Onam 2012 Aranmula Boat Race

The Aranmula Boat Race rows off on September 1, 2012

Venue – Pampa river, Aranmula Parthasarthy Temple

The oldest regatta of Kerala, the Aranmula Boat race is a tribute to the time when Lord Krishna, the divine sarathy (charioteer) to Parth (Arjun, Pandav Prince) took abode as the presiding deity at Aranmula Parthasarthy Temple

Legend has it that a devout Brahmin vowed to feed one pilgrim a day. One day, Lord Krishna presented himself as a pilgrim to the Brahmin. Ecstatic at being thus blessed, the Brahmin pledged 51 measures of rice and to provide for the traditional Onam feast called the Thiruvona Sadya at the Aranmula Parthasarthy Temple on the banks of the river Pampa

On the way to the temple, the boat carrying the sadya was attacked. Snake boats or chundam vallams raced to protect the Lord’s offering

The sadya was then borne in style in Palliyodams, larger snake boats used mainly by royals

Since then, every year, the tradition of the snake boats gathering on the river Pampa to escort the Lord continues

It is a two day event

The first day, there’s a carnival with a towering idol of Lord Krishna and children enact a costume drama dressed as nymphs and princesses

On the second day the boats gather, one each from the villages along the river Pampa

The boats decorated with flags, parasol and flowers arrive in the morning to offer prayers at the temple

At noon the participants are offered the traditional Onam sadya meal

After partaking the feast, the regatta begins

In every boat, 100 ft long are four helmsmen and 100 rowers who are accompanied by 25 singers who sing to the boat’s rhythm

Since every boat is believed to carry Lord Krishna, there is no sense of competition and boats are expected to arrive at the destination at the same time. Sync boating in motion!

Hence, it is the only race which does not have cash prize or a trophy as the race is a celebration of the Lord’s manifestation

Getting to Pampa

Reach Kochi or Thiruvanthapuram (Trivandrum) by air or train

At Ernakulum station in Kochi or Trivandrum Central station, take the train to Chengannur which is the nearest rail head to Aranmula

From Chengannur railway station drive down, catch the local bus or hire a cab to reach Aranmula, 10 km away

Must See - Stalwarts of Classical Arts Perform at Onam 2012

 

Kerala Tourism presents

Classical Performances by stalwarts in the fields of Koodiyattam, Kathakali and Chakyarkoothu as part of Onam 2012

Venue - Theerathapadamandapam, Thiruvanthapuram

              Near Padmateertha Pond, East Fort

Date               Time                Theme

29/8/2012      4.30 pm           Koodiyattom (Subhadradhananjayam)

Subhadradhanajayam is the most important dance in the Koodiyattom repertoire. It depicts the marriage of Lord Krishna's sister Subhadra with Arjun, the Pandav Prince. It is this drama's second act that gave the platform for the creation of Nangiar Koothu, performed exclusively by women

Performed by Maagi Raman Chakyar, Maargi Usha, Maargi Narayan Chakyaar,

Kalamandalam Unnikrishanan, Maargi Ramanunni Nambyar, Maargi

Mohanan, Maargi Sindhu, Maargi Ravikumar

                   

                      7.00 pm           Kathakali (Subhadraharanam)

It derives from the same legendary story of Arjun and Subhadra. Arjun learns about Subhadra's love for him and elopes with her dressed as a mendicant. Lord Krishna's brother Balaram is furious as he intended their sister to marry Kaurav Prince Duryodhan. Krishna convinces Balaram that it was not Arjun who eloped but Subhadra who eloped with Arjun! As he'd asked Arjun to let Subhadra have the reins of her chariot as they left. Balaram is however convinced only when Krishna takes him to show the place where Arjun defeated a warrior Viphudi in battle. Of course, Krishna does not let on that he himself had asked Viphudi to attack Arjun for the sole purpose of showcasing Arjun's valour!

