Kalamezhuthu

Kalamezhuthu, also known as Dhulee Chitram is one of the traditional temple ritual arts, represents the vibrant blend of Aryan, Dravida, and tribal traditions of Kerala. The word Kalamezhuthu itself has a combination of two Malayalam words; 'Kalam' and 'Ezhuthu' means ‘The act of drawing Kalam’. Kalamezhuthu is considered as an integral part of various traditional rituals of Kerala such as Ayyappantheeyattu, Bhadrakaalitheeyattu, Sarppamthullal, Mudiyettu, Kalampattu etc; and it is mostly observed in Bhgavathy/Bhadrakali temples of Kerala. The deities usually depicted in the Kalams are Goddesses Bhadrakali/Durga, Lord Ayyappa, and Nagas (Serpents).

Kalams are generally the combinations of two-dimensional and three dimensional designs developed from the centre, growing outwards, patch by patch. The colours are spread in the floor, letting it in a thin stream between the thumb and the index finger. The influence of the Tantric must be a later addition. The figures drawn come alive when the eyes of the central figures are opened, again at a particular time marked by ritual. Kalamezhuthu artists are generally from the communities of Kurups, Theyyampadi Nambiars, Theeyadi Nambiars and Theeyadi Unnis of Kerala. The Kalams drawn by these people vary in certain characteristics.

The colour pigments of Kalams are generally collected from the organic products and minerals such as, Rice (white) Turmeric (yellow), Charcoal from paddy husk (black), blend of Turmeric powder and Lime (red) and powdered leaves (green). Although several leaves are found suitable, the most commonly used are those of Albizzia lebbek. These hues are further mixed to obtain more combinations.

Kalamezhuthu ritual has three stages in its implementation, drawing the Kalam, worshiping using lights called Thiriuzhichil in local parlance, and erasing the Kalam known as Kalam mayikkal. During the ritualistic process the people may feel as if the central figure has come alive in the middle of the night with flaming lights around him which gives a magical illumination and realism. The entire ritual of Kalamezhuthu is accompanied by rhythm of various traditional musical instruments of Kerala such as Chenda, Ilathalam, Kuzhal, Komb, Veekkanchenda etc.

Kalam represents the three needs of human life, production, protection and destruction. So it is believed that Kalamezhuthu ritual has the higher superstitious effects that can protect people from the fear of devil, enemies, temptations etc. Naga kalam dedicated to serpents is exclusive in Kerala; they are propitiated even today for fertility and abundance. The powder of herbs that are used to draw the kalam could heal many diseases.

Kalamezhuthu is not only a cultural art form of Kerala; it is a unique representation of the holistic heritage of the state which is deeply rooted in the people’s mind from the past many decades. 

Photo Credit

Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University

Thirur, Malappuram, Kerala

Ottamthullal

Ottamthullal also known as Ottan- thullal is a classical performing art of Kerala, originated in 18th Century from the classical principles of Bharatha Muni’s 'Natya Shastra'. The historical evidences says that, Kunjan Nambiar, a great poet of Malayalam literature established Ottamthullal as a medium to protest against the prevalent Socio- cultural structure and prejudices of the Kerala society in his time.

Kunjan Nambiar

One of the most authentic stories regarding the origin of Ottamthullal says that, Kunjan Nambiar fell asleep while playing the Mizhavu (A Musical Instruments) for a Chakyar- Koothu performance caused ridicule from the Chakyar. In response, Kunjan Nambiar developed Ottamthullal provoked Chakyar and he complained against Kunjan Nambiar to the King of Chembakassery. The King banned Ottamthullal from the Ambalappuzha temple complex where Ottamthullal used to perform .But the action of Chembakassery king leads to controversial talks in the society. Later, as the result of common people’s need, Mathur Panikkar popularized Ottamthullal all over the Kerala.

