KALPATHY - DOWN MEMORY LANE (1) - HISTORY

      HERITAGE REALLY!

Original Brahmins of Kerala were Nambudiris. The prince in waiting, (supposed to be one Palakkattusseri Raja) took a fancy for one Adivasi girl, and wanted to marry her. But then, the staunch orthodox Nambudiris were not ready to accept this. The king decided to outcast them and chase them out of the land. But then, the royal family was particular that the worshipping and other rituals are to be carried out by Brahmins only! That is how the Vedic scholars from nearby Tanjavur and Kumbhakonam were brought and they in turn, shifted their near and dear ones, and settled down in the villages. As for the Adivasi part, the proof of the King’s adventure could be seen in the fact that there are several temples in and around Palakkad, bearing the names of Goddesses worshipped by Adivasis. “Emoor Bhagavati, Kurumba Bhagavati, Kothankulathi, Meenkolathi, etc.”, to name a few. Even today, many houses in ‘old’ Kalpathy have ‘Sarpakkavu’ (Naga Devathas) in their backyard……………

Most of these Brahmins, “Paradesa Brahmins”, as they were called, were excellent scholars, and the king suitably rewarded them giving money, land and all kinds of facilities. They came in groups, and several ‘agraharams’ came in to being, and started flourishing. Along with them they brought the mesmerizing classical music to enchant the public. They taught music and rituals to the people in and around the agraharams. Each agraharam had at least one temple, and the favorite deities of Tamil Nadu were worshipped. Just like temples, chariot festival (Radhotsavam) was also an integral feature with each agraharam. In fact the ritual is nothing but an extension of the celebrations prevalent in the then Mayavaram of Tamil Nadu.

      

OLD KALPATHY - SECOND DAY

The chariot festival of Kerala starts with Kalpathy, culminating with Tirunellai, stretching for almost six months. The Vedic scholars who migrated from Tanjavur and Kumbhakonam were highly scholastic, and though they changed their dwellings, the heritage was maintained. Chanting of Vedas, and Vedic activities find a vital place in the rituals associated with the Chariot festivals. It is said that Gods inhale and exhale Vedas, and chanting of Vedas will infuse power and ‘chaitanya’ to the Gods! 

On a normal day, when you walk through the Kalpathy agraharam, you can feel the power of silence. There are 700 Brahmin families in Kalpathy. The language here has always been silence. But the silence is broken on two occasions –

One, where there is music,

Then as the “Theru” approaches – the last week of Tamil month “Aippasi”

Oh, yes! This is special! The early morning Bhajans in the Malayalam month of ‘Thulam’ (Tamil Aippasi) is the first sign to announce the imminent Theru to the Kalpathyites. Chathapuram, old Kalpathy, 12th Street, and Govindarajapuram together form Kalpathy. North of Palakkad town, and South of Neela River, this heritage village is synonymous with Music, Bhakthi, and of course the ‘Puzha’, which accompany the inhabitants as a shadow – in their happiness, in their sorrows! Kalpathy’s own ‘Puzha” – they want her for everything. Each location in the river bank has a name. The steps near Kundambalam for ‘Sandhya Vandanam’, ‘Arasan Thittu’ near the Banyan tree, “Thaalippara’ for the ladies, so also, the ‘Akkarappaara’, ‘Japappaara’, ‘Mandaanpaara’, ‘Chenappaara’, ‘Chuzhippaara’… the list is long. Tradition is in the blood of every one. The day invariably starts with the hearty bath in the river using Coaltar soap, and washing the clothes with “Neelan” mark soap, and a visit to the temple (each agraharam has a temple). Only then the daily chores are attended. The river flows through rocks (Kallu) as a Thodu (Paathi) – Kal + Paathi became Kalpathy.

     

LIFE LINE OF KALPATHYITES!

My childhood memories are still green! 

The sixth day of the nine-day celebrations - ‘Radhaarohanam’… the Viswanatha Swamy of Kalpathy, along with Visalakshi would present himself in the ‘Vrushabha Vaahana’. One is reminded about the divine journey of the “Brahatheeswara’ of Mayavaram (what is now called ‘Mayilaaduthurai), in the Rishabha vaahana, along with sweetheart, “Brihathaambaal!

