Eranakulam Shiva Utsavam

Kerala... I had promised my mother a trip to Guruvayoor for some years. I resolved to make it a reality this time around but I learned such trips materialize with God's grace indeed.  Once done, we had to return via Cochin for further travel in Karnataka (that will be subject for later blogs). 

Sudha a dear school friend of mine is an old-time resident of Kochi and an ardent devotee of Kerala and all that it has to offer. During our exciting discussions, she suggested spending at least a day with her. She promised to make it worth our while. She briefly mentioned that the dates of our travel coincided with a festival happening around that time which would be worth experiencing. With our curiosity aroused, we decided to make a small detour in our plans to accommodate Kochi.

Ernakulam Shiva Temple, also known as Ernakulathappan ( Lord of  Ernakulam) is located in the heart of Ernakulam town and dedicated to Lord Shiva. The presiding deity is believed to be the protector of the city, by the local people. The temple is located within the Durbar Hall Ground and is one of the 7 royal temples of the Kochi Maharajas. The temple is mentioned in Sangam literature and is ancient by any standards. 

The Uthsavam (temple festival) of Shiva temple is a grand annual celebration in the city lasting for a week. It starts with Kodiyettan which is hoisting of the temple flag. The entrance of the ground is decorated in a kaleidoscope of bright coloured lights. The Fairgrounds are filled with rows of shops for general items, sweets, and savories. I had a tough time avoiding the Chilli pakora stall as it looked very tempting. Navigating with my mother through the crowd was tricky and Sudha was kind to hold her hand and guide her around the fair. Crowds thronged the place and there was an air of gaiety and good cheer. Variety of cultural programs happen simultaneously inside the temple grounds including classical dances, music concerts, and of course, Bollywood music and a quiz show for kids. It seems that the entire town turns out to witness and participate in the happy event.

During the week-long festivity, Sheeveli is arranged inside the temple. Sheeveli is a daily ritual performed in most Kerala temples twice a day. It is a colorful procession of elephants around the temple to the accompaniments of Chenda Melam.  There were seven elephants in the Sheeveli for this festival. All the elephants were decorated in regal splendor with gold-plated ornaments around their head (nettipattam), bells and necklaces. The main elephant carries the small decorated idol (utshava moorthy) which is the replica of the presiding deity (Moolavar) with temple priest behind it.  Mahouts sitting on top of the elephants hold colorful parasols called Muthukuda. Each elephant has three people seated on the back waving a Venchamaram (white Yak tail whisks) and Alavattom (a large fan made from peacock feathers) to the sounds of rhythmic drums.  

The Sheeveli procession at night invokes a surreal and out of the world feeling. Dark shadows cast from oil lamps lit around the outer walls of the temple, the sound of the beating drums, with devout people surrounding the priests and stately gait of the elephants creates a spiritual atmosphere that is difficult to comprehend but quite exhilarating to experience. There is a spirit of ecstasy, faith, devotion and utter belief that belies the materialistic world. 

I could not help noticing the discipline of the seven elephants as they stood patiently listening to the drum beats of the Panchavadyam and they seemed not to be bothered either by the noise or the crowd.

My mother was deliriously happy at having witnessed this event and felt spiritually uplifted. I felt special as I was part of something special that happened which transported me to another world. 

Thank you, Sudha for a unique experience.