Palakkad .. My mothers home town

 Childhood is a treasure chest of memories. Some are vivid and stay with us throughout our lives; some
fade with time. The simplicity of childhood is unparalleled. Happiness came in small doses and simple things - walking barefoot without a worry about the dust, running around the garden, climbing small trees, and playing hide and seek in the house. Power cuts, Rainy days was not a nuisance. It was an excuse to sit around and gaze at nothing with swirling thoughts.

 My mother is from the Palakkad district of Kerala. Throughout my childhood, I heard her narrate stories about her youth. The district comprises small towns that are close together. 

                     

Mother's stories involved the towns of Nellicherry and Vadakantarai. She was born in Nellicherry and would visit their grandparents every vacation. Their holiday ritual would be to have lunch at their grandmother's house at Nellicherry and visit their peri amma's house at Vadankarai. The names Sammi Anna and Ponnu Akka are featured in all of her stories. They were a tightly knit family with many cousins, mingling with insouciance and freedom. She would fondly recollect memories of visiting the Perumal and Devi temples in the evening hours. Those days, they traveled by bullock carts from one town to another. The cousins would get together during the vacation, visit the fields, and have a good time. Water would be drawn from the well, and bathing in the ponds was common.

My mother, at 80.. always smiling 

The streets would have neatly lined houses, and the open curiosity of the neighbors was accepted gleefully. Any visitors that any neighbor had were a joyous moment to be celebrated. When the horse hoofs hit the road, the neighbors would peep out to know the happenings next door - a far cry from today, where most of us don't care much about what is happening in our neighborhood, feigning disdain and indifference. I have been listening to these stories for 50 years, and they greatly amuse me, especially how misty-eyed she would recollect her days at Palakkad. As I grew older, this amusement became a genuine curiosity about visiting these places. That was the inception of the trip to Palakkad via Coimbatore. We had to leave Coimbatore early, as most of the temple hours were from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.   

Temple pond within temple premise

 As we neared Palakkad from Coimbatore, I was pleasantly surprised to notice it was a throbbing city filled with branded shops, fancy car showrooms, wide roads, and cleaner than most Indian cities. It was not the village my mother had described. Kerala's temples are known for their rich cultural heritage, simplicity, and architectural beauty. Many of them have ponds attached to their premises. The temple's serene atmosphere and quiet ambiance make it a peaceful retreat for devotees. Visitors can experience traditional customs, festivals, and rituals associated with every temple. Utsamvams are held in most temples during February and March, and people throng from cities to participate.

We visited the Bhagwathy temple at Vadakantarai. The Shiva and Ayappan temples are within walking distance. The Perumal temple is on the same premises as the Bhagwathy temple. The payasam prasadam and the deeply fried appam were delicious.

Vadakantera temples 

Within a drive distance of less than a km, we reached the town of Nellicherry. As my mother mentioned in her stories, the roads were neatly lined on either side, and the houses were old-fashioned, low-structured. Each house had rangoli, and one of the most beautiful Perumal temples was right in the middle of the street. Standing and gazing around the area, I flashbacked into my mother's youth and imagined her in these streets with her cousins. 

     

                     

Don't all of us carry such memories that keep us going? Moving forward, I plan to share some of my cherished childhood stories with my children, ....