Performed by Ettumanoor Kannan, Kalamandalam Pradeep, Kalamandalam Arun Warrier,

Margi Shfilal, Kalamandalam Rajendran, Kalanilayam Nandhakumar,

Kalamandalam Narayanan, Kalamandalam Sreekanth Varaanassi,

Kalamandalam Harikumar, R.L.V Somadas, Margi Somadas

Date              Time             Theme

30/8/2012      4.30 pm        Chakyaarkoothu

It is a monologue narrative from Hindu epics Ramayan and Mahabharata and sometimes makes a dig at contemporary events

Presented by Maargi Sajeev Narayan Chakyar And party    

                      6.00 pm        Kathakali (Balivadhom)

It is derived from the epic Ramayana. Rama and Lakshman are told by Sugreev that if they help him defeat his brother Bali he and his army of monkeys will help him fight Ravana who has abducted Rama's wife Sita. Sugreeva points out that Bali, too, kidnapped his wife. Rama agrees and tells Sugreev to call Bali to battle. During the battle Rama shoots an arrow from his hiding place killing Bali. Bali is distraught at what he sees as duplicity but then Rama reveals himself as the avatar of Lord Vishnu and Bali dies peacefully

Performed by Padmabhooshan Madavoor Vasudevan Nair, Kalamandalam

Ramachandran Unnithan, Attingal Peethambaran, Kalamandalam

Balakrishnan, Kalalmandalam Vijayakumar, Maargi Sukumaran,

Kalalmandalam Shanmukhan, Kalalmandalam Kasinathan, R L V Pramod,

Kottakkal Narayan, Vengari Narayanan, Kottakkal Santhosh, Kalalmandalam

Krishana Das, Maargi Venugopal, Kala Nilayam Manoj, Kalamandalam

Vineeth, R L V Somadas, Maargi Sreekumar

Date              Time                Theme

31/8/2012      4.00 pm           Aksharaslokom

Presented by Aksharasloka Samithi, Thiruvananthapuram)

   

                      6.00 pm           Kathakali (Nalacharitham – Moonnam Divasom)

It depicts the legendary love story of King Nala and Queen Damayanthi who face many trials and obstacles before they can live happily ever after

Presented by Kottaykkal Chandrasekharan, Kalamandalam Ratheesan, Kalamandalam

Manoj, Kottaykkal Ravikumar,Maargi Raveendran, Kalamandalam

Arunkumar, Kalamandalam Mukundan, Maargi Vijayakumar, Pathiyoor

Sankaran Potti, Kalamandalam Harish Namboothiri, Kalamandalam Krishna

Kumar, Kuroor Vasudevan Namboothiri, Kalanilayam Krishna Kumar, Maargi

Raveendran, Kalanilayam Rakesh, R L V Somadas Maargi Ravindran

Reaching Thiruvanthapuram

Sopanasangeetham - Divine Song

   What is Sopanasangeetham?

Sopana is traditionally the steps to the temple’s sacred shrine and sangeetham means music. 

Sopanasangeetham was thus born in the temples as an offshoot of Indian classical music to evoke Ashtapadis (8 line hymns) of 12th century bhakti poet Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda that celebrate Lord Krishna and Radha’s love

Sung near the steps to the inner sanctum, in keeping with the idea of pure simple devotion to the deity, Sopanasangeetham is shorn of traditional classical music traditions of microtones and flourishes. It follows the time honour code of ragas that unfold as per the phases of a day and often accompany the Kalam - the pictorial evocation of the deity usually Goddess Kali. 

So eventually, it moved out of the temples to homes and courtyards and eventually became the music for kathakali, krishnattam and ashtapadiyattam dance forms

Learning Centre

  

    Sopanam Kalavedi & Research Centre at Kudamaloor

Kudamaloor - Heritage by the River

Stroll along the banks of the Konakiri canal in Kudamaloor which is part of a northern tributary of the river Meenachil and breathe in a whiff of history from the temples, churches and the traditional Nalukettus dating aeons ago that dot the landscape

Once upon a time, this village of Kudamaloor tucked away in Kottayam district was the command centre of the Chembakasserri kings

Near the Eraveeswaram Mahadeva temple stands the Valiyamodam Nalukettu, the traditional wooden structure where the erstwhile royal family still stays

