Makara Jyothi - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Makara is the name of a zodiac sign in Indian languages known as Capricorn in English. "Jyoti" means "light" in Sanskrit. Thus "Makara Jyoti" (also spelt as Jyothi) means "Light of Capricorn".

The Sun appears to move from one zodiac constellation

Constellation

In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....

to another every month and the day on which Sun changes the constellation is called Sankrānti (= transit) in Sanskrit. Makara Sankranti is the Sun’s transit into Capricorn (Makara) constellation that usually occurs on 14 January every year and is a very important Hindu festival celebrated all over India in various forms. Uttarāyaṇa, the six-month period when the sun travels towards the north on the celestial sphere starts on Makara Sankranti and ends on Karka Sankranti (around July 14).

One of the places where a large number of devout Hindus reach on 14 January for worship is Sabarimala located in thick rain forests of Kerala.

Makara Jyothi is worshiped as a part of ritual in Sabarimala Temple

Sabarimala

Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage center located in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District in Kerala. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in India with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. Sabarimala is believed to be the place where the Hindu God Ayyappan...

on Makara Sankranti on 14 January every year. Devout Hindus believe that the jyothi is a celestial phenomenon and its sighting is auspicious and brings good luck and blessings.

It is a fact now established beyond doubt backed by evidence that Makara Jyothi or Makara Vilakku is a man-made light that appears three times on Makara Sankranti at the time of Deeparadhana on the eastern horizon at Ponnambalamedu hills about 4 km away from the Sabarimala shrine.

However, most devout Hindus continue to have faith in the mythical belief that Makara Jyothi or Makara Vilakku is a celestial phenomenon and its sighting is auspicious and brings good luck and blessings. Most devout Hindus do not distinguish between makara jyothi and makaravilakku. As a matter of fact, no distinction was ever made between the two until 2008. The gullible pilgrims had believed till then that the light that appeared on the eastern horizon thrice was divine. Makarajyothi and Makara Vilakku were synonyms for them. The nuances of the difference were never aired by anyone until 2008.

Popularity of the myth

Popular mythical belief is that the Makara Jyothi or Makara Vilakku is lit there in commemoration of the aarathi performed by Dev rishis and Devas at the time of revelation of His Divine form (Roopa) by Manikantan (an incarnation of god Vishnu). Until recently the appearance of the light was believed to be divine, a celestial miracle and a naturally-occuring phenomenon.

This event marks the culmination of the long and arduous pilgrimage to Sabarimala shrine. The light disappears in the evening after the Thiruvaabharanam (divine ornaments) are brought into the sanctum sanctorum and are placed on the Lord. The most significant rituals of worship are performed at the day of Makara Sankaranthi (14th January every year). It draws the second largest number of pilgrims to a place of worship in India. Of particular significance is the fact that this is a remote forest in the Western Ghats in Kerala.

The myth of this divine light that shines on a particular festival day (14 January) at a particular time in the evening has been drawing millions on pilgrimage to this remote temple in the rain forests of Kerala every year. The most famous Ayyappa shrine in India is the one at Sabarimala with over 50 million devotees visiting it every year.

The huge crowd of pilgrims that witnesses the event has been on the rise every year. It is believed that 1.5 million devotees witnessed Makarajyoti light in 2010. The revenue collection during the Makaravilakku period was also higher compared to previous years. The total donation

Donation

A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles...

s were Rs.

Indian rupee

The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....

720 million in 2008 against previous year’s Rs.723 million.

Myth exposed and conceded

Devout Hindus believed (and the majority still continue to believe despite photographic and other evidence and facts to the contrary established in the years 1981 to 2008) that Makara Jyothi and Makara Vilakku are divine phenomena that occur in nature. The majority of devout Hindus do not distinguish between Makara Jyothi and Makara Vilakku as one being a natural phenomenon and the other being a man-made phenomenon and both are synonyms for them.

The grandson of traditional supreme priest of the Sabarimala temple made that distinction for the first time in the history of the "Makara Jyothi" in a press conference in 2008. An attempt was made by him in the press conference to distinguish between Makara Jyothi and Makara Vilakku by stating that the former is the Makara star appearing above the hills and the latter is the light appearing thrice on the hill next to the sanctum sanctorum and Makara Vilakku is the right term because vilakku literally means a lamp or light.

Rahul Easwar, grandson of traditional supreme priest of the Sabarimala temple, Tantri Kantaru Maheswararu stated in a press conference reported in "The Hindu" newspaper on 28 May 2008. that the Makara Vilakku was a fire lit by human hand on the hill neighbouring Sabarimala shrine while the Makara Jyothi was a star that appeared in the evening sky on the day marking the culmination of the annual festival. “It is the star that is worshiped as a celestial light. The Makaravilakku is merely a ritual involving the lighting of a fire as a symbolic act!” he said.

