The Agnishtoma Somayagam, which was being conducted for the past six days in Sukapuram village near here, concluded on Saturday when the Hritiks (Pundits) set fire to the Yagasala. The Yagam took place near the Dhakshinamoorthy Temple in Sukapuram.
The Hritiks set fire to the Yagasala on Saturday evening after the completion of the rituals. Yajamanan of the Yagam took the fire which burnt the Yagasala to his home as part of the rites. He will keep this fire at his home and will perform rituals every day until his death.
“This fire will be used to set fire to the pyre of the Yajamanan and his wife. The Yajamanan will do Agnihomam two times a day and perform a short form of Somayagam twice in a month. He will now be known as Somayajippadu as he has successfully led a Somayagam,” Vasudevan Nampoothiripadu, one of the organisers of the Yagam, said.
Different kinds of ancient rituals were performed on the last day of the Yagam also. The rite performed as a penance for any sins or mistakes occurred during the Yagam was the main ritual of the last day. Yajamanan washed all the utensils used for the Yagam and immersed himself in the water for purification before the Hritiks set fire to the Yagasala. The rituals performed during the Yagam are as old as the Vedic age.
It is believed Somayagam has the power to heal mental and physical illnesses. It is said that the rare herb particles coming out of the Yagam fire have the power to heal the human body and the environment.
The Yagam was conducted by a committee formed by the Brahmin community in Sukapuram with the support of various persons. The Yagasala was visited by hundreds of devotees and many were also present on the on the last day to receive the offering of the Yagam, ‘Soumya Prasadam’.