To start with, here is something that is always fresh in BRN's mind. Please read it and send your feedbacks to us.

Lord of Ameyagram

Ameyagram is a little hamlet spread on both the banks of river Manimala in Kottayam district. It's situated 18 feet above sea level and the local mean time is -24 minutes. The longitude and lattitude respectively are 76 degrees east and 9 degrees north. Population in this area is still not precisely calculated because of many reasons. It's said that the length of Anaconda and the population of Ameyagram at a given time cannot be determined accurately. (Ameyagram's Law of Population.) There are many ways by which you can reach Ameyagram. Rail, flight, boat, walking, running, jumping, swimming… choice is yours. In a sense, you can say, all roads lead to Ameyagram.

Elders of this village still feel that Bhumadhya rekha passes through Ameyagram. There are many other beliefs too… It's believed that it was in this remote village that the Pandavas lived before they proceeded to Virat's kingdom to be in cognito. During this period, inhabitants of this village were so united that the Kauravas could not get any information about the former. Seeing this unflinching unity for a cause, sage Agastya foresaw that this would lead to superhuman powers in Ameyagram. He asked river Sarayu to divide Ameyagram vertically. But she put up two conditions: one was that immediately after she does that, the sage would give her his unique chain mani maala . Second one was that once the Sage crosses the river, she would vanish from the scene, and he agreed the conditions. As soon as she divided Ameyagram, Agastya kept his first promise. The place at which he handed over the gift to her is later known as Manimala. However, cunning as he was, Agastya later disappeared and never returned. Every Ameyagramite is looking for his return, so that they can regain the old glory, as is the river Manimala. Before the river was polluted by the foreigners, people from many parts of the world used to come to take salagrama shilas from this river to sculpt idols.

Not only this. While Sita was being taken away by Ravan to Lanka, she dropped some ornaments on her way. Ameyagram was lucky to get one of those ornaments. They preserved it and handed over to Sri Ram when he came there on his search for Sita. It helped Him immensely to understand the route Ravan had taken. Sri Ram was so impressed with Ameyagram that while returning from Lanka, he dropped some flowers from his pushpaka viman. It's believed that those are today's golden cassia or kanikkonna flowers; so auspicious that we keep it for Vishukkani.

Coming back from mythology to reality, the most popular (judicial) entity in Ameyagram is Sri Dharmashastha, the presiding deity of the Shasthamkav temple which is managed by Travancore Devaswom Board. If you happen to be in Ameyagram, no matter where you stay, at 5 am you will be awakened by the good old voice of Jayachandran from this temple:

Ayyappa pahi ayyappa pahimam Shabari mamala Shasthave pahimam…

My bachpan ki yaden are invariably woven with the memories of this temple…

- the ever smiling deity – He is so pleasant it's very difficult to take your eyes away from Him, you always get a feeling that he is going to talk to you the very next moment – especially when the shanti (priest) has given a veneer of sandal paste or kalabha.

- the ever chanting old shanti who used to roam around the temple premises in a thorth mundu or ottamundu. However, his kaupeenam (Indian tie aka langoti ) was visible from behind the back irrespective of his costume, whether it was thorthmundu or ottamundu. We used to call him thirumeni.

- the ever accommodating althara (pipal tree and the step built around it) where we used to sit and chat about everything (of course, parliamentary) under the Sun.

- the ever frightening labyrinth that lead to the temple (there was no dearth of ingredients that frighten – raw road with rough and sharp pebbles, the slippery slopes, the darkness, the intermittent silence and deafening barking of dogs, road-crossing serpents, thorns of kattakara and touch-me-not (thottavati) , and of course the fairy tales that were in currency.)

