The ‘Sarpa
Kavu’ is a Sacred Serpent Grove set up in a small forested area having big
trees like Milk plant, Echites scholaris,
(Pala), one of the significant plants in such groves. The other important trees are Sacred Fig or Pipal tree (Arayal);
Banyan tree, Ficus bengalnsis, (Peral);
Persia tree or umbrella tree, (Poovarasu); Codecium variegatum, (Chera’ or ‘Cher); Mimusops elenji (Elanji); Strycknine tree (Kanjiram); Jamun Tree (Njaval); Natural Mango
tree Spondias piñata; Pongamia glabea, (Ponga), Caophyllium inophyllum; (Punna) Calophyllium calaba, (Cheru-Punna); ‘Aerides retusa’, (Anjili or Ayini); Premna spin (Arani); Choonda Palm, Palmyra Palm, Neem
tree, (Arya Vep); a lot of other
shrub trees, like East Indian Rose Bay, Tabernaemontana divericata (or
coronaria –Wild) (Nanthiyarvattom); Asoca,
Asoca Jonecia, (Asoka-chethi); Crysanthamum Ind., (Thechi) varieties, big climbers and medicinal herbs and a variety
of grasses. These forests are priceless treasures of great ecological,
biological, cultural and historical value; and these forests are never axed. Strict
religious and cultural taboos observed by believers had curbed the removal of
even dead twigs in many such groves. These sacred groves are the abode of
reptiles like the Rat-Snakes (Chera) and
water-snakes (Neerkoli); birds like
Kite, (Parunth), Common Kestrel (Eriyan), Spotted Owl (Nath) and Brown Owl (Pullu); and these reptiles and the
soaring birds of prey devour rodents, which are the prime
enemies of the farmer. Birds
also have tremendous economic and ecological value in maintaining balance of
nature by eating up the pests, insects and vermins that cause damage to plants
and crops. In the Sacred Groves they
have a free and fearless life, without any threats from hunters or other
interference by man. The trees and the vegetation tiers in the serpent grove
help produce life sustaining oxygen and prevent soil erosion, conserve water
and purify air.
The cult of snake worship is closely
interwoven with the life of the people and is a component of its rich cultural
heritage. Both within the sacred groves and outside snakes are still revered
and worshiped with much piety in India. The stillness within the deep shade of
the groves, the feeling of the wilderness provided by the forest-like
vegetation, the unique rituals and practices are interesting. In
these ethnic Sacred Groves they mount and venerate their multitudinous spirits
dwelling in stones and animals, in trees and streams. These serpents having
large hood as divinities like - Naga
Rajavu, Naga Yakshi, Akhila Sarpam, Mani Nagam, Naga Kanyaka, Kari Nagam, Kuzhi-Nagam, Para Nagam and Adhama Sarpam.
Apart from that, some of the Sacred
Groves would have a small temple in the adjacent property. In certain groves like Mattakkal, Thandasseril, Chakkanat, Mondoth
there is a ‘Natapura’, (a small hall
having a lot of ventilation situated in front of the temple for the convenience
of the devotees.) The deities include the different forms of ‘Sasthavu’ (a Paradevatha protecting the hill-border of Kerala) like -Anga ‘Sasthavu’, Anga Bairavan, Veera
Badran, Angni Bairavan, Vettakkoru Makan; the different forms of ‘Badrakali’, (a form of Durga or ‘Kali’’ with a formidable tooth, a protector from cholera and other
such diseases,) like - Kodumkali, Raktheswari, Rakthchamundi,
Agnimahakalan, Ayili Lekshmi; the different forms of Bhagavathy, (a ‘Durga’ or a
Paradevatha who protects the Malayalis from the threats of the
Arabian Sea) like - Vellam Bhagavathy;
another ancestor worship like - ‘Panchekeiswara Moorthikal’, (a Paradevatha who
protects them from famine, scarcity and poverty); the different forms of ‘Yakshi’, (it is a demi-God; a nightmare) like - Akhila Yakshi, Kannat Lekshmy; the ancestor worship like - Brahmarakshassu, (a Paradevatha; it is supposed to be their ancestors who merged with
Mahavisnu); Ganapathy (Siva’s son, a
remover of difficulties) and Hanuman (a monkey-chief having large
jaws, an epic character in Ramayanam.)
I have noticed that ‘Sasthavu’
(Ayyappan) is common in all the small temples. ‘Kalari Devatha’ is yet another deity worshiped in the Mattackal and
Thandasseril Sacred Groves.
