Festivals of Palakkad....
“Aeni, Kozhu, Sriram....onnu sheriya prarthichukonko. Shraddichu odanam.” (Aeni,ladder- by virtue of being tall; Kozhu or kozhakattai because as a young lad, he probably had  been roly-poly and the name stuck).The instructions were being given to the young men advising them to pray and safeguard the deity with utmost care , even as they ran.
Vaango, ottom thodangaporadhu . Come all.The race is to begin.There is hurried activity- everyone finds their spot against the background of the row houses. Young children  run at a safe distance behind the runners, never ahead of them. All traffic is stopped- streets have been cleaned in preparation of the event. The runners run , a magical moment ,the hour of dusk after the Gods have been propitiated. It seems then as if the Wind God adds speed to their steps and as the village stands back to watch the seemingly ethereal runners, we are aware that that act of participation even as a spectator has been a special one.
The event we just witnessed was the Kudhurai Ottom , one of the rituals that are special to villages in Palakkad. No, horses are not used for the ottom. A palanquin with the kudhurai(horse) vahana is carried by able-bodied men/boys ,of roughly the same height. It is a treat to watch eight boys suddenly lifting the palanquin and running along from one end of the street to the other like horses galloping with all energy, eyes fixed straight ahead, all the time taking care to see that the deity is intact. The ottom is given much attention because mishap to the Lord during the race automatically spelt bad omen! While many villages do have the kudhurai ottom, the one at Lakshminarayanapuram has by far been the best that I have seen.
Around the months of May and June each year , Â the village temples in Palakkad get ready to host the annual thaer( chariot) festival. The row houses come magically alive and one can see the strain of age-ridden wear and tear beneath all the layers of paint used to give it a face-lift. Most of the homes have stories of cultural history wrapped into the walls of the brick and stone.
The village of Kalpathy is easily amongst the best known and enjoys the distinction of being the oldest . The thaer festival here is easily one of the most important ones. The more important temples  in all the villages either have their own elephant/s or they manage to hire them for the required period. The senior most village elders took charge. Today, the most popular and the influential ones take charge of the temple festivities, while most others are content in contributing in the best way they can.
While kudhurai ottom is quite popular across villages, there are certain ritual rituals that are specific to a particular village owing to certain events/beliefs that led to its origin..
       In  Kumarapuram(yes,Diwan Sheshadri Iyer was from here),there is a Konnangi who dialogues with the Lord seated on the chariot asking Him whether all the festivities that took place spread over a few days met with His approval. But what is unique to this village is the practice of Kallon porapadu . The story goes that many years back, a thief/thieves having stolen the divine ornaments hide/s them in different homes in the village. Even today, the legend is kept alive. At the stroke of mid-night, when the entire town is supposedly asleep, the temple chief along with a few other important officers goes on a beat , knocking at village homes briefing them about the stolen jewellery. At his knock, the owner of the house opens the door completely startled to see the officers calling on him at that unearthly hour.Remorse fills the hearts of the thieves and they retrace the steps  taking a list of the ornaments and the homes in which they have supposedly hidden them. The temple priest also impresses upon the villages as he knocks on each door ,extolling the virtues of the Lord and surrendering the case to Him. Well, before the break of dawn and the Lord is sent to His heavenly home, the jewels are traced and the village is saved –honour intact and no wrath of God incurred either !
The neivedhyams in some of the villages are something to die for and interestingly, many people (even from other neighbouring villages )are familiar with the  timings –which temple located in which village  has what neivedhyam planned for that important festival. So during Sasta preeti in the village of Noorani, it is Shadhashadhayam payasam(made out o 1008) coconuts. Through the day people are seen grating coconuts ,an important base ingredient for the payasam. For them, it is a matter of honour and pride to serve a meal to every visitor . At Lakshminarayanapuram, it is the large-sized golden-brown neiappam served at the Gopalakrishna temple that is the highlight. When you are in the village, you realize the neivedhyam perhaps tastes better because deep down, there is a sense of ownership , a sense of participation in the entire process of its making that perhaps enhances its taste.
It is the sense of complete participation from ideation to production of the event that makes temple rituals in villages more meaningful even as you begin to experience a sense of sacredness in the air. For many of us who grew up in the Sixties, we nurtured a sense of pride in keeping in touch with our cultural roots. It was also perhaps an era when holidays meant travel; travel meant ancestral home in village/town and it naturally meant grand parents, uncles, aunts and a dozen cousins ,temple visits, delicious home-made food eaten out of plash-elai /vazhaielai. There is a deep sense of joy one experiences rekindling old memories as one participates in these festivities year after year. It is almost akin to reading through the pages of a history book.