Confused? That precisely is what the priest wanted. Confound the devotees, retain the flock and rake in more donations from them. Even while reluctantly coming out with the facts, the priest tried to befuddle the devotees rather than to clarify the issue. It must be remembered that Makara is not a star; it is a constellation that emits a faint light and is not bright at all. Therefore the distinction does not appear to be valid and appears more to be an attempt to obfuscate the issue rather than admit the myth.

The controversy that had started in 1981 about the "celestial" light became intense in Kerala's media in May 2008. Mr. Cherian Philip, chairman of KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation), started the debate. Former Travancore Devaswom Board President G.Raman Nair had to concede in an interview that Makara Vilakku is ritualistically lit. Following this, the Chief Priest of Sabarimala temple and the Devaswom (Religious Places) Minister of Kerala said that Makara Jyothi and Makara Vilakku are two different things: the former is the celestial star (or constellation) that is worshipped, and the latter is symbolically lit in a place called Ponnambalamedu. They had to concede that there is nothing supernatural. They tried to make out that it was a misunderstanding that had led to the controversy.

Legal compulsion to tell the truth of the myth under oath

All the books and reports published by the Sabarimala authorities until 2008 unequivocally claim that this “miraculous” flickering light indeed was Makara Jyothi. The media – print, radio, and television – have always referred to this flicker of light as Makara Jyothi.

However, as a result of law suits and petitions filed in Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court of India by rationalists, sworn affidavits had to be filed in the court by Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). Therefore Travancore Devaswom Board that manages the affairs of Sabarimala Shrine, 4 km away from the Makara Jyothi had to admit in the public that 'Makara Vilakku' was a man-made creation and not a celestial miracle that occurs on Makarasankranti or Makaravilsaaku day every year.

The now-proved facts are that a huge camphor fire is lit on the distant hills at Ponnambalamedu by employees of Kerala State Electricity Board to satisfy the religious beliefs of devout Hindus visiting the shrine. The employees make it flicker three times and then let it extinguish. "The Hindu" newspaper on 22 January 2011 published a photograph of the square concrete platform built by Travancore Devaswom Board in 1990s at Ponnambalamedu on which huge quantities of camphor are set on fire in the evening of 14 January every year to create the illusion of a light and perpetuate the myth of "celestial" makara jyothi. The platform was reached after an arduous climb through thick forest. The newspaper reported that after the photograph was taken, the government department placed severe restrictions on access to Ponnambalamedu by reporters and rationalists.

The reason for lighting the camphor fire is that devout Hindus believe that the sighting of Makara Jyothi brings good luck and blessings. The light is visible to the devotees 4 km away because Ponnambalamedu is at an elevation of 1170 m (3,838.6 ft) whereas Sabarimala is at just 544 m (1,784.8 ft). The fire perpetuates the myth of "celestial light" and attracts millions of devout pilgrims every year to Sabarimala temple.

The devotees do not visit Ponnambalamedu, where the man-made fire is lit, and are actually discouraged from visiting Ponnambalamedu by spreading the myth that Ponnambalamedu is the abode of Lord Ayyappa and is not accessible to human beings. The access to Ponnambalamedu through thick forest is controlled by the forest department and is unofficially barred to the devotees, reporters and photographers. However, some rationalists reached there in 1981, took photographs of the fire being lit by men and started a debate on the myth.

The controversy and the lawsuits in courts finally led to the admissions from the grand priest, Travancore Devaswom Board and Devaswom (Religious Places) Minister of Kerala that the light (emanating from huge camphor fire) was man-made and the myth of 'celestial light' stood exposed. However, they tried to obfuscate the issue by creating a new distinction between makara jyothi and makaravilakku which had never been made before 2008.

Some rationalists or non-believers say that the Travancore Devaswom Board, the traditional supreme priest of the Sabarimala temple and some others have a vested interest in perpetuating the myth or obfuscating the issue by making a distinction between the two phenomena because the pilgrims donate huge sums (almost a billion rupees) to the shrine apart from the income earned by the local population and the benefits that accrue to the economy of Kerala state by influx of large number of devotees. The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has insured the Ayyappa's shrine at Sabarimala for Rs.300 million as Sabarimala is the main income source of the Board.

Stampedes and deaths due to belief in the celestial myth

The number of pilgrims at or near the temple on 14 January is huge as seen in the photo. They move on narrow steep paths on hills and jostle for space in a narrow area to view the "lights" or jyothi in the narrow window of time (about 15 minutes) in the evening and this may cause a stampede.
On 14 January 1999, 53 Ayyappa devotees were killed in a landslide when a large number of devotees climbed a hillock to have a view of the Jyothi and a portion of the hillock caved in resulting in the tragedy.

On 14 January 2011, 106 devotees were killed and more injured in a stampede at Pullumedu, a place from where the Jyoti can be viewed in addition to viewing it from Sannidhanam (shrine).