During the mandala vrata period, everyday at 5:30 pm records of devotional songs are played from the temple. It's a signal for us that we reach the temple for deeparadhana. We, the junior band, get together near the bath-ghat where the snake-boat is kept. Once every member is around, we cross the river to reach the temple. Invariably, during the mandala period, the water level is low and we cross it easily, occasionally raising our mundu or knicker, as the case may be, depending upon the water level. By the time we reach the althara, the sandhya namam will be reverberating in our ears:

Raghava manohara mukunda rama pahimam
Ravananthaka mukunda rama rama pahimam

It's thirumeni in action. Others present there join in chorus,

  Rama rama rama rama rama rama pahimam
Rama padam cherane mukunda rama pahimam

We are inside the temple (after removing the button of the shirt and hanging it on the left shoulder) by the time he chants –

Bharatil prasidhananya kaushikante vakku kettu
thatakaye nigrahicha rama rama pahimam

In his customary way, the inimitable thirumeni leads the chorus. Mind you, he was a kathakali maestro and it added value to his accent, tune and style. The thirumeni alone is equivalent to the thirumeni; no one before or after him can claim the clarity and the impact in ascending and descending notes left by him. May be the reason why I have not forgotten these lyrics, its tune and above all the resonating thirumeni.

In fact, this thirumeni is the first multitasking person in my memory. He will be humming the sandhya namam and simultaneously doing the routine tasks in the temple i.e. preparation for the arati (deeparadhana). He is never stationary – getting in and out of srikovil (sanctum sanctorum), fetching water, etc. But still the microphone will grab his voice wherever he is positioned. There was a shuruti (colloquial term for rumour) that “ thirumeni does not need a mike, if he speaks slowly, it could be heard within 10 square miles!

Pedaman mizhiyeyangu kattukontu poyavastha
Pakshiyotu kettarinja rama rama pahimam

By the time this stanza is over, he enters the srikovil and closes the door. Mandanmackal Shankaran Nair will take the lead in reciting the remaining part of the sandhya namam . The next 10 minutes he will be in close proximity with the Him and is totally cut off the world. We are all waiting on both the sides of the srikovil in two lines with sharana mantras. In the end, we hear the bells ringing and the door is opened. As soon as the door is open, all but Thankappan, will be praying or echoing “sharanam Ayappa” with folded hands. Thankappan will be at his best on the conch. We, the juniors, by this time must have positioned beneath the bells and the lucky ones would be ringing the bells with all their might to ward off the negatives or evils. Then, the aroma of sandal and karpuram, sounds of temple bells and kadina vedi, the rotation of lights and cry of sharanams… it's a wonderful experience.

Narayanan Nair alias Thankappan is another character, for without him on the conch, arti had never been complete. He could blow it for a minute or more at a stretch. (No one will dare touch the conch; because we, the commoners, have a feeling “shankhootam pakshe sasam nikkoolla” meaning we can blow the conch but cannot retain the breath.) It was his monopoly. Even after almost three decades, his images are fresh in my memory; innocent and smiling but equally commanding.

Once the deeparadhana is over and the prasadam is distributed, we have two options – either to attend the bhajan or go back home. On weekdays we go back because we are supposed to study from 8 pm to 10 pm. While going back, we will make sure that every dog, whether freely roaming on the street or closed in its enclosure, are disturbed. Another routine task we used to do while returning was to make big splashes by throwing stones in the water very near to those who are crossing the river. We will be standing atop the Pandavappara (giant stock named after the Pandavas) and the victims usually are ladies and girls. Yet another pastime was making big waves in the river by walking fast through it so that those returning from the temple and crossing the river ahead of us are all wet. Sometimes, the ladies and girls take the boat service to defeat our gameplans.

