ALAPPUZHA: Preserving centuries-old customs in its purest form, Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Swami temple is hosting ‘pallippana’ — a ritual which is celebrated once every 12 years. This rare ritual is believed to be performed to remove afflictions that have occurred to the divine presence (devachaithanyam). The 15-day-long ritual, that began on February 8, will conclude on February 22.
With its blend of temple ritual, folk performance, music and communal participation, pallippana remains one of Kerala’s rare surviving ritual art traditions, drawing devotees and cultural historians alike to Ambalappuzha, said K C Harikumar, temple media committee president. Hundreds of devotees participate in the ritual on the southern side of the temple pond every day.
“A few temples in the state perform the ritual, but the pana in Ambalappuzha is a unique one. The ritual is performed in the traditional way like it was done around 400 years ago — using coconut leaf, arecanut and traditional lamps — giving a rich legacy to the rituals,” says Harikumar.
V J Sreekumar, koimasthani of the temple, says ‘pana’ means song, and pallippana literally refers to devotional singing performed before the deity. “The ritual is symbolically intended to awaken Lord Mahavishnu from divine repose and re-energise him for cosmic duties through sacred songs and ceremonial rites. Members of the Velan community traditionally lead the ceremonies, joined by Ganakan, Panan, Mannan and other communities, reflecting a time when the temple uniquely permitted ritual participation across castes, despite prevailing social hierarchies,” he says.
As many as 24 traditional ceremonies are being performed on the temple premises. The principal rituals include ‘othu’ and ‘murothu’, along with several sacred ceremonies that are seldom witnessed. The Velan practitioners perform ‘othu’ during the day and ‘murothu’ at night. The ritual tradition is rooted in the ancient Dravidian folk practice known as ‘Velan Pravarthi’. According to legend, pallippana was first performed by Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi on the request of Lord Subrahmanya Swamy.
The ceremonial proceedings begin with the kappukettu ritual. A distinctive feature of pallippana is that the sribali idol is not taken to the ritual pavilion. Instead, the koimavadi — a golden tipped baton — is ceremonially taken to the ritual pandal, where it is treated as the deity.
During the ceremonies, the Velans chant and beat traditional instruments such as the para and thudi, while ritual specialists symbolically remove afflictions from the deity using sacred materials and consign them to the homakundam. When the Velans chant verses invoking the removal of sins, ritual offerings, including ilanjithoopu, husk, salt and sacred thread, are cast into the fire.
Pallippana is conducted after every ‘panthrandu kalabham’ festivals, which are held annually during the Malayalam month of Makaram. The ritual culminates in ‘Vijayabali’ after the completion of 12 pallippanas. The 24th pallippana and Vijayabali were last held in 1954. The current event marks the 30th pallippana, and the next Vijayabali is scheduled for 2098, says Sreekumar.
Six families, Chembakassery, Koyikkari, Eramunda, Kunnamkari, Nettassery and Ambalappuzha, traditionally hold the right to conduct the ritual. Historical accounts also note that in earlier times, a symbolic and painful sacrificial ritual involving a member of the ‘puranadikal’ group — who performed in clown-like attire — was part of the concluding ceremonies.
Major rituals include idupanabali (bhishma sharashayanam), raksha kalasha pooja, paana pidutham, brahman purappadu, ninabali, kalikoodam thullal, kaalan kolam, sasthaam purappadu, cheriya koombubali, valiya koombubali, aazhibali, dikkubali, bhairavi kolam ezhunnallippu and purakulathil guruthi.