KOZHIKODE: In Naderi, near Koyilandy, history does not lie buried in archives or stone inscriptions, it rises every year, leaf by leaf. As residents gather with bundles of coconut fronds and palm leaves, the ancestral tharavadu linked to the Azhavil Kariyathan temple is prepared for its annual ‘tharavadu purakettimeyal,’ a ritual re-roofing that signals the arrival of the temple festival — to be held this year on February 11 and 12.
This is no ordinary repair work. The tharavadu, believed to be several centuries old, is rebuilt every year using traditional materials like coconut leaves, palm leaves and bundles of straw following time-honoured customs. The ritual transforms the act of construction into a sacred community gathering, drawing hundreds of people from the region.
More than 1,500 coconut and 200 palm fronds, and around 500 bundles of straw are required for the kettimeyal. Collecting these materials itself takes days of collective effort. Skilled local craftsmen, many of whom learned the art from their fathers and grandfathers, lead the work, supported by villagers young and old.
“The hands may change, but the method never does,” says Narayanan Anjanam, a member of the temple family who has witnessed the ritual since childhood. “When I was a boy, my grandfather stood exactly where I stand now, guiding the work and also being part of the work. This house is rebuilt every year, but its soul has never aged.”
Constructed using mud blocks and stone, the tharavadu’s exact age remains unknown. Before the new thatch is laid, the old leaves are carefully removed. The walls are re-plastered with a mixture of earth, and the floor is polished with cow dung, ensuring the bond between the structure and the soil it stands on.
Inside the tharavadu is the consecration of the karanavar (ancestral elder), symbolising lineage and continuity. The presiding deity of the temple is Kariyathan, worshipped as a maladaivam — a guardian deity of the hills — deeply rooted in the folk traditions of North Malabar.
“For us, Kariyathan is not distant,” explains Nirmala, a devotee from the area. “He belongs to the land, to our ancestors, to our everyday lives. Rebuilding the tharavadu every year reminds us that faith is something we maintain, not something we inherit and forget.”
In an age dominated by concrete structures and instant solutions, the kettimeyal emphasises sustainability, community participation and respect for indigenous knowledge systems.
“Young people often think tradition means being stuck in the past,” says Vishnu Prasad, a local youth volunteer. “But here we learn teamwork, eco-friendly building methods and our own history. This ritual teaches us how to move forward without cutting our roots.”