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has introduced a free-of-cost accident insurance project for the pilgrims visiting the Sabarimala temple. The pilgrims' insurance scheme offers up to Rs.100,000 to the devotees suffering injuries or death at a stretch of about 18 km from Nilakkal to uphill Sannidhanam where the temple is located.

The Truth

Makara Jyothi in fact is a man-made fire lit by the officials of Sabarimala temple, the Travancore Devaswom Board and Kerala State Electricity Board in connivance with the Kerala Forest Department, the police and the government of Kerala. The “jyothi” is created by burning a large quantity of camphor cubes kept in a platter on a raised platform.

Ponnambalamedu, where the camphor-fire is lit is situated on the hills facing the Sabarimala temple and is in the control of the Forest Department. On the evening of the Makara Sankaranthi day, these officials assemble at Ponnambalamedu and enact a Puja. After the Srikovil (sanctum sanctorum) of the Sabarimala temple is opened at around 6.30 PM, a message is sent from Sabarimala to those performing the puja at Ponnambalamedu. (In 1981 when the activists of Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham witnessed the event, the message was sent by flashing a search light from Sabarimala; they must now be using a more advanced means of communication such as a mobile phone). Soon those stationed at Ponnambalamedu light the camphor kept in the platter and lift it three times. (In 1981, the camphor was lit by one V.R.Gopinathan Nair, a driver with Kerala State Electricity Board). It is this flame that appears to the devotees as the divine Makara Jyothi. Sabarimala temple itself is situated on a lower hill opposite Ponnambalamedu hill. Therefore the flame is visible to a person from the surroundings of the Sabarimala temple and appears as celestial and miraculous ”Makara Jyothi” to the devout and gullible.

Every effort was made by the authorities of Sabarimala temple and the Government of Kerala to perpetuate the belief that the Jyothi is indeed a miracle. Even after the myth has been exposed and an admission has been made by the head priest and the Travancore Devaswom Board, neither the Board nor the Kerala government has made any effort to educate the population of the state about the myth and stop lighting the camphor fire.

The Exposé

From as early as in 1973, a number of attempts have been made by rationalists and other individuals skeptical of the phenomenon of so-called “celestial light” to find out the truth behind it. In that year, about 24 persons (including one KP Swamy and Ramadevan) from the Kollam district of Kerala reached Ponnambalamedu on the day of Makara Jyothi and burst firecrackers. They were later taken into custody by the police after a complaint (defiling the “sanctity” of Ponnambalamedu) was lodged by B. Madhavan Nair, the then chairman of Travancore Devaswom Board. They were later released unconditionally as they had not committed any crime under the Indian Penal Code.

Again in 1980, a group of rationalists from Trichur led by T.N.Badran visited Ponnambalamedu and reported about it. He was the main resource person when a larger group of rationalist activists visited the place in 1981.

Creation of Miracle in 1981

The most successful attempt at exposing this fraud was made in 1981, when the activists of Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham

Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham

Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham is a well known rationalist group based in Kerala, India. It stands for rationalism and dialectical materialism. It is the initiator of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations....

went to Ponnambalamedu and took a number of photographs, which were later published in various Malayalam magazines such as Mathrubhoomi, Janayugam, Yukthivicharam and Yukthivadi. They also published a Malayalam pamphlet "Makarajyothi Enna Thattippu" (Makarajyothi: A Fraud) written by Pavanan, the well-known literary critic and rationalist that was widely circulated in Kerala.

The following is a brief account of what happened on 14 January 1981 at Ponnambalamedu as per the above-referred pamphlet:

Ponnambalamedu is a flat grass-land spotted with a few trees. About half-a-kilometer away from there was stationed a Jeep (Registration Number: KRV 989) belonging to Travancore Devaswom Board. A crowd of about 500 persons including women and children (mostly relatives and friends of employees of Kerala State Electricity Board, who manages the nearby Sabarigiri Hydroelectric Project) had come to the site to witness the lighting of the Makara Jyothi.

On the rock facing Sabarimala was engraved the sketches of a pentacle, a Trishul and the Sanskrit letter Aum. Next to it, one could also find a plastic bag containing three coconuts, two bananas, a large quantity of vibhuti (holy ash), five packets of incense sticks, a mud vessel and a match box.

At about 6.30 PM, V.R.Gopinathan Nair, the driver with the Kerala Electricity Board, and his accomplices filled a vessel with camphor. At about 6.40 PM, when they received a signal from Sabarimala (red light from a flashlight), Gopinathan Nair lit the camphor and raised it thrice facing Sabarimala. Interestingly, the rationalists who assembled there also lighted some crude torches and firecrackers.