Capitan Balakrishna Panicker, was a veteran in ‘Kalari-Payattu’ and ‘Hatha-yoga’ (the
word "Hatha" comes from "Ha" which means Sun, and
"Tha" which means Moon, and Yoga is the physical, mental, and spiritual practices
or disciplines that aim to purify or transform body and mind to obtain vital
energy,) who mastered it
from Mattakkal Kalari and he was the
Captain of the Nair forces of Kochi
Raja, His Highness Sakthan Thampiran; and hence he derived the name Kappithan
Panicker. He belonged to the famous
Thandasseril Panicker family. After his death, a small temple in his name was erected
and his tiny statue is being venerated. The Thandasseril family strongly
believes that the ancestor worship would keep their family powerfully together
despite the hostility of successive generations, and provided an invisible cord
of companionship. He is also idolized in some of the other temples like
Mattakkal where ‘Kalari Payattu’ a
martial art was taught in the olden times and also in Ayyanat. The Kannat
Lekshmy, a ‘Yakshi’, nightmare, is
placed near the Palmyra Palm in Mattackal. The ‘Kaimals’ religiously kindle oil lamps daily in the temples and
before all the deities in the Sacred Serpent Groves, which were maintained by the abandoned Nambuthiri Manas.
One of the ancestors of Pulluvalli Sivaramakrishna
Kaimal Master of Chala Veedu was a veteran magician. He was murdered by Muslims
at Nettoor. His tomb was placed in the “Arukola-Maithanam”
(the ground where the remains of the person who met with a horrible and violent
death was kept.) His family kindled lamps at the tomb. There used to be blood
sacrifice by cutting chicken, ‘Kuruthi-Kazhikkal’,
at the tomb to please his spirit. The Chala ‘Kaimals’ have shifted their tiny temple and the deities therein
and the serpents to this particular property.
During my childhood days, I have heard a lot of exaggerated
and fabricated ghost stories. Tales like
the apparition of blood thirsty ‘Yakshis’,
a nightmare, in the “Arukola-Maidanam”, a deserted land where
the magician’s body was buried, were
village tales that send jitters.
Even daring men would lose their courage. He would feel so dizzy with fear and he
may even faint due to the eerie thought of the ‘Yakshi’. These Yakshis are
often accompanied by the images of
the snakes, vampire bats, scorpions and other strange creatures. These are the
main ingredients that make up a scary dream.
On the 1st day of Chingam (August-September) in Malayalam calendar the present ‘Pujari’, priest, Reghupathy Rajan
Embramthri, of Chakkanat temple would bring kindled lamp from Siva Temple which
is kept alive for a year. The following are the dates of Puja and festival in
other tiny temples attached to the Sacred Serpent Groves - 1st day of every Malayalam calendar
there would be puja and ‘Kalasam’ (to
sacrifice for injuring enemies; to purify temples by pouring water) would be conducted
once in a year in Chala-Veedu; ‘Bharani’
day of Meenam (Malayalam calendar) (March-April) in Mondoth temple; 10th
day of Medam Malayalam calendar) (March-April)
in Tthandasseril temple; Last Friday of Meenam
(Malayalam Calender) (April) in the Mattakkal temple and a day chosen between
14th to 24th of Medam
(April) in Cheruvally temple.
Various offerings were made to the deities. In Thandasseril
and Cheruvally, the ‘Veichu-‘Nivedyam’,
prepared or cooked offering which comprised
of ‘Nurum’,
(Tturmeric powder), Nine tender coconuts, Milk, Rose water, Areca bunches, Areca-nut,
betel leaves, Calcium hydroxide, ‘Kadhali’
one of the varieties of banana fruits,) dry rice, jaggery, ghee, raisins
and Palmyra candy. The ‘Pujari’, a
priest normally a Brahmin (Madhu Manjuthai Embramthiri) prepares the rice and
desserts in jaggery namely ‘Sarkara-Payasam’ and another with milk and sugar
called ‘Pal-payasam’ and also a snack
made of a mix of rice flour and smashed ‘Palayamkodan’
banana fruit and jaggery fried in ghee namely Unniyappam. He also prepares a ‘Tri-Madhuram’,
a dessert with ‘Kadhali’ fruit, raisins
and palmyra sugar candy. All these prepared food would be given as offering to
the deities in the temple during the ritual. Turmeric is mixed in tender
coconut water and then the areca bunch was immersed in it and the priest would
do the propitiating or appeasing on the snake deities. Thereupon the men
assembled there would make an ‘Arthu-Vili’, a loud noise, like “Arppu…oi…” and in response the women folk
present there would make a ‘Kurava’, a shouting by women, like “Lu..Lu..Lu..Lu…, with their tongue out,
and covering their mouth with one hand,”
to solemnize or to sanctify the crowd. After the propitiating ceremony, the priest
would offer ‘Kaithiri’ and ‘Poothiri’ which are the small and big
lighted torches (five each) to the serpent deities. Thereafter, the devotees gathered
would lunch together the food prepared and would share the desserts.
