Annanad temple festival- the pachyderms

The number of elephants that take part in a temple festival depends on that temple's resources and means. Thus while the Trissur Pooram draws nearly 40 elephants over a period of three days, Annanad's small Veluppilly temple has this year been able to afford seven elephants, real progress from the 5 seen last year.. The elephants travel from their homes on foot or by truck.
Each elephant has a distinct identity:
Mangalaamkunnu Ayyappan
Ithithaanam Guruvayoorappan
Thiruvaanikkaavu Raajagopaal
Kiran Naaraayanankutty
Unnippilly Kaalidasan
Madhurappuram Kannan
Pallathaamkulangara Gireesan
Of late, the elephants wear their names proudly around their neck (I can now identify Gireesan, once I see the nameplate when I chance upon him at another temple :) ). The pachyderms are dear in so many ways...their seemingly infinite patience, their majestic sounding names, their trained kneel-down obeisance to the diety...
The noble giants look extra-royal when they are readied for the ceremonies with shining headgear (nettippattam) and neckwear, that have been carefully and painstakingly polished for the special day.










To the biggest Aana goes the honour of carrying the deity throughout the festival.
To anyone, including my son (who crinkled his nose as we approached the holy parade from the rear - where 'relieving activity' was going on; the giants are excused), the magnificent array is a sight that gets etched well in the grey cells...
Here are more impressions of rhythmic movements of the Venchaamaram and the Aalavattam in sync with the percussion music.
Patience-personified Manikandan.

Comments

  1. Indrani29 February, 2008

    Wow! Close up shots of the elephant. Nice pics Swarna. Looks like you had a jolly good time there.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

i appreciate that you have some thoughts to share, and are taking the effort to do so.

Popular posts from this blog

The Power of Vishnu Sahasranamam- Vani's rebirth

A real 'story' as told by a close friend: "Vani was in her early thirties when I first met her in a Mumbai local sometime in the late ‘70’s. She never talked much but her helping tendency was obvious. She boarded the train at the starting point and always found a seat. Instead of sitting through the hour-long journey, she would offer her seat – a luxury - to another lady. My acquaintance too began this way – a few pleasantries exchanged over the train’s din. After a couple of months, she was not at her usual seat. Everyone presumed that she was on leave. In the busy buzz of the Mumbai life, no one thought twice about her till she came back after nearly 4 months. None of us could recognize her. She had lost weight, her cheeks were sunken, eyes lifeless, and to top it all, she had an almost bald head. Out came the rude shock that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo radiation therapy. She hoped that she had won over the disease, but even before ...
Read more

"Did Hanuman return the mountain?"

Image
The query was popped while we were travelling in Srinagar by road, trying to have a fill of the valley's humbling views of the Himalayas all round. Here are a few glimpses of Gulmarg and Pahalgam My son's query caught us unawares, and also got us thinking about the doubt that we never raised during childhood sessions of the Ramayana epic , and I decided to call my mom, our free encyclopaedia for all things religious / spiritual / cultural. "Yes, Hanuman was disciplined, and he did return the Dronagiri mountain to its original locale". (was our spot answer) Pahalgam Back to the query - Anyone, any idea? There are several versions, all quite satisfactory, if you spare a thought. - Rumassala is one of several places identified by the Sri Lankan Tourism Department as being associated with Ramayana. Hanuman carried a part of the Dronagiri Mountain that was rich with medicinal herbs including Sanjeevani from the Himalayas to revive Lakshmana. 'When the chief physicia...
Read more

Seeing is believing - hot springs of Manali

Image
Hot water springs of Manali - - When I first heard about them, I thought - no, I can't believe it till I see it. In several spots in and around Manali in Himachal Pradesh, there are hot water springs notably at and near the temple for Sage Vasisht, and at Manikaran that is located about 70 km from Manali. These are actually sulphur springs that are the result of Himalayan plate tectonic activity. The sprouts near the temple for Sage Vasisht - nice hot water to wash clothes by hand - nil power consumption of the eco-unfriendly kind, and exellent exercise for the arms! (There are separated bathing areas within the temple premises, where cameras are forbidden) In Manikaran, the sprouts that supply public baths Views from inside the Shiva temple in Manikaran, and the public bath near the Manikaran Gurdwara After seeing them though - I am bemused. In my school history and geography lessons, I have been taught about the 'hot springs of New Zealand' and 'lumbering in Canada...
Read more