The most elegant and tall ‘Theru’ is that of Lord Viswanatha’s only. Those days, it was called ‘Pilot Theru’.  My biggest ambition was to get on top of it during its travel through the agraharam. Once my dad helped me in fulfilling the childhood dream. To control the speed of the chariot, wedges (‘Chenna’ in local language) are kept. This will also help in steering the chariot. I still remember cockroaches running in my stomach when the chariot stopped with a jerk, when the wedge was put first. Dad was also sitting nest to me in the ‘Pilot Theru’. He advised me to chant ‘Namassivaya…’. After a while, I told him, “Appa, ippo bhayamellam pochu..’. The elephant would give the necessary ‘pus’ for overcoming the “starting trouble” This was a 200 year old chariot. Because of decay due to ageing, the chariot was sold to Central Government. Now it adores the Delhi Museum. Thereafter Lord Viswanatha used to visit his subjects in the chariot bought from Lakshminarayanapuram village for some time. It was in the nineties, that the construction of the present chariot started. During the collection drive, the proprietor of ABT Roadways, Mr. Pollachi Mahalingam donated One Lakh Rupees! Not only that, he also deputed 10 excellent workmen for construction work. The villagers remember with gratitude even today, the fantastic gesture of that great man. The workers used to take a dip in the Kalpathy river at 4.00 AM, chant ‘Siva Purana’ with their wet towels on them. Then only they would start the work. Day and night devoted work for eight months saw the completion of today’s majestic ‘Theru’. The construction is considered so noble, and sacred because of the belief that the chariot contains the power of the Vedas. The 4 wheels represent four Vedas.

     

GETTING READY FOR “DEVA SANGAMAM”

The most famous and sacred temple of Sri Visalakshi Sametha Viswanathaswamy is situated on the south bank of the Neela River also called Kalpathy River in the midst of the four Brahmin Agraharams - New Kalpathy, Old Kalpathy, Chathapuram and Govindarajapuram. There is a mention of this temple in the Sewell’s list of the Antiquarian Remains which shows that the temple was consecrated in the Kollam year 640   [AD 1464]. The migration of Tamil Brahmins from Tanjore and other nearby areas of Tamilnadu had taken place earlier than this. It will be of interest to know that the idol of Sri Viswanathaswamy, a Banalingam, was brought by one Lakshmi Ammal, a Brahmin lady from Varanasi.  The villagers believe that she had approached the then Raja of Palakkattusseri for construction of a temple. Being a staunch devotee of Lord Siva, and a great follower of Hindu principles, he readily agreed.   Legend has it that the king deputed two of his trusted deputies to Tamil Nadu and four Brahmin families were brought and they were requested to settle down. This was to become what is today known as Kalpathy…

Even today the management of the main temple continues to be in the hands of the trustee, a descendant of the king’s family. The kings, and to a great extent members of royal families provided excellent patronage to propagate arts, religion, and music.

What is now known as Kerala State, in fact consisted of three provinces, Travancore in the Southern part, Cochin in the Centre, and Malabar in the North. Even today, the culture, and habits are totally different in these three regions. The common feature you find in Keralites however is the artistic bend of mind and thirst for knowledge, & willingness work – once they are out of the state, that is!                   

     

Shops on both sides of agraharam

Four temples take part in the functions in the festival. You should see the nine-day extravaganza to believe the communal harmony and co-operative attitudes of the masses! Viswanathar, along with his 2 sons Ganapathy & Subrahmanya of Kalpathy Kundambalam, Mahaganapathy of New Kalpathy Manthakkara temple, Lakshminarayana Perumal of old Kalpathy, and Prasanna Ganapathy of Chathapuram are the deities which take part in the functions. There would be Veda parayana and abhisheka every night. It is believed that all the 33 crore devas will be watching the “Haarathi” at the end of the ‘Deva Sangamam’ on the fifth night, from the heavens above! All the chariots will assemble at “Ther Mutti” near the main temple, that is Kundambalam on the final day. Going round the chariots (encircling) on this day is considered highly auspicious. It is believed that you will be relieved of all the sins committed by you till then! The inhabitants of Kalpathy and nearby Palakkad villages eagerly await this auspicious hour, year after year! They believe that they get the effect of actually going round Kailasa and Vaikunta!

The first priest of the temple was brought from Mayuram.   The poojas and rituals are performed according to Tamil Agamas followed in the Mayuranathar Temple of Mayuram. The annual Car Festival of the Kalpathy temple also synchronises with that of the Mayuranathar temple. The Kalpathy Car Festival conducted during mid-November has assumed National importance attracting a large number of devotees including foreign tourists. During the Masi Makam festival every year and the Maha Makam festival once in twelve years, the deities of all the temples in and around Palghat are brought to the Viswanathaswamy temple Complex and joint rituals, Vedaparayanam and Sankalpam done. Thus, it assumes the importance of being the ' Temple of temples' in the area.

     

ANY ONE FROM BLUE CROSS, AROUND?

According to available records, the agraharams are six centuries old. Palakkad district alone has 96 agraharams, and within Palakkad town, there are 18 agraharams. After Kalpathy Ther, the Vedic scholars chant vedas for a ‘mandala’ that is 42 days. The belief is that these 42 days constitute the period before the devas were born! Thereafter, the scholars used to stay for 10 days in nearby Koduvayur, and partake in the Chariot festival there. From one temple to another, this journey would go on till the last one at Tirunellai! This was also an occasion to propagate the Vedic culture. It is a historic fact that about 150 scholars practiced this till 1932.

