ALAPPUZHA: “The Bharani festival of Chettikulangara Devi temple is not only restricted to the rituals at the temple, but also encompasses the entire cultural landscape of Onattukara region of Central Travancore. All villages connected with the temple are actively involved in the rituals for eight days starting from the Sivarathri festival. People from other parts of the state also reach the villages and participate in the ‘kuthiyottam’ and construction of ‘kettukazhcha’, making the festival the ‘Pooram of Odanad,” said Hari Kumar Ilayidom, a local historian.
The ‘kettukazhcha,’ a procession of huge chariots having heights ranging from 80 ft to 100 ft is a century-old tradition associated with the temple fest.
The chariots depicting various gods are built by 13 participating hamlets and are arrayed in the kazchakandom on the Bharani day. Thousands congregate in the field to catch a glimpse of the marvellous sight.
The kettukazhcha was accredited with the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) status by the Union Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The long-pending demand of the devotees of the temple and people of Onattukara region was fulfilled with the ICH status,” said Hari Kumar, who has published a book on the history of Bharani. The Sree Devi Vilasam Hindu Matha Convention, a non-profit organisation, manages the Bharani fest. It was the organisation that took steps to include the festival in the ICH status of UNESCO.
Hindu Matha Convention office-bearers said that the efforts to achieve heritage status began in 2010. The documents for this were submitted to the Central government and UNESCO through the Kendra Sangeetha Nataka Academy in 2010.
A team from the UNESCO had visited Chettikulangara to evaluate preparations of the festival, making of the huge chariots for kettukazhcha, and preparations for the kuthiyottam ritual. Later, a committee led by the-then additional chief secretary K Jayakumar prepared documents of the festival and forwarded them to UNESCO, the office-bearers said.
According to B Hari Krishnan, president, Sree Devi Vilasam Hindu Matha Convention, lakhs of people have been participating in the festival every year.
“In all, 13 hamlets participate in the Bharani fest. Eerezha South and North, Kaitha South and North, Kannamangalam South and North, Mattom North and South, Pela, Kadavoor, Anjilappra, Menampilly and Nadakkavu are the participating hamlets.
The devotees in all hamlets build their own kettukazhcha. Devotees from six hamlets make kuthira (horse), five hamlets build chariots and other hamlets make replicas of Hanuman, Bheeman and Panchali. On the Bharani day, the devotees take the kettukazhcha from their hamlet to the main temple in a procession and will array them near the temple,” he said. The processions to the temple will be taken out on February 25, Hari Krishnan said.