Sunset. In the gathering dusk, soon after deeparadhana at Sri Mahavishnu temple at Kattoor, Kottayam, a beautifully decorated traditional boat filled with grains, pulses, spices and vegetables smoothly glides away to the accompaniment of prayers, firecrackers, drums and cymbals. Heavy with the weight of tradition and belief, the long snake boat, navigated by a team of oarsmen, begins its journey from Kattoor to Aranmula, keeping alive a custom that still create waves of excitement all along the banks of the Pampa as the Thiruvonathoni (as the boat is called) makes its way to its destination about six km away.
The voyage recreates an ancient practice of the family of the Kattoor Mana and 18 families in Kattoor village providing the ingredients for the Thiruvonam feast at the Aranmula Sree Parthasarathy Temple.
Rituals meet revelry at sylvan Aranmula, situated on the banks of the Pampa in Pathanamthitta. Rhyme and rhythm, ritual and religious beliefs, feasting and fanfare come alive even as the past and present coalesce seamlessly in the pageantry that begins in the Malayalam month of Karkkidakam (July-August). From then on it is celebrations unlimited for residents of this little town and its outskirts; a huge traditional firewood stove is lit inside the Sree Parthasarathy Temple, signifying the beginning of the Aranmula Vallasadya, a grand traditional feast. The festivities reach a crescendo on Ashtami Rohini, celebrated as the birthday of Lord Krishna. All barriers, political, religious and economic, are erased as the people get down to celebrate the season with fervour.
Considered an offering to Lord Parthasarathy, main deity of the temple, the Vallasadya is an elaborate traditional feast that is offered to the team of oarsmen of each boat, known as palliyodams. Devotees believe in the presence of Lord Krishna in each of the boats.
A typical Aranmula Vallasadya
Legend has it that long ago marauders from the hills attacked the boat that set off from Kattoor Mana carrying provisions for the feast to be served at the temple on the day of Thiruvonam. When the local families in the vicinity of the temple came to know about it, they set off in their boats, warded off the attack and accompanied the Thiruvonathoni to the temple. Every year, the Aranmula Vallamkali ( boat race) festival recreates that legend, and people, irrespective of caste and creed, participate in the pageantry.
People living on the banks of the river pay homage to the legend by rowing decorated palliyodams to the ghats of the temple. Clad in white dhothi and white thorthu, sans footwear and shirt, the men (and only men) row to the rhythm of songs (Vanchipattu and songs in praise of Lord Krishna) sung with gusto by the oarsmen themselves. Placid waters of the Pampa are churned white as the long oars strike the water with a rhythm that resonates in the songs they sing. The oarsmen are received with fanfare at the ghat of the temple and escorted to the temple.
The oarsmen offer prayers at the temple
“Once the Vallasadya starts, every youngster from the neighbourhood tries to be in Aranmula to participate in the festival. It is our festival,” says A. Padmakumar, former MLA of Aranmula.
The Thiruvonathoni being received at the ghat of the temple on the day of Thiruvonam
The harsh noon sun is ignored once the boats reach the shore and the excitement is palpable. The devotees making the offering and the oarsmen circumambulate the temple singing Vanchipattu and songs in praise of the deity. Then they are invited to the lavish lunch served in the oottupura (dining hall) of the temple.
Beginning with an invocation, the feast proceeds on a musical note with the oarsmen asking for more of each dish on the leaf in verse. Each item has a couplet to be recited and that spices up the sumptuous lunch served with great reverence by the devotee and his/her family. Each day sees the participation of many palliyodams and there are several pandals on the premises of the temple where the feasts are served.
The Thiruvonathoni is given a rousing reception at the ghat of the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple in Pathanamthitta
On the day of Thiruvonam, the revelry gives way to ritual. The Thiruvonathoni, which set off from Kattoor on the previous day, sails into the temple ghat even as day is breaking on the eastern horizon. The special boat, accompanied by a regatta of palliyodams, is received with reverence and the ingredients in the boat are carried to the oottupura where the sadya on the day of Thiruvonam is prepared and served to hundreds of devotees.
The grand sadya on the day of Ashtami Rohini
The grand race of the palliyodams is on the day of Uthrattathi (fourth day after Thiruvonam). “Unlike boat races elsewhere, here the oarsmen don’t wear footwear and are dressed in whites. It is more of a tradition though the race is fought with the spirit of sportsmanship,” explains Padmakumar.
Aranmula Vallamkali in the Aranmula backwaters in Pathanamthitta
The highlight after the boat race is the feast on the day of Ashtami Rohini when every pilgrim is given a sadya on the premises of the temple. By the time the palliyodams are anchored and safeguarded for the next year, after October 2, it is estimated that around to three to five lakh people would have had the Vallasadya.
The legend
The story goes that Lord Parthasarathy appeared before the Bhattathiri of Kattoor Mana and vested in him the right to bring the ingredients for the feast at the temple on Onam day. Since then, Kattoor Bhattathiri arrives on the Thiruvonathoni with the provisions, which marks the beginning of Onam celebrations at Aranmula.
Penance
On Thiruvonam day, when the rest of Kerala is feasting, one male member of three Brahmin households in Aranmula and Nedumprayar fast from dawn to dusk. It is a penance for a wrong committed by an ancestor long ago. The belief is that the karanavar (patriarch) of the family inadvertently forgot to give food to a Dalit woman who had come to his house. As a result, she and her family had to go hungry on that day and, later, she was found dead. To this day, one male member of the families fast on the day of Thiruvonam.
Songs of praise
The oarsmen circulating the Sree Parthasarathy temple after they are received ceremoniously at the ghat of the temple
* Music and verse are integral to the festival that resonates with the rhythm of the river. Vanchipattu, Kuchelavritham and similar songs in praise of Lord Krishna are sung by troupes representing the karas in the temple too. Many of the youngsters now singing the verses with confidence learnt it from their elders during the annual Vallasadya festival. They revel in the fact that they are part of a unique tradition of the sons of the soil.
* It costs about ₹30 to 35 lakh to construct a palliyodam and each kara (homesteads in Aranmula) considers it a matter of pride to have their own palliyodam made of the wood of the aanjili tree. Each boat is 100 feet long and accommodates four helmsmen, 100 oarsmen and 25 singers.
