PATHANAMTHITTA: ‘Chooral Adavi,’ a unique ritual at the Kurampala Puthenkavil Devi temple near Pandalam will be held on February 26. The ritual which is conducted once in every five years, is an offering by devotees to receive the blessings of Goddess Bhadra.
The devotees undergo a minimum of 12 days of celibacy. During the period of penance, they locate thorny cane about 20 to 25 feet long, from the forests at Konni, a distance of about 35 km from the temple.
The day before the actual ritual, the devotees carry the cane on foot from the place they spot it to the temple.
Once the ritual begins at 10.30 pm after Athazha pooja, the devotees carry the thorny cane in front of the ‘Nalambalam’ of the temple and start rolling on it after offering prayers.
After they complete the ritual, volunteers assigned by the temple Devaswom carry the devotees wrapped with the thorny canes and free them using knives.
According to Uthama Kurup, it is an arduous task for volunteers, as the number of participants increases every time it is held.
As against the 2,500 devotees who took part in the last ‘Chooral Adavi’ in 2011, Devaswom authorities expect the number to go up to 3,000 devotees this time, Devaswom secretary R Prakash said.
He said with the registration beginning on February 18, Devaswom officials are making elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the ritual, taking into account the sentiments of the participants and thousands of devotees who throng the temple.
The 11-day-long festival will conclude with the presentation of ‘Bhairavi kolam’ on March 2.
