8 months ago
4
Every year, a fewer days earlier the Navaratri celebrations, Kanniyakumari district, erstwhile portion of the erstwhile Travancore, witnesses a spectacular event, whose past dates backmost to much than 200 years. It continues to punctual the section radical of the beardown taste bonds betwixt Tamil Nadu and Kerala beyond governmental boundaries. Three deities — Goddess Saraswathi from the Thevarakattu (place of worship) of the Padmanabhapuram Palace, Lord Kumaraswamy of Kumarakoil, and Munnurrunankai Amman from Suchindram where the Thanumalayan Swamy Temple is situated — are carried to Thiruvananthapuram to instrumentality portion successful the Navaratri celebrations and euphony festival. Performing astatine the festival is considered a prestige by Carnatic musicians from Tamil Nadu successful the past and the present.
Started by Dharmaraja
“The contented was started by Dharmaraja, the successor of Marthanda Varma, the modern designer of Travancore, aft helium initiated the process of shifting the superior from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram in the 1770s, which was completed successful 1795,” said A.K. Perumal, writer of Thenkumariyin Kathai (The History of Kanniyakumari in the South).
The deities are inactive carried by men connected their shoulders each the mode to Thiruvananthapuram from Suchindram, wherever the travel of Munnurrunankai Amman begins with authorities honours and a constabulary salute, earlier reaching Padmanabhapuram. Kumaraswamy from Kumarakoil, not acold from the Padmanabhapuram Palace, meets Her connected the way, and unneurotic they scope the palace for an overnight rendezvous. From the palace, each the 3 proceed to Thiruvananthapuram over 3 days.
“The procession is led by the ‘udavaal’ (ceremonial sword) of Marthanda Varma, which is kept successful the archives of the Padmanabhapuram Palace. It is the sword the king placed earlier the Padmanabhaswamy temple successful Thiruvananthapuram, pledging to regularisation the state connected behalf of the deity,” said Mr. Perumal.
Handing implicit the sword
Every year, a Minister from Kerala successful complaint of the Devaswom Board visits Padmanabhapuram and hands implicit the sword to a Tamil Nadu Minister oregon a elder authoritative of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board. They, successful turn, manus it implicit to the idiosyncratic who volition transportation it to Thiruvananthapuram. Munnurrunankai Amman and Lord Kumaraswamy are carried connected palanquins, portion the idol of Goddess Saraswathi is carried connected a decorated elephant.
“The Saraswathi idol was worshipped by Tamil writer Kambar, the writer of Kambaramayanam. According to Travancore tradition, the idol was fixed to the ancestors of the Travancore kings,” said historiographer M.G. Sasibooshan, who besides served arsenic the honorary manager of the Swathi Thirunal Museum. Mr. Perumal agreed with the section contented that Kambar, aft falling retired with the Chola king, went to the Chera country and lived nether the patronage of Chera kings.
After a enactment astatine Kulithurai, connected the borderline of Tamil Nadu, the deities scope Neyyattinkara and proceed to Thiruvananthapuram. According to a study successful The Hindu this year, the idols of Goddess Saraswathi (mounted connected a caparisoned elephant), Lord Kumaraswamy (atop a metallic horse), Munnurrunankai Amman (in a decorated palanquin), and the ceremonial sword (carried astatine the beforehand of the procession) were welcomed astatine a reception held astatine Killipalam by the State authorities with the enactment of the Union Ministry of Tourism. As galore arsenic 30 members of the Women’s Police Battalion gave a defender of honour to the procession.
Later, members of the Travancore royal household received the idols astatine the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The idol of Goddess Saraswathi and the ‘udavaal’ are installed astatine the Navaratri Mandapam, wherever the euphony festival takes place. The idol of Lord Kumaraswamy and the 1,000-kg metallic equine are installed astatine the Aryasala Devi Temple, portion the idol of Munnurrunankai Amman and the palanquin are placed astatine the Chenthitta Devi Temple until October 4.
Codified done songs
Writing successful The Hindu, vocalist Prince Rama Varma said Swathi Thirunal, the king and composer of Travancore, codified the Navaratri celebrations by composing 9 exquisite songs to beryllium sung astatine the 9 evenings.
Mr. Sasibooshan said the Navaratri festival had taken spot astatine Mavelikara in 1755, 1788, 1789, 1791, and 1804, and erstwhile astatine Haripad. “It was during the penetration of Tipu Sultan that King Dharmaraja was camping successful the bluish portion of Kerala. This necessitated the shifting of the venue, and the deities were carried each the mode from Kanniyakumari to Mavelikara,” helium said.
A interruption successful the festival successful Thiruvananthapuram occurred erstwhile Swathi Thirunal temporarily shifted the celebrations to Padmanabhapuram. “Practical compulsions forced him to revert the events to Thiruvananthapuram, and helium made an apology to the deity for his inability to organise it astatine Padmanabhapuram. The past clip the festival was held astatine Padmanabhapuram was successful 1838,” Mr. Sasibhooshan said. The value of the Padmanabhapuram Palace declined rapidly erstwhile it ceased to beryllium the imperishable venue of the Navaratri festival.
Request to Kamaraj
Mr. Perumal said that adjacent aft Kanniyakumari was added the State of Madras, the contented continued aft King Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma made a petition to Madras Chief Minister K. Kamaraj. “Even today, temples successful Kanniyakumari district travel the tantric worship, and pujas are performed by either Namboothiris or Tulu Brahmins known arsenic Potris,” helium said.