The main functions in Kalpathy Theru are for 3 days. However, times have changed. There is ‘Music Festival’ with each day dedicated to Thyagayya, Dikshitar, Syama Sastri, Swati Tirunal, Annamaiyya etc. All reputed artists consider it a proud privilege to participate in the week-long musical extravaganza. I will not be surprised if this turns out to be another Thiruvaiyaru, or Chembai Sangeetotsavam!

Lord Ganesh is fond of food! “Bhojana Priya”, they say. The ‘prasaad’ of Mahaganapati of Chathapuram Temple is the feast on the second day of the Theru. The village youth actively participate and extend all the help for the ‘samayal’. The aroma and taste of the “sadhya” of good old days continues even today. The only change is that the head cook was ‘Kavadi’ Raasu Iyer earlier. Now his son Kumar has taken over. Saambaar and Rasa Kaalan alternates each year. This year, it will be Rasa Kaalan. Side dishes include ‘Olan’, ‘Mezhukku Puratti’, ‘Achaar’, “pappadam’ and of course ‘Paayasam’. Fifty paraas, i.e around 600 to 650 kilos of rice is cooked! Majority of the rice, provisions and vegetables is received as donation from devotees.

      

THE POOR PACHYDERM – EXHAUSTED & HUNGRY……………..

PULLED THE PLANTAIN BUNCH FROM THE CHARIOT AND SWALLOWED!

My childhood memories are still green. Those were the days of Nagaswara kutcheries. (not NADASWARA, as wrongly described in many circles. Nada and Swara are interlinked, anyway. The magic pipe with an imposing head is grouped along with Magudi, Clarionet, and Saxaphone, the last one having made a late entry. They belong to the ‘Naga’ family. And rightfully so) These concerts would add special glamour to the Rathotsava. After the chariot procession on the third day, curtains for the Nagaswara concerts would raise. The night kutcheries enthrall the public at Chathapuram, Old Kalpathy, and New Kalpathy. The divine music literally engulfs the entire atmosphere. Thousands would eagerly await the first notes from the instruments of famous artistes from South India. I can still recollect some of the names like Thiruvengad Subramaniam Pillai, Thiruvidaimarudur Veeraswamy Pillai, T N Rajarathinam Pillai, Karukuruchi Arunachalam, Namagiripettai Krishnan, Shaik Chinna Moulana Saheb ( he asks for Camphor Aarathi and prays for 2 minutes every time, before leaving for the concert from my uncle’s lodge every year! I was a witness to this!), Thiruvizha Jayashankar,  Injikkudi Pichaikannu brothers, Mannargudi Paramasivam Pillai, M P N Ponnuswamy, Sethuraman brothers, the list is long. Some times AKC's Clarionet would decorate the stage.

THE CHATHAPURAM PRANNA MAHA GANAPATHY TEMPLE

The main Raaga would be one among Thodi, Kaambhoji, Kalyani, Kharaharapriya, Bhairavi, Poorvi Kalyani, Sankarabharanam, or Shanmughapriya. Aalapana for the main raaga would last for more than hour, at times! All the nuances of the raga will be painted beautifully on the canvas. Total identification and union or sangamam (I can’t get the exact word to explain the feeling the ragas would generate!) by the knowledgeable rasikas are the hallmarks of the kutcheries. After the Aalaapana, comes the magic from the fingers of Thavil greats of all times, like Needamangalam Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, Nachiyaar Kovil Raghavan, Vedaranyam Balasubramanian, Shanmugha Vadivel, Valankaiman Shanmugha Sundaram, Yazhpaanam Krishnamurthy, Thathamangalam Ponnan etc. Valayapatti and all belonged to the next generation. All three concerts are held simultaneously. Rasikaas are forced to skip two. Some times, we would attend all three – in parts! As is the norm, ‘Thani  Aavarthanam’ is the time to ‘escape’ for snacks/attend other work etc! So, the moment ‘Thavil’ starts, we would go to other venues! One can witness this all too familiar scene in most of the concerts in Chennai during the December festival. As a regular at some of the venues, I was pained to see the insult on the percussionists.

My views are shared by our neighbour, Annapoorani Mami. (we affectionately call her “Anna Maami”) Despite crossing 70, she would never miss Chennai’s December music season, come what may, and wherever she is. Come December, she is in Chennai. Her son and daughter and grand children are all in the US. And most part of the year, she is with them. “your sons and daughters will tempt you to be with them, saying America is this, America is that and all," she would tell my wife, “never get carried away”, she will warn her! “only those who committed most heinous crimes, (‘Maha papam seithavaal’) will go there”. As for her love of music, “I cherish serious music”, she says. She could analyse the strength and weakness of each artist. The other day, she was recollecting one of her old journeys through ‘Hamsadhwani’.