The themes of Ottamthullal performance is adopted from the various stories of Hindu Epics, Purana(s) and Mythology(s). During the earlier stages, Ottamthullal had performed by a single person with colourful costumes. Later, this performing art staged as a group dance involving many actors playing their character in the story. In Ottamthullal, the performer establishes powerful communication with spectators through verbal acting which is interspersed with humor and social references. Ottamthullal is still in practice during festivals and similar celebrations, because of its simplicity and ability to influence the ordinary people of Kerala.

Bibliography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottamthullal

Photos

Google Images

  

Sree Padmanabhaswami Temple

Sree Anandha Padmanabha Swami Temple popularly known as Sree Padmanabhaswami Kshetram is one of the 108 sacred Vaishnava Temples or Divya Desams in India, situating in Kizhakkekotta (East fort), Trivandrum- the capital city of Kerala, India. The city name 'Thiruvananthapuram’ itself has originated from three words ‘Thiru’, ‘Anandhan’, and ‘Puram’ literally means ‘The land of Sree Anantha Padmanabha Swamy (or) the land of Lord Vishnu. 

The History of the Temple

The history of Sree padmanabhaswamy temple dates back to 8th Century. One of the twelve Alvars, (8^th Century) had created four Slokas and one Phalasruthi about the temple. The temple had referred in the Hindu epics and Puranas such as, Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, Varaha Purana, and Vaayu Purana. It is believed that Sree -Padmanabhaswamy Temple and its properties were maintained by Ettuveettil Pillamaar – the eight powerful Nair feudal lords of ancient Travancore. Later Sree Marthanda Varma Anizham Thirunal suppressed the Ettuveetil Pillai(s) and took over the control and constructed the current structure of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

In 3rd January 1750, Maharajah Marthanda Varma dedicated the kingdom of Travancore to Lord Padmanabha/ Vishnu and he vowed that the royal family will rule the state on behalf of Lord and he and his descendants would 'serve' the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa (or) the Servant of Lord Vishnu. Since then the name of every Travancore King was preceded by the title Padmanabha- Dasa, while the female were called Padmanabha Sevinis. The donation of the kingdom of Travancore to Padmanabha- Swamy was known as “Thrippadidhaanam”. After dedicating the kingdom to the Lord, Marthanda Varma was known as Sri Padmanabha Vanchipala Marthandavarma Kulasekaraperumal.

After the death of Marthanda Varma in 1758, all the succeeded kings of Travancore took great care in continuing the daily Poojas (Daily sacrifices) and ceremonies of Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple intact and also rule the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa. The successors of Marthanda Varma were Dharma Raja, Balarama Varma, Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, Gowri Parvati Bayi, Swathi Thirunal, Uthram Thirunal, Ayilyam Thirunal, Visakham Thirunal, Moolam Thirunal, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, Chithira Thirunal and Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma also keeps the words of Marthanda Varma and is very loyal to Sree Padmanabhaswamy and maintains the temple rituals and ceremonies intact.

The Art and Architecture of the temple

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is renowned for its Architecture and great arts including, sculptures, metal works, mural paintings, wood carvings etc. The Architecture of this temple is the magnificent blend of Kerala and Dravidian style architecture. In other words it is the majestic example of south Indian Architecture with seven storied tower known as Gopura(m).

Gopura(m):- The seven storied Gopuram of Sree Padmanabhaswami Temple has built in the eastern entrance about 35 meters height. The top of the Gopuram provided with seven golden domes representing seven worlds and the ten incarnation forms of Lord Vishnu had portrayed in the first storey of the Gopuram. The other three entrances are double storied Padippuras in typical Kerala style. Entry to the upper levels of the Gopuram is restricted.

Entrances:- The temple has nine entrances indicating the nine orifices of human  body.

Ottakkal Mandapam:- The Ottakkal Mandapam ( Single stone Platform) of the temple built with a single slab of granite which is two and half thick and twenty feet square. The divine sacraments (Abhishekam) to the Lord Vishnu are performed in this Mandapam. The granite pillars of this Mandapam are covered with gold.

Abhisravana Mandapam:- This structure is situating in front of the Ottakkal Mandapam representing the  sanctum sanctorum. This Mandapam is allocated for special Pooja(s), meditation and prayers of the Devotees.

