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Rituals, traditional sadya to mark Onam festivities
PUNE: Puneites are all set to enjoy the flavours of Kerala as the Malayali community gears up to celebrate Thiru Onam on Sunday.
The Malayali families in the city will celebrate the day just like they do back home, with pookalam or decorative flower carpets adorning the nooks of their verandahs, family get-togethers and platters of sumptuous South Indian delicacies.
Cultural folk dance performances have been planned in many temples, where food will be served in a traditional manner on banana leaves.
Onam is celebrated to pay homage to king Mahabali, who once ruled Kerala. As per the belief, Mahabali was a generous king who also ruled the heaven and the underworld. The gods felt challenged and Devendra, the king of gods, requested Vishnu to find a solution. Vishnu visited Mahabali in the guise of a hermit and asked him for three feet of land. The hermit then started measuring the earth with his steps and became giant-sized. He measured the earth, sky and the underworld with two steps. Finally, Mahabali offered his own head for the third foot, when Vishnu pushed him into the netherworld, granting him one wish which allowed Mahabali to visit his people once a year.
Mahabali is thus believed to be visiting Kerala on Thiruvonam day, which is celebrated as Onam.
Velayudhan P, programme coordinator, Vakdevatha, the city-based Malayali socio-cultural centre, said there are two specific occasions for Onam, the first being Uthradam and the second being the main Onam day, which falls on Sunday. "We have planned five programmes in Vakdevtha on the Uthradam day, one of which is called ?Theyyam', which sheds light on the significance of God. Performers have come from Kerala especially for this rendition," he said.
Uthradam day was celebrated on September 6, with people from the community visiting the Vakdevatha.
"People wake up early in the morning to begin preparations for the big day. The day starts with the traditional Malayali breakfast like ?Puttu-Kadala' (a dish of rice-flour, grated coconut and chick peas) and ?idli sambar', which is served on a banana leaf. Family members then go on to make decorative flower rangolis outside their houses to welcome king Mahabali," Velayudhan said.
People in the community then visit any one of the 30 Ayappa or Krishna temples in the city and Pimpri Chinchwad area. Visitors wear new clothes and participate in the special puja in the temple. "Men wear the mund (dhoti), while ladies come adorned in ?kasavu' sarees. Prayers are then offered to Ayappa. Some of us also make pookkalam on the floor of the temple," he added.
Obeisance in temples then gives way to the enthusiastic assembly of friends and relatives in homes for grand feast. "The feast has as many as 22 delicacies like Avial (mixed vegetables) to Kalan, pachadi (vegetables cooked with curd), inchipuli (a dish of ginger with jaggery) to thoran (dry vegetables ), morucurry (cooked curd), naaranga (lemon curry), kootu curry (dry mixed curry), parip (moong dal curry), pappad, rasam, upperi (fried chips items), banana, paalpayasam and adapradaman (kheer)," said Madhu Nair, president of the Poona Keraleeya Samaj.
K V Shankaranarayan, a businessman and playwright, said that Onam is a Hindu festival and many of its festivities take place in temples. "For instance, families visit temples in the evening on the main day to see cultural performances such as Kathakali, Ottamthullal ( a dance form), martial arts and competitions connected to Kerala's
ancient heritage," he said.
The Malayali families in the city will celebrate the day just like they do back home, with pookalam or decorative flower carpets adorning the nooks of their verandahs, family get-togethers and platters of sumptuous South Indian delicacies.
Cultural folk dance performances have been planned in many temples, where food will be served in a traditional manner on banana leaves.
Onam is celebrated to pay homage to king Mahabali, who once ruled Kerala. As per the belief, Mahabali was a generous king who also ruled the heaven and the underworld. The gods felt challenged and Devendra, the king of gods, requested Vishnu to find a solution. Vishnu visited Mahabali in the guise of a hermit and asked him for three feet of land. The hermit then started measuring the earth with his steps and became giant-sized. He measured the earth, sky and the underworld with two steps. Finally, Mahabali offered his own head for the third foot, when Vishnu pushed him into the netherworld, granting him one wish which allowed Mahabali to visit his people once a year.
Mahabali is thus believed to be visiting Kerala on Thiruvonam day, which is celebrated as Onam.
Velayudhan P, programme coordinator, Vakdevatha, the city-based Malayali socio-cultural centre, said there are two specific occasions for Onam, the first being Uthradam and the second being the main Onam day, which falls on Sunday. "We have planned five programmes in Vakdevtha on the Uthradam day, one of which is called ?Theyyam', which sheds light on the significance of God. Performers have come from Kerala especially for this rendition," he said.
Uthradam day was celebrated on September 6, with people from the community visiting the Vakdevatha.
"People wake up early in the morning to begin preparations for the big day. The day starts with the traditional Malayali breakfast like ?Puttu-Kadala' (a dish of rice-flour, grated coconut and chick peas) and ?idli sambar', which is served on a banana leaf. Family members then go on to make decorative flower rangolis outside their houses to welcome king Mahabali," Velayudhan said.
People in the community then visit any one of the 30 Ayappa or Krishna temples in the city and Pimpri Chinchwