Kerala: ‘Home’ comes calling at Nila with Matru Bhavana Seer offerings
MALAPPURAM: The arrival of the Matru Bhavana Seer procession has etched a historic moment in Thirunavaya, adding a deeply emotive chapter to the Bharathapuzha Mahamagha Mahotsavam.
Being observed in Kerala after a gap of 270 years, the Mahamagha Mahotsavam witnessed a rare and symbolic ritual on Sunday when the Matru Bhavana procession reached Thirunavaya from Tirumurti Hill in Tamil Nadu. The procession carried sacred offerings traditionally associated with the ‘Thai Veetu Seer’, including ramacha garlands, incense, flowers, garments, fruits and coins, brought with reverence and ritual sanctity.
In Tamil tradition, when parents visit their married daughter, they arrive bearing gifts and essentials, symbolising affection, care, and continuity of bonds. These offerings are known as ‘Thai Veetu Seer’. Rivers, revered as living feminine entities, are also accorded this sentiment. In Tamil Nadu, this belief manifests in rituals such as the famed Kaveri Seer, conducted annually on the 18th day of Aadi (Karkkidakam), when the river is ceremonially offered all that a daughter would receive from her maternal home.
Tirumurti Malai in Tamil Nadu -- considered the birthplace of Nila (Bharathapuzha) -- is regarded as the river’s ‘thai veedu’ (maternal home). Reflecting this belief, a group of around 20 devotees arrived from Tirumurti Malai on Sunday morning, symbolically bringing gifts for Nila as a daughter married away from her homeland.
The sacred offerings were prepared after special pujas at the Tirumurti Malai temple in Udumalpet. The team, led by Vishwa Hindu Parishad state treasurer Ramesh Kumar, president Ramakrishnan and zonal secretary Mahesh Kumar, began their journey at 6am, carrying the Thai Veetu Seer along with holy water from Tirumurti. On reaching Thirunavaya in the afternoon, the team performed special rituals at the yajna shala, formally offering the seer to Nila through traditional ceremonies.
Explaining the significance of the ritual, Avanthika Barathi, priest of Juna Akhara, said the custom draws inspiration from the long-established traditions of the Kaveri river.
“The seer puja performed for Nila follows the same belief system observed for Kaveri. Tirumurti Malai is the origin of Nila, and this ritual symbolises a mother bringing gifts to her children here in Thirunavaya. We plan to continue this ceremony every year during the Mahamagha observances,” she said. The ritual not only reaffirmed age-old river traditions but also deepened the spiritual and cultural resonance of the Bharathapuzha Mahamagha Mahotsavam, transforming Thirunavaya into a living confluence of memory, devotion, and heritage.