The offerings made to the deities are the favourite
food of the rodents. They would gather to eat it and the snakes and the birds
of prey nestled in such serpent groves would devour them.
The ‘Pulluvan-Pattu’ is another ritual. The Pulluvans, Panas and
Kaniyans who
belong to the community of village minstrels; they sing in the village houses
and serpent groves as harbingers of a prosperous culture. Pulluvans sing
serpent songs with ardent faith in the superior varieties of serpents which are
believed to be protectors of the land as its guardian angles. The Pulluvan and
his wife, Pulluvati, visit village houses on auspicious days like the first of
every Malayalam month or the Aslesha (star) day in the month, which is the
birthday of the serpent. They sing a song called “Navarupattu” to cast off the evil eye on the children. While
singing, the Pulluvan plays on a small stringed instrument similar to violin
called 'Veenakkunju' (a small Veena)
and his wife, the Pulluvati, sings along
with him providing the rhythm by drumming the ‘Kutam’ (an instrument made by covering a pot with the skin of a
calf and fixing a string to it.) By pulling the string and plucking with a
piece of wood or stone a rhythm with tonal variations is created. They also
conduct the ceremony of 'Pampin-Tullal'
to propitiate the serpent gods and get their blessings. (The Pullavas are not
in a position to eke out a living in the present society and so they now go in
search of other jobs as well.) Under the exhilarating and exciting influence
of ‘Pulluvan-Pattu’, Parukutty, the
second wife of Narayanan Embramthiri used to climb holding on to the big trailing
plants of the Serpent Grove of the abandoned Uthradath Mana now occupied by
Kandoth family. Similarly, Pankajakshi, Parukutty, Narayani Amma and Devi were also
tree climbers of the Serpent Grove in Chennom Veedu.
The colourful and cultural pageantry during the
festival consists of the decoration of the Sacred Serpent Groves, temple
premises and the path of procession by putting ‘Thoranam’ a line of ornamentally cut tender leaves of coconut palm;
Nair women folk would take out a ‘Thalam’, an offering; sword wielding
oracles dressed in red and dipping blood accompanied by the caparisoned
elephants and the exhilarating ‘Panchavadyam’
– the music from the five varied instruments were the rapidly fading memories
of the past. Later, when the population of the Nair families increased, almost all these Serpent Groves were
destroyed except the one in Chennom Veedu and the deities were shifted to
Mahavishnu Temple at Chottanikkara or to a convenient area of the same compound
in some of the ‘Kaimal’ families.
This was done by Sreedharan Nambuthiri of Ameda Mana at Udaiamperur.
Recently, there is an earnest effort to revive and
popularize these rituals in a big way especially in Chakkanat, Chala, Mondoth,
Thandasseril, Kattazhath, Cheruvally, Mattackal and Chennom Vedu Nair families.
Pambummekkatu Mana near Mala. Mannarasala Mana in
Harippad and Kattumaom Mana in between Guruvayur temple and Kunnamkulam are
popular for their serpent groves and for their treatment for the victims of
snake bites.
Sacred Groves are a phenomenon noted all over India
and South East. Early man used to worship nature especially the trees and
forest around him. The gigantic trees are still worshipped in the Mediterranean
region. The Germans and Romans too maintained Sacred Groves. The groves lasted
as economic and religious importance but down through Christianization of the
Roman Empire. As centers of pagan worship and practices, they became the
objects of Christian ire. The Roman Emperor, Theodosius II (5th
century) issued an edict directing that the groves be cut down unless they had
already been appropriated for some purpose compatible with Christianity. The
pagan idol worship in sacred groves was substituted by grottos and chapels
subsequently to serve the same purpose. The grottos are artificially created
picturesque caves to commemorate the so-called apparition of Mother Mary. They also installed large ‘Bandarams’,
treasury, in such premises, to induce deposit cash donations of their devotees.
The Roman Catholic Church realized that it is a money minting business and
therefore ignored the most important commandment God bestowed to Moses (Bible passage—
Exodus 20:4-6 and Deuteronomy 5: 7-11. “Thou
shall not make unto thee graven images or likenesses.”) Grottoes and Chapels
mushroomed with idols of a number of saints installed on high pedestals and
were venerated inside. These idols like the deities in the serpent grove
appeased and soothed turbulent minds of their followers. The Christianity taught
Hindus the importance of erecting a few ‘Bandarams’, treasury, in the premises of serpent
groves, a money minting business.
I understand that an ancient knowledge that “the
idols would appease, pacify, soothe and/or alleviate turbulent minds of human
beings,” has been introduced in a religious form of nature worship so that
people would dutifully maintain the Sacred Groves, which are farmer friendly as
well.
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
An autobiography
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
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