kg sesame, 75 kg honey, sugar cane and lemon were used for puja. As it was holiday for schools and offices, a record crowd witnessed the event.
Devaswom Minister K. Radhakrishnan, Cochin Devaswom Board president M.K. Sudharshan, and District Collector V.R. Krishna Teja participated in the Aanayoottu ritual.