Near the temple can also be seen the ramparts of the old fort pockmarked by canon holes

The chundam valloms that now take part in boatraces once upon a long time ago weighed anchor as a naval fleet at nearby Kottakadavu 

The Chembakasseri kings were secular in outlook so temples and churches received equal patronage. Among the ten temples are:

·      Kudamaloor Devi Temple famed for its murals

·      Vasudevapuram Temple played host only to the women folk of Kudamaloor Chempakasseri Madom. Murals paint its walls

Among the churches of Kudamaloor are:

·      St.Mary’s Forane church dates back 800 years to the time of St. Thomas, the Apostle. It is considered to be one of the seven churches that he established

It is in St.Mary’s Forane church that Saint Alphonsa, a native of Kudamaloor was baptized

Kudamaloor being an important outpost of a royal kingdom also became a cultural hubbub, a tradition that continues till date

The temples like the Karukulangara Sri Bhadrakali temple are renowned for their standout performances of folk forms:

·      Tiyattu – or Teyyatu The word is believed to be a variation on the word Daivamattu which means dancing to please the deity.  It’s a dance traditionally performed for the Goddess Bhadrakali and Lord Ayyappan and commonly to ward off epidemics

·      Bhadrakali Tiyattu 

It begins at noon with the worship of the deity Bhadrakali to the sound of music. In the evening, Bhadrakali’s image is created with black, yellow, white, green and red powders in the traditional Kalamezhuthu form of art. At night the Tiyattuni and his followers sing praises to the deity. One of the performers then assumes the form of Bhadrakali killing the demon Danka. He prays to Lord Siva and then waves the torch, a symbol of the Lord Destroyer around the assembled gathering. This significant ritual ending the dance performance is to ward off the evil eye

Other forms like Garudam Parava (Garuda is the mount of Lord Vishnu) are also performed at Kudamaloor’s temples

Kudamaloor is home to a panoply of artistes from varied art forms:

·      Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair, Kathakali artiste hails from here

·      KunchanNambiar spent his boyhood here and rose to become the inventor of Thullal and a favourite of the Chembakasseri king. But this did not mean he spared the king in his satire. In the same breath where he praised the Raja he poked fun at his increasing bald pate!

·      KudamaloorJanardanan self-taught artiste of the flute continues to entrance with his exquisite mastery of the bamboo instrument

Other artistes to be found in Kudamaloor:

·      Folk form Kerrida artistes 

·      Kalaripayyatu performers – the traditional martial art form that is scientific in applying principles of mind-body co-ordination and medicinal practices

In keeping with its acclaimed cultural activity, Kudamaloor hosts centres of learning for Kathakali as well as other arts:

·      Devivilasam Kathakali yogam 

·      Sopanam Kalavedi & Research Centre 

Reaching Kudamaloor 

Take the train to Kottayam and drive down approximately 5.4 km

Drive down from Kochi airport. It takes approx 2 hours and then some

A Sage Place - Vennimala

Legend has it that Vennimala was a thick canopy of forest where the sages had their abode and retired to meditate in the hill’s deep caves. But demons came and laid waste to their peace. Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana stopped by one day when in exile. Lakshmana alone proved a handful to the demons and Vennimala was free of their menace forever. The hill of victory got its new name Vijayadri in Sanskrit and Vennimala in the local Malayalam

Aeons later, Kerala’s emperor Cheraman Perumala dropped by and was so enchanted by its quiescent beauty that he declared the hill sacred. He built a temple consecrating Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana and a palace for his residence. The palace crumbled into the sands of time, the temple still stands

Its temple pond and cave of meditation is accessible though boulders block the path which is believed to stretch to the aged banyan tree ahead. But step in a bit to breathe in its cool interiors and get a glimpse of the rubber plantations way below

Take a walk in the coolness of the shady hillock passing by still ponds of fresh water and rubber plantations and soak in the serene lushness

Tip

There’s a 28 day ritual during July at the temple when crowds throng

Getting to Vennimala

Take the train to Kottayam

Take a local bus, it's 15 km from Kottayam town