Edakkunni Uthram Vilakku
Encyclopedia
Uthramvilakku is a temple festival celebrated at Edakkunni in Ollur
, south of Thrissur
in central Kerala
, south India
. The highlight of the event is an over four-hour Panchari melam
in the temple compound past midnight on the uthram day, with each of the five caparisoned elephants on the occasion carrying a deity each from as many temples.
.
After the kodiyettam (flag-hoisting) a small pooram
ceremony is performed on three elephants. Over the succeeding six days the deity of Lord Bhagavathy is taken around the historic Perumanam village astride an elephant, receiving the obeisances of devotees and taking part in pooram ceremonies in different temples along the route.
The ceremonial elephant
also participates in the traditional Anayottam (elephant race) at Piddikaparambu; which is near Cherpu
about 14 km south-west of the town of Thrissur
. This is a unique elephant race as idols of different deities from different temples too take part in it.
pradakshinam, a ritualistic circumambulation
which sees participation of people in the belief that the run would help them get rid of ailments. By sunrise, the Bhagavathy sets for the padikkal pooram. This is the only time in a year that deity goes out through the western door. After the Padikkal pooram, the ceremonial send off of the neighbouring deities (Upacharam) takes place. The festivities come to an end with the kodikutthu (uprooting of the festival mascot).
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...
, south of Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
in central Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, south India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The highlight of the event is an over four-hour Panchari melam
Panchari melam
Panchari Melam is a percussion ensemble, canonically lasting more than four hours, performed during temple festivals in Kerala, India. Panchari Melam , is one of the major forms of chenda melam , and is the best-known and most popular kshetram vadyam genre...
in the temple compound past midnight on the uthram day, with each of the five caparisoned elephants on the occasion carrying a deity each from as many temples.
Origin
The uthramvilakku has its origin in uthrampattu, a form of ritual singing (Brahmani pattu) that was later converted into Uthramvilakku in its present form about 150 years ago. This is celebrated on the uthram day of the Meenam month of the Malayalam calendarMalayalam calendar
Malayalam calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Kerala, India. The origin of the calendar has been dated as 825 CE....
.
After the kodiyettam (flag-hoisting) a small pooram
Pooram
Pooram is an annual temple festival held in central Kerala after the summer harvest. Most pooram festivals have at least one ornately decorated elephant being paraded in the procession taken out of the temple precincts...
ceremony is performed on three elephants. Over the succeeding six days the deity of Lord Bhagavathy is taken around the historic Perumanam village astride an elephant, receiving the obeisances of devotees and taking part in pooram ceremonies in different temples along the route.
The ceremonial elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
also participates in the traditional Anayottam (elephant race) at Piddikaparambu; which is near Cherpu
Cherpu
Cherpu is a small village in Thrissur district of Kerala state in south India. It is 12 kilometres south of Thrissur town and is on the Thriprayar road...
about 14 km south-west of the town of Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
. This is a unique elephant race as idols of different deities from different temples too take part in it.
The day's functions
The itinerary is as follows:-- 06:30: The Bhagavathy returns from the town of Arattupuzha.
- 09:30:Ceremonial reception of the deity.
- 18:00:Lamp-lighting ceremony and nadaswara recitals.
- 19:00: PanchavadyamPanchavadyamPanchavadyam, literally meaning an orchestra of five instruments, is basically a temple art form that has evolved in Kerala. Of the five instruments, four -- timila, maddalam, ilathalam and idakka -- belong to the percussion category, while the fifth one, kombu, is a wind instrument.Much like any...
with five elephants. - 22:00 : Bhagavathy deity is led in procession outside the sanctum sanctorum with the accompaniment of valia pani orchestra. The Bhagavathy idol is then hoisted atop a huge tusker which is joined by four others. This is followed by elaborate recitations, on various instruments including Keli, kombu pattu and Kuzhal PattuKuzhal PattuKuzhal pattu is a form of traditional temple music practised in the Kerala state of India. It centers around the use of the kuzhal, a double reed wind instrument, and is typically performed at temple festivals.-Structure:...
. - 00:00: The illustrious Panchari melamPanchari melamPanchari Melam is a percussion ensemble, canonically lasting more than four hours, performed during temple festivals in Kerala, India. Panchari Melam , is one of the major forms of chenda melam , and is the best-known and most popular kshetram vadyam genre...
is performed by Kerala's most renowned percussion experts. They are joined in this effort by as many as 100 artistes on the chendaChendaThe Chenda is a cylindrical percussion instrument used widely in the state of Kerala, and Tulu Nadu of Karnataka State in India. In Tulu Nadu it is known as Chande....
, ilathalam, kombuKombuKombu or konbu , also called dashima or haidai , is edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in East Asia....
and kuzhalKuzhalThe kuzhal is a traditional double reed wind instrument used in the south Indian state of Kerala. It is similar in construction to a nagaswaram or a large shehnai, and has a very shrill and penetrating tone....
. Besides the presiding deity of Edakkunni temple, four deities from nearby temples join the Bhagavathy. They are Thaikatusserry, Chakkamkulangara, Namkulam, and Chittachatakudam. The melamMelamMelam is the common name for percussion instruments that are unique to Tamilnadu, Kerala and parts of South India. The most traditional of all melams is the Pandi Melam, which is generally performed outside the temple. Another melam called the Panchari Melam, which is similar to Pandi Melam, but...
lasting nearly five hours culminates with a brief but vibrant display of fireworks.
Closing Ceremony
This is followed by an IdakkaIdakka
The idakka , also spelt edaykka, is an hourglass-shaped drum from Kerala in south India. This handy percussion instrument is very similar to the pan-Indian damaru. While the damaru is played by rattling knotted cords against the resonators, the idakka is played with a stick...
pradakshinam, a ritualistic circumambulation
Circumambulation
Circumambulation is the act of moving around a sacred object.Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu ritual. It is also practised in Buddhism. In Islam, circumambulation is performed around the Kaaba in Mecca, in a counter-clockwise direction...
which sees participation of people in the belief that the run would help them get rid of ailments. By sunrise, the Bhagavathy sets for the padikkal pooram. This is the only time in a year that deity goes out through the western door. After the Padikkal pooram, the ceremonial send off of the neighbouring deities (Upacharam) takes place. The festivities come to an end with the kodikutthu (uprooting of the festival mascot).