KOZHIKODE: At around 4 in the evening on Wednesday, the cosy street of Thiruvannur Nada was witnessing a reasonable crowd. The houses around the street gleefully welcomed the guests and the crowd on the street started to increase gradually. They were gathering there after an year-long wait for a festival, exclusive to the place.
‘Exclusive’ should be given stress since the people here have been celebrating the festival on the day of ‘Skandashashti’ for more than a century without much interference from ‘outsiders.’ The crowd consisted of only residents, their relatives and friends, thanks to the low publicity for the festival.
“Get inside the compound wall, the ‘kolams’ (figures) will arrive soon,” called out an elderly woman to the young women and children gathered on the streets.
The chariots of Lord Subrahmanyan and Lord Ganapati and 8 ft-long figures of Veerabahu (Senapathi[commander-in-chief] of Subrahmanyan), Soorapadmasuran and his younger brother Tharakasuran had already left in huge carts to seek blessings from Goddess Durga at Panniyankara Durga temple. They will come back at any time, ready for the ‘war.’
Listen to Sudheesh Thiruvannur, a resident and an organiser of the ‘Soorasamharam’ festival for many years: “The concept of ‘Soorasamharam’ originated from the myth that Lord Subrahmanyan was born to kill ‘Soorapadmasuran.’ The Asura king obtained a blessing from Lord Brahma that he can be killed only by a six-year-old son of Lord Siva, who, at that time, had developed an aversion to worldly living after the death of his wife Sathi.
Soorapadmasuran grew to unimaginable strength and conquered both Asuras and Devas. To put an end to his mischiefs, the Devas sought the help of Kamadevan, the lord of love, who instigated Parvathy to lure Siva. Subrahmanyan was born, and as a mission of his life, he was prepared along with his brother Ganapati and Veerabahu, famous for his long muscular arms, for a battle with Soorapadamasuran and Tharakasuran.
This battle is enacted during the festival here and before that, as a ritual, Lord Subrahmanyan, in a chariot, takes out from the Subrahmanyan temple to a Siva temple situated opposite and the Durga temple in Panniyankara to seek the blessings of his parents,” he said.
By the time the tale was told, the street was developing into a larger crowd of hundreds and the presence of balloon and toy vendors could be spotted along with girls carrying traditional lamps on metal plates and plantain stalks. The clock was ticking five. The crowd cheered and welcomed the ‘warriors’ on chariots and heavy carts. The women resorted to safer zones and gave way for the warriors and cheering men.
The chariots were pushed from behind by a team of around 10 youngsters. The same number of people were pulling the huge carts also in teams. The teams were allocated weeks before the festival and they made the kolams. The faces of the kolams resembled that of kathakali. The Devas are given ‘pacha vesham’ and the Asuras are adorned in ‘kathi’ costume. In front of the carts, two young men would be controlling the up-and-down motion of the carts, according to the cheerings and beatings of the traditional drums. First is the battle between Tharakasuran and Veerabahu, they are joined later by Soorapadman, Subrahmanyan and Ganapati. The figures make an up-and-down movement while circumambulating the temple premises and making occasional visits to the Siva temple. At sharp 5.45 pm, Tharakasura vadham (killing) was enacted and at 6.10 pm, Soorapadman also met his end. Soon after the killings, the young groups on the ‘Asura’ side also joined the cheering crowd to celebrate the victory of good over evil. According to the myth, after killing Soorapadman, Subrahmanyan divided his body into two. One part was a chicken, which he made the emblem of his flag and the other was a peacock, that he made his vehicle. This year, for the first time, a peacock dance (Mayooranrutham) was also arranged after the Soorasamharam. Artist T M Premnath from Payyannur, famous for the artform, performed it on stilts.
History
The Soorasamharam or Sooranpada festival, which is celebrated across Tamil Nadu with fervour, is believed to have started in Thiruvannur almost a century ago. When Kottaparambu Kovilakam of the Zamorins was divided into three - Kottakkal, Thiruvannur and Mankavu - a portion of the ruling family had been living here. In a period when casteism was prevalent, the low-caste people were allowed only up to Kuttiyil Padi, the starting point of the street. Pondans from Tamil Nadu were brought to carry the palanquin of the most respected woman member of the ruling family. They were given a space inside the street and they developed into a community, bringing in the traditions of Tamil Nadu. Thiruchendur temple is the most famous one for the festival.
Kuttisooranpada
After the killing of the Asura kings, the festival came to an end. But soon, a group of small boys were seen roaming around carrying the used costumes of the kolams. This is to be used for the ‘Kuttisooranpada’. Young boys aged 13 and below, who are not part of the Sooranpada of the elders, will collect parts of the costume. They get training to be part of the teams that will organise the festival in the later years. This year’s Kuttisooranpada will be held on November 23.
Making of Kolams
In groups of five, the preparation of kolams begins almost a month ago, starting from deciding who is to make what. “There are no political, community lenience in the making of groups and are purely formed among the young residents of the area,” said Harisankar, team leader of the group that made Soorapadmasuran. There will be around 20 people in a team aged 13 and above. Each year, a new group of youngsters will join and the techniques to make the kolams will be handed over to them. Throughout the making period, they will observe ‘vratham,’ avoiding non-vegetarian food and liquor. They say, this festival is a signature of the land and wherever they are, a man from the area will recollect it along with the memories of his childhood.