Kulasekhara Mandapam:- Kulasekhara Madapam of the temple is the fine example of marvellous stone works also known as Aayiramkaal Mandapam/ Sapthaswaramandapam. The pillars which are in the four corners of this Mandapam can produce musical noted when tapped. The pillars are carved with adorable figures in half and full relief.

Dwaja Stambham:- An eight feet high teak pole near the eastern corridor was installed by Anizham Thirunal. The teak pole completely covered with golden foils and the apex of the flag pole representing the kneeling posture of figure of Garuda.

Sreebalippura:- Sreebalippura of this temple is a rectangular corridor built of stone. The historical evidences says that four thousand artisans, six thousand laborers, and hundred elephants worked for a period of six months to finish the construction of this corridor structure. The Sreebalippura is supported by carved marvelous pillars.

Padmatheertham:- It is the large water source located in the east side of the temple. It is one of the oldest water bodies in Trivandrum.

Importance of the Idol 

The idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy(Lord Vishnu) is made up of 12008 Saalagramams that compose the reclining lord. They are special because they are from Nepal, from the banks of river Gandhaki and they were brought to the temple with all pomp and gaiety on elephant top. On top of them Katusarkara Yogam, Navaratnams, a special Ayurvedic mix, was used to give a plaster.

The Festivals of temple

Chathurdhi, Thiruvonam, Ashtami Rohini, Navaraathri Pooja, Valiya Ganapathi Homam, Alpasi Ilsavam, Mandalachirappu, Swargavathil Ekadasi, Bhadradeepam, Kalabham, Painkuni Ulsavam, Shivaraathri, Sreerama Navami, Vishu, Karkkidaka Sreebali, Sree Veda Vyasa Jayanthi, Niraputhar, Murajapam, Laksha deepam, Vinayakachathurdhi etc... are the various festivals of the temple.

The Hidden Wealth of the Temple

In 2011, the Supreme Court of India directed the authorities from the fire services and Archaeology Department to open the sanctum sanctorum (secret chambers) of the temple for inspection of its wealth kept inside. According to this order the inspections regarding the temple’s wealth began after the Supreme Court set aside a Kerala High Court order that the state government take over the temple, but asked for the inventory of its assets.

On 2 July 2011, approximately Rupees 500 billion (US$11.15 billion) worth of gold, jewels, and other treasures were unearthed in the vaults of the temple. As per the evaluation of the value of treasures found from the underground cellars of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple there is around 1,00,000 crore rupees (1 Lakh Crore Rupees)There are 6 cellars in the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple that were marked from A to B. Among them the cellars A and B are not opened for past 150 years. Other cellars were containing precious items for festivals, daily Poojas etc.

The detailed list of treasures found in the temple includes, One Lakh Gold coins, Gems, precious diamonds like Indraneelam, Belgium Diamonds, Emeralds, Rubies, 1200 Sarappoli, Gold chains, Gold crowns like Kulasekhara-Perumal crown which was used by king of Travancore, Kashumaala(Necklaces), 400 Golden Necklaces with Marathakam stone, more than 2000 gold ornaments, Swarna Thalika(Gold plates), Gold chains up to 3 and 10.5 kg and of about 18 ft, golden Idol of Lord Vishnu, Gold Dhanus, Gold Pathakkams, 4 feet golden statue of Lord Vishnu, Golden utensils, Thankakkuda(Golden umbrellas), Golden pots, Gold Vaarppu (Bigger utensil), Gold and Silver Nilavilakku(Lamps),Gold Dharakidaram Kudumudi Narayam, Gold Shiva Idols, Gold rings, Gold Thaali etc.

This revelation has solidified the status of the Padmanabhaswamy temple as one of the wealthiest temples in India.

Bibliography

http://www.sreepadmanabhaswamytemple.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padmanabhaswamy_Temple

Photo Credit
The Author

Pulikali

Pulikali also known as Kaduvakali is the popular recreational folk art of Trissure- the cultural capital of Kerala. The word Pulikalikali/ Kaduvakali(The play of Tigers) is derived from two Malayalam words such as ‘Puli’/ ‘Kaduva’(Leopard/Tiger) and ‘kali’ ( Dance).