We invariably attend the bhajan on weekends. Here we get a chance to echo the kirtans sung by competing people like the then revolutionary postman, Ravichan, Kuttan Bhagavathar, Sreedharan Bhagavathar, etc. Occationally we, the juniors, get a chance to touch the musical instruments like harmonium, decca, etc. Once in a while we sit in close proximity to microphone and, alas, our voice is heard across Ameyagram. We get a chance to taste Pallan Pappu's kattan kappi (black coffee) too. A truly service oriented, Pappu often serves chukku kappi. You need to experience it to feel it! Pappu is a differently abled person. By birth he does not talk. He is hearing impaired too. His lips are too small to cover the teeth and as a result his teeth are always outside. Therefore, he is called by the nickname “Pallan Pappu”, no hurts intended. You call him “Pallan Pappu”. He will understand it by seeing the movements of your tongue and lips but will never fight you; he only knows to smile…

While coming back after the bhajan , it was mandatory for us to provoke every dog on the street. This time we will be accompanied by the major group too. One of their hobbies was to bottoms up the fish-net put up by the fisher folk. In the morning when they come to pull the net, the net will be playing in the sky and the pole will be enjoying in the water! My elder brother was the convenor of the major group. They were a group of mavericks. They used to take money from their parents as if it were to be put in the donation box. They always believed that they have the first right on the kanikka (donation to be dropped in the box). Their justification was, “Almighty god does not need the coins from poor people; but we need it for funding a lot of activities.”

Then, there was the temple festival - kavadiyattam , cultural programs, palli vetta , nayattu vili , arattu …

The penultimate day of festival, the Lord of Ameyagram's Siveli Vigraham is symbolically taken out for a tour around his territory. This victorious procession, palli vetta, is elaborately conducted and a huge crowd of devotees follow the procession. Caparisoned elephant and the theevetti add colours to the function. When the Lord returns to the temple, at althara , it's time for the nayattu vili. Paeans of praise are sung wherein the story of Lord Ayyappa is narrated, Rights to perform  nayattu vili is entrusted to the family of Mandanmackal.  In accordance with this privilege, the incumbent Shankaran Nair takes the position near althara. The centre of attention now is Shreeman Nair. Over to him:

Munnakum thiruvayassil mudi muripp. Anchakum thiruvayassil ezhuthinirup.

The Lord, hearing all these tributes sung during nayattu vili, relaxes in a contented mood at the althara paving way to pallikkurupu. The final day of festival is the arattu when the lord is given avagaha snanam. Arattu signifies the end of the temple festival for that year.

After almost three decades, I visited the favourite deity of Ameyagram recently. This time I had enough time to spend at althara and the ground adjacent to it. I met many of my past friends and elders there.

Yeah, there are changes to mortals – like the thirumeni, his sons, and the like - physically, mentally or both. However, the lesser mortals have fewer changes. The althara is still as it was. The village has lost all the hopes of Agastya's return. They are coming to terms with reality…Manimala has got a bridge over it. The labyrinths have got a tarring or concreting. It has got more residents on its sides. The temple premises have been enclosed in a compound wall. (The neighbours are very good that the temple management felt that ‘good fences maintain good relation with neighbours!') The immortal deity has not changed his permanent posture of smiling; but I am yet to see him talking… May be He is a good listener, waiting to see the devotees to stop praying so that he can start talking!

The coffee boy, Pappu, has no change at all. He still has the same old look. There have been a lot of utsavams, onams, vishus and mandala vratas. Automs, Winters, Springs and Falls. But times have left him unchanged. This may be to offset the wrong which had already been done to a dumb and deaf. He worships the deity with the same devotion and serves the devotees coffee with the same spirit. While I was talking to someone very seriously, he stared at me for a longer duration sending me a signal, “you are that boy of yester years, right?” I could not talk to him. Not because he and I do not have a common language. By the time I finished my serious talk, he was not traceable. I am sad I could not spend a few minutes with him.

Jayakrishnan has become the uncrowned leader of the temple committee. He is a bachelor and is living an ascetic's life; his life is devoted to the temple. Age has given a clean coat of white on his hair and beard, something unnatural for a person living in the serene village atmosphere. A linear growth of a boy, who started as helping hand of the shanti, to the first among the equals! Years back he used to religiously collect flowers for the puja and light the lamps around the temple.