The radio commentators and reporters of newspapers, clueless about the presence of rationalists/debunkers and their tactics, faithfully reproduced what they saw.
• "There it raises the Makarajyothi; first as a lightning, then as a lamp or star and now as a camphor light!...there it raises, disappears, and then appears again..!" (Translation of a live Malayalam Commentary on Akashavani (All India Radio), 14 January 1981)
• "Makara Jyothis appeared, not once but many times" (Mathrubhumi daily, 15 January 1981)
• "Next to Jyothis, there also appeared a number of small lights" (Deepika daily, 15 January 1981)

These references to repeated and multiple appearance of Makarajyothi on that day undoubtedly refer to the torches lit by none other than the myth-busters.
Enraged by the exposure, the temple authorities instigated the officials of the Road Transport Office who then lodged a case against the owner of the bus used by the activists to reach Ponnambalamedu. (As no case could be registered against the rationalist activists, the bus owner was later fined with 1000 rupees for plying the bus in an unauthorised route without the prior permission of the Road Transport Office). From the next year onwards, this fraud is being perpetrated under the protection provided by the state police.

Origin of Makarajyothi

The miracle of Makarajyothi is quite recent in origin and it was not reported in the early decades of 20th century. There is no mention of Makara Jyoti in any of the Hindu Purana, folklores or Ayyappa Charithams.

What was happening before the temple authorities themselves started lighting this miraculous beacon? That is a matter of conjuncture. One possible explanation is this: The tribal people who were residing at the hilly areas of Ponnambalamedu might have regularly lighted fire to keep themselves warm in the winter (December/January) season; they might have lighted it as a means to drive away the wild animals. This would have appeared to the devotees standing in Sabarimala as a Jyothi. Doubtless, the tribals would have lighted the fire throughout the winter season but the devotees might not have given any attention to it.

After the irrigation project came up in the area, the tribals had to leave the area and no one was left there to create the miraculous beacon! The ingenuity of the temple authorities came out with the solution - light it themselves! Thus began the modern avatar of Makarajyothi!

The Indian Express newspaper reported on 16 January 2011 as follows:

Quote
Old timers such as the Melsanthi of the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple in the early 1950s recall that the divine light had not been sighted during his priesthood. However, the Makara star used to appear on that day. A senior member of the Mavelikkara Vadakkam Illam said, "It was the late thantri Kandararu Sankararu who had installed the present idol of Lord Ayyappa in 1950 after the fire mishap at the temple in 1949. My father was the Melsanthi then. The divine light phenomenon started after the priesthood of my father." This shows that the so-called "divine" light has a history of only around 55 years. This fraud being committed by the TDB at the expense of the people should not be allowed to continue. Places of worship are meant to lead the devotees on the right path of a righteous life. The efforts to make them money-spinning centres are unethical. Similarly, hoodwinking of devotees is abominable. The State government should immediately take steps to end this fraud. Wide publicity may also be given to the truth that the Makarajyothi was being lit by men at Ponnambalamedu.
Unquote

NDTV expose in 2007

On 11 January 2007, NDTV correspondent, Rajesh Ramachandran, filed an investigative report Sabarimala miracle claims disputed from Ponnambalamedu itself.
The correspondent took the viewers from Vandiperiyar to the very spot where the Makara Jyothi is lit year after year. It also has visuals of the contingent of Kerala Police who guards the spot from inquisitive individuals. The correspondent spoke to a number of individuals before filing the report and they included Raman Nair, President of Tranvancore Devaswom Board, G Sudhakaran, Devasuam Minister, and Shivananda, a former employee of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) who had a stint at Pampa in 1981. While the president of the Devaswom Board claimed it as a "miraculous thing", the Minister of temple affairs in the CPM led government, G. Sudhakaran, said characteristically: "Nobody has examined it, government never inquired into it, we are not planning to inquire into that because that is related to the faith of devotees for hundreds of years. As far as the temple is concerned, as far as the belief is concerned, it is not good for the government to inquire."

On the other hand, Shivananda, the retired employee of KSEB explained: "When I got transferred to the Pampa division of KSEB near Sabarimala, I got an opportunity to actually see this light being lit in 1981. A Devaswom Board assistant engineer Karunakaran Nair, two policemen and two labourers had come there. They had one or two kilograms of camphor and an aluminium vessel. The light was lit by a KSEB driver VR Gopinathan Nair". Another former KSEB employee whom the correspondent spoke to said: "When I went there in 1986, the police had completely cordoned off the area. They let in only a few people whom they knew well. Officials from Devaswom Board lit the light".

Dr. PM Rajan Gurukkal, Director of the School of Social Sciences, Mahathma Gandhi University, Kottayam said: "Makarajyoti is the biggest ritualistic fraud in the country which has disastrous social and ecological impact. On that day many people remain in vulnerable positions unmindful of the danger to see the state sponsored magic. The core of the whole activity is commerce. It generates a lot of money and a miracle attracts a lot of people".

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