The origin of Pulikali dates back to over 200 years, when the Maharaja Rama Varma Sakthan Thampuran(Maharaja of Cochin), is said to have introduced the folk art, who wanted to celebrate Onam with a dance that reflected the wild and macho spirit of the force. Later, Muslim soldiers of the British Army stationed in Thrissur in the army cantonment area (Pattalam Road) used to celebrate with great fervor; and popularized the folk genre with active steps and body language peculiar to a tiger being stalked by a hunter, enacting a play of the hunter and the beast. Along with the celebrations, they used to perform the art form decked as tigers with peculiar steps resembling the tiger, then known as 'Pulikkettikali'.

Pulikali is generally performed by trained artists to entertain people on the occasion of Onam(Forth day of the Onam celebration that is Naalaam Onam). A particular combination of tempera powder and varnish or enamel is used to make the paints in different colours such as yellow, red, white, black etc,. First of all, the dancers remove the hair from the body, and then, the base coat of paint is applied on them. It takes two to three hours for the coating to dry. After that, the second coat of paint is applied with enhanced design. Earlier period performers used to paint their body like tigers and hunters in and dance according to the beats of the traditional musical instruments known as Udukku and Thakil, but nowadays ready-made masks, cosmetic teeth, tongues, beards and mustaches are used by the participants along with the paint on their bodies. This entire procedure takes at least five to seven hours.
A large number of artists gather to apply paint on the tigers. It is a meticulous process and often starts from the wee hours in the morning. By afternoon the Pulikali groups 'Sangham'(s) in local parlance, from all four corners of Thrissur move in a procession, dancing, pouncing and shaking their bellies to the beat of the drums through the streets. Thousands of spectators line the streets enjoying the dance, cheering the dancers some of them even trying to join in.

Bibliography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puli_Kali

Photos

Google Images

Aranmulakannadi- The Unique Metal Mirror of Aranmula, Kerala

Aranmula- Mirror popularly known as Aranmulakkannadi is the unique metal-alloy craft work of Aranmula, a village in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India. Literally the word Aranmulakkannadi is the combination of two Malayalam words ‘Aranmula’ (Place) and ‘Kannadi’ (Mirror). Aranmulakkannadi is the front surface reflection mirror, which eliminates secondary reflections and aberrations typical of back surface mirrors unlike the ordinary glass mirrors.  

Ashtamagalayam Set

It is believed that Aranmulakkannadi bringing prosperity, luck and wealth to home; so it is considered among the eight auspicious items included in the Ashtamagalayam set, which commonly used for the auspicious function like marriage and other festive events like Onam, Vishu etc.

The manufacturing process of Aranmulakkannadi has been started in the early 17^th century; and the origin of the mirror has linked with the Aranmula Parthasaradhi Temple of Lord Krishna. One lively story regarding the origin of the Aranmula metal mirror is that the Raja of Aranmula had threatened to evict few bronze craftsmen who are said to have migrated from Tamilnadu to make artifacts for the Parthasaradhi Temple. In an interesting twist, it was a widow, Parvati Ammal, who came to their rescue as she dreamed that Lord Parthasaradhi (or) Krishna had revealed the secret of making an unusual reflecting metal. Not only was the Raja placated by a crown made of this material, but he also exhorted the artisans to make, from this alloy dreamt up by the widow, the Vaalkannadi (or) mirror for the auspicious Ashtamangalyam. A large old metal mirror is also installed in a subsidiary shrine in a Bhagavati temple complex in Eranakulam; where it is worshiped as a form of the goddess.

Vaalkannadi

Aranmulakkannadi is famous for its secretive construction method and uniqueness in the make which get patent protected with a Geographical Indication Tag. The exact metals used in the alloy are unknown to people and is maintained as the heriditorial secret of the Viswakarma community of the Aranmula village. However metallurgists believe that the alloy of this mirror would be the mixture of molten tin and copper in a particular ratio. 

Photos

Google Images