A young shanti, who comes on bike or car from a distant place in the morning and evening for puja, replaced our old thirumeni. Our very own old shanti Ramoran Namburi aka Damodharan Namboothiri aka thirumeni lives only in our memories. No, you will not see him passing through the one-feet lanes; he will not cross the path other than the memory lanes. Thirumeni had his unique style in his appearance too. If you see him anywhere other than in temple or at his residence, he would be wearing a plane shirt and a borderless ottamundu. He never believed in inserting – his shirt used to be over the madakkikkuthu. Woodan methiyadi on the feet, luxurious sandal paste on forehead, kaalan kuda in left armpit, a linen bag with an inscription “chellam” in right hand, few days old pepper-salt beard, almost greyed hair combed to the right side, medium complexion - this is the thirumeni. Only change you will notice is the colour of the shirt. His eldest son has undergone a paradigm shift; he has metamorphosed in to a thirumeni from the Marxist-naxal moorings. Now he is the mel shanti (chief priest) in one of the major temples. It's said that he is one of the most sought-after purohit for pujas at home in central Travencore. Yeah, in thirumeni 's own parlance, he is now out of sani-dosham. However, his younger kid left this world at a much younger age.

Pazhayambatan, who used to compte with other boys to ring the bell at arati time, has become an employee of devaswom and is the administrator there. Thankappan does not blow the conch, may be he cannot retain his breath because of his habit of smoking. Or may be, for that matter, the conch is not blown at arati time.

Another sad thing that has happened is that Kuttappan Sir is no more there to give directions to the utsava committee. He has made an exit from this world, which he taught us as a drama and us the lead roles. During utsavam, it was he who used to spearhead the fund collection activities, keeping a thorthmundu on his scholders over the shirt and a bag in his armpit. A 3 battery light was another organ with him during nights. It was he who was in the forefront to purchase the mike set for the temple. It was his voice that pierced everybody's ears with “swamiye saranam Ayyappa… bhakta anangalute shradhakku… swamiye sarana ayyappa” during the festival season. His prowess in language and his wide acceptability was seen everywhere. His absence is highly conspicuous.

Kuttappan Sir's baton is taken over by Kumbhakarnan, Gita's husband, who is the new president of upadeshaka samiti. (Although nobody knows him by his actual name, “Hari”, that is his name. Don't call him Kumbhakarnan, it's not the name he was given by his parents on 28 th day. If you do so, do so at your own risk. He will beat you like anything.) He migrated to Ameyagram from a nearby village after marrying Gita. By mid of uttarayanam , he will go into sleeping mode until the mid of dakshinayanam. During this period, he spends every penny he saved in the other period and experiments with every type of alcohol. This is a period when he has a lot of parasite friends and sleeps anywhere. He sleeps wherever and whenever he feels tired. Some time before the mandala vrata starts, he returns to normal mode and becomes a satvic teetotaller. During this period, he is an ideal husband, an ideal father, an ideal son and an ideal citizen. He has been given this nomenclature because of this recurring nature.

The revolutionary postman is no more there to bring revolution or for that matter melodious songs during the bhajans. Ravichan does not frequent the temple on account of his advancing age. The bhagavathars have left Ameyagram and migrated to Malabar. Unnikoch, the person who went to the temples only at the time of festivals will also be not there anymore to celebrate utsavams. BTW, Unnikoch does not have a single hair on his body except on his head. For this reason, he had a nick name, "Mozhakoch". Whatever hair he has on his head are all grey and thick. He can be considered for hair oil advertisement (after using hair oil).

Mandanmackal Shankaran Nair is no more. His son Sukumaran Nair is now pronouncing the nayattu vili. Nonetheless, there is a demand for change in arattu time. It's said that this changes are demanded by the mahouts because they cannot hold the theevetti while they are in charge of the elephant.

Yet another extinguished species in Ameyagram is the kadina vedi people. Nowadays, there is no kadina vedi after deeparadhana.

© 2009 Copyright of this page rests with B R Nair, the author of this article.