Vaikom Temple Festival - Vaikashtami

Vaika comes from Vaikom which is a reference to the revered Vaikom Mahadev Temple and Ashtami refers to the 8^th day of the Malayalam month Vrischikam (November-December - Sagittarius) according to the lunar calendar

On the banks of the Vembanad lake in Vaikom in Kottayam district stands the Vaikom Mahadev temple constructed of black stone on 8 acres of land. The temple is surrounded by four looming towers and has four big corridors or mandapams with spacious halls called prakrams

The Vaikom Mahadev temple is dedicated to the worship of Mahadev, Lord Shiva, the Destroyer in the Hindu Trinity

Lord Shiva is worshipped in three forms:

• Morning – Lord Shiva as Dakshinamurthy where He is manifest as the supreme guru and in his avatar of knowledge destroys ignorance. In this avatar Lord Shiva faces Dakshin, the south which is the direction of death

•  Noon – Lord Shiva as Kiratamurti which is the form manifest to Arjun, the Pandav prince

•  Evening – Lord Sambhashivan along with Goddess Parvati. Lord Shiva as originating from the ash tree

The Vaikashtami Festival spans 12 days during which the symbol of Shiva in the form of a 5m high Shivalinga is worshipped 

On the 7^th day of the Vaikashtami Festival, the idol of Lord Shiva in the symbolic form of Thidampu is borne forth in a spectacular procession and as it makes its way through the throng the crowds swell as it is joined by another grand procession bearing Lord Muruga (Subrahmanya) from the adjacent Muruka temple of Udayanapuram. Thus Lord Shiva meets his son Muruga in the temple and the short tryst ends with the farewell

The festival ends with the Asthami celebration, the most significant 8^th day of the festivities

It celebrates the day when Sage Vyaghrapada was blessed with the manifestation of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati. In Tamil Vaiyaghra became Vaikom

This luminous moment is marked by the lighting of the ceremonial lamps called Ashtami Vilakku

There are night long performances by Kathakali artistes on the 8^th day of Asthami

Throughout the festival there are music and dance concerts making for a rich cultural experience

The significance of the temple lies in the history of satyagraha (non-violent agitation) for the restoration of equality in worship where nobody could be debarred on grounds of caste and the crowds that gather reflect this honorific event

Location

From Kochi move south 30 km and from Kottayam move up north 40 km

Train and local bus is the best way to travel but arrive early so as to avoid jam-packed local transport

Date of the Vaikashtami Festival

December 7^th is the likely date of the festival this year

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