Travelling all the way to the revered holy hill shrine of Sabarimala is every believer’s dream and today, enough facilities are in place to allow every pilgrim to undertake the holy journey without hesitation or fear.
But, there was a time when the situation was very different, when devotees had to put this dream on the backburner owing to the gruelling journey the piligrimage demanded.
Around 50 years back, a group of Ayyappa devotees in northern Kerala thought of a genuine way to tackle the hurdle, and then was launched the ‘Ayyappan Vilakku’, a festival celebrated with great vigour in Malabar in the holy month of Vrishchikam.
Celebrating its 50th year on December 15 at the Muthalakkulam Bhagawathy Temple, the ‘Ayyappan Vilakku’ has had a rich history. C M Panicker, a committee member who has been acquainted with the festival for nearly 45 years, shares some interesting experiences. “I remember the first ‘Vilakku’ and the ceremonies associated with it. Not even a minute change has been introduced in any of the rituals till date, because this is a sphere where new innovations are not welcomed,” he says.
“Those days, it was not possible for everyone to take such a long journey to Sabarimala, hence they decided to celebrate it in their own way, and thus this unique festival took shape. The ‘Vilakku’ had been hosted at the Mananchira grounds for over 35 years, hence the name ‘Mananchira Vilakku’. But with the advent of new laws a few years back, we had to shift the venue,” he adds.
Even the rituals attached to the festival follow strict adherence to norm. “The ceremonies are always conducted in specially-decorated ‘mandapams’ on the temple premises.
The decorated ‘mandapams’ are miniature replicas of four temples - Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, Malikappurathu Temple, Ganapathy and Subramanya temples, along with the renowned Vavaru Swamy’s mosque. The replicas are made of banana plant trunks and tender coconut leaves,” he elaborates.
Five ‘Velichappadus,’ r e p r e s e n t i n g L o r d Ayyappa, Malikappurathu Amma, Lord Ganapathy, Lord Subramanyan and Vavaru Swami take part in the procession. The ‘Paalkindi Ezhunallathu,’ which re-tells the tale of Malikappurathamma’s sorrow at not being able to marry Lord Ayyappa, is a highlight of the festival. This year, the event has been planned as a one-week celebration, marking the jubilee year of the ‘Vilakku’.
Among various cultural programmes, the main highlight of the Vilakku will be a ‘Palakkombil Ezhunellippu’, a grand procession. The festivities will conclude on the morning of December 16.