      

That was from ‘Chembai’. Those were days when there were no microphones or speakers, let alone recording facilities. The artist had no chance to recall how he sang on a particular concert. It happens only once. So you get to listen to 100 ‘Hamsadhwanis’ in as many stages! She will quote Nanjunda Bhagavatar, “…… like the last words of a dying man……” One Aalaapana means one death..  Death for resurrection of the same raga in the next stage!

HUMAN OCEAN, LITERALLY!

I was telling about how times have changed in Kalpathy. But some of the rituals maintain the old splendour. Like the last three days’ functions. The Thers decorated with golden “thazhiga kudam”, garlands, & dolls are ready.

First Day - The main deity, that is, (Visalakshi sametha) Viswanathar along with his two sons, Vigneswara and (Valli Devasena sametha) Subramanya, perform “Radhaarohan” and the curtain rises reminiscing the chariot festival of Maayavaram. Kalpathy will not sleep for the next three days and nights! The Veda paaraayana which begins on the day the flag went up, Kodiyettam, that is, will conclude with the Aarohan, and the utsave moorthis are brought out after the Rudra Abhisheka, and conclusion of Veda Paaraayana. The chariots are positioned on the east side.  In the evening, the Palakkattusseri royal representative, who is also the temple trustee, is brought in royal welcome from ‘Achan Padi’ to the chariots. The chariots are then pulled via Manthakkara temple, east nada of the Kundambalam, and twelfth street, and finally ‘positioning’ at Achan Padikkal in the Kalchatti Street.

On the second day, the chariot of Manthakkara Maha Ganapathy of New Kalpathy begins its voyage. There will be special pujas at Manthakkara temple, and the deity, accompanied by drum beats (Chenda) reaches Kundambalam to seek blessings from Mahadev. Thereafter the decorated chariot begins its royal journey starting from the eastern end of the agrahaaram.

And on the third and concluding day, the chariots of Lakshmi Narayana Perumal of Old Kalpathy, and Prasanna Ganapathy of Chathapuram travel through the Agrahaarams showering their blessings. In other words, first day is for “Radha Aarohanam”, and second for “Radha Pradakshinam”, and it is “Deva Radha Sangamam” on the last day. The three chariots of Lord Viswanath, and his two sons are stationed facing the Lakshmi Narayana Perumal’s chariot from Old Kalpathy, which is followed by Chathapuram Prasanna Maha Ganapti’s chariot would pass via Old Kalpathy, New Kalpathy, 12th Street, and Kalchatti street, reaching Ther Mutti by evening. This is followed by the Manthakkara Maha Ganapthi’s chariot. The ‘Kundambalam’ area where all the six chariots assemble will be literally an ocean of humanity by the time the sun is about to set. It is customary by “Perumal” and “Ganapathy” of Chathapuram to throw plantains at each other. Today all roads in Palakkad will lead to Kalpathy. All kinds of shops starting from Cell phones to tiny wooden toys, and stone wares… these shops will continue for a few more weeks after the festival. Pulling the chariots is considered a noble act. Men women and children vie with each other in this. You can virtually see Kalpathy using all her resistance, and pulling all the brakes to uphold her old tradition and not allowing the new culture to over take old values, during the nine days of fun and festivities.

RAPT ATTENTION …………………..

Kalpathyites settled elsewhere make it a point to be part of the festivities. Time for reviving old friendships, take up long pending visits, and pull out their children from the world of computers, WWF, Pizzas, and all those hypes. They will be taking time off from the maddening city life to appreciate and enjoy pure village ways.

All good things come to their logical end!  After going round the chariots at the auspicious hour of “Ratha Sangama”, and with sweet memories and a heavy heart, people return to the stark realities of day to day life. Once again with fond memories lingering in their hearts, looking forward for another assemblage next year……………
And we come to the end of the voyage, when time stood still. 

Here I am, just back home and trying to get into reality after being transported to the past when time stood still and I am once again in my (more volatile) elements. Those wonderful three days, when the clock turned backwards, were history repeating itself. One had to be there in the midst of things to understand the feeling of exhilaration of time travel.  I shudder at the thought of almost having missed this wonderful re-enacting of all those joyous moments I enjoyed in that ethereal settings on the foothills of the misty Palakkad mountains.

Despite the pressures and commitments associated with our advanced years and the roller coaster ride that life is made of today, those that had made it, slipped into the mood with gay abandon, ensuring that their children, and in some cases, grand children were very much witness to the entire proceedings. The camaraderie and fellowship was beyond the realms of one’s wildest imagination. …………

Ananth