S. Anantharaj, a native of Aniyamangalam, is standing with his family and watching a bier getting ready for him. He is among the innumerable devotees of Paadaikattai Mahamariamman at Valangaiman in Thanjavur district. They are all standing on the dry bed of the Kudamurutti, a tributary of the Cauvery, to fulfil the vow they have taken in troubled times.
“I was in the intensive care unit for 18 days, having been infected with the coronavirus in 2020. As my condition deteriorated, my mother vowed before the Mariamman that I would perform the ritual if I was cured,” says Anantharaj, working in a Metro Rail project of Larsen & Toubro in Bengaluru.
Gathering on the riverbed
The entire riverbed is crowded with those waiting to fulfil their vows. “The ritual means Uyirukku Uyir (giving our lives to the deity for saving them),” says C. Subramanian, father of Mr. Anantharaj, who has come down to Valangaiman for the third time to perform the ritual. The atonement would be complete only after the ritual is performed three times. This morbid festival, they believe, has the potential to transform life.
The ritual is around 200 years old. It was first conducted by Katha Gounder and Govindammal, the adoptive parents of a Brahmin child that had a premature death. According to P. Sakthivel, a folklorist from Thanjavur, who has done an extensive study on the subject, they were residents of Valangaiman and were anguished as they did not have any children. Govindammal used to sell sweetmeats in front of the Pungancheri Ayyanar Temple, east of Valangaiman.
Baby left at the temple
Once, a Brahmin couple, passing by, had to break their journey as the woman went into labour. And she gave birth to a girl. For reasons not clear, the couple left the baby at the temple itself and went their way.
“The temple priest could not do anything; he handed over the newborn to the childless Govindammal. She too accepted it as a divine gift, but village headman Ammasi insisted that the baby remain with him on behalf of the village, and the poor woman had no option but to obey the bigwig,” says Mr. Sakthivel.
Children are carried in thooli or thottil (cradle) strung from a bamboo stick. | Photo Credit: M. Moorthy
A depressed Govindammal stopped frequenting the village. As it happened subsequently, some mysterious disease attacked the cattle and poultry of Pungancheri; they started dying one after another. Medications were useless. The villagers began to wonder whether some curse had befallen them because of the arrogance of the headman.
Buried in the backyard
Govindammal was called and handed the child back. But misery continued to dog her. As she was happily returning home, the child died and she buried it right in her backyard. Since they considered it a divine gift, Govindammal and her husband started offering daily prayers at the grave. Many others followed suit when they found that the deceased child was blessing all with good things. And thus was born the legend of Bier Mariamman. According to another variant, Govindammal did bring home the child, who lived for over seven years, performing many miracles. Her grave became a place of fervent worship, which was transformed into the Bier Mariamman Temple.
N. Mani, one of the many who conduct the rituals, says it is similar to the funeral ceremony. R. Mahalingam, a bier-maker, says the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department calls bids for biers, of which price depends on size and decoration.
The bier is made of green bamboo and green coconut leaves, associated with death rituals. The devotee will lie on the bier after taking a bath, covering his body with holy ash and applying kumkum on the forehead. The toes are tied with a rope as if he was dead. The conductor of the ritual stuffs betel leaves and areca nuts in the mouth and ties a cloth around the chin and head. The eyes are covered with sandal paste and a coin is fixed on the forehead.
Four members of the family carry the bier, while the son of the devotee or a family member carries the fire pot. The procession resembles a real funeral procession with the beating of ‘thappu’, ‘thavil’, and other percussion instruments. After reaching the temple, it will go around it. Finally, the family members place the bier in front of the temple and a priest wakes up the devotee by sprinkling water on the face.
“Once I was on the bier, I reached a stage of deep sleep. I gained consciousness only after the priest sprinkled water on my face,” says Mr. Anantharaj, recalling his previous experience. Some devotees also tie a rooster in the bier as an offering.
Vow after surgery
Roja, a transgender woman, performed the ritual as she had taken a vow after undergoing a gender affirming surgery. “She became all right and we are here to express our gratitude to the deity,” says Madhari, another transgender woman and adopted daughter of Roja. Children are carried in thooli or thottil (cradle) strung from a bamboo stick. Some cry, while others rejoice, during the procession from the riverbed to the temple. G. Viswa, a 12-year-old student, had a swelling in his ear when he was born. His mother Ambika had sought the blessings of Mariamman. “He is all right now and we are fulfilling our vow,” says Ambika of Koradacherry.
Some children are carried in thooli that hangs from a bundle of sugar cane. Five-year old M. Vetreeswaran’s mother M. Thenmozhi says her family performed the ritual since her son was born after a gap of five years. “I had a daughter and wanted a son. The Amman fulfilled my wish and Vetreeswaran was born after five years,” she says. The festival, organised on Pankuni Uthiram, is performed on two more Sundays. The second Sunday mark the Pallakku (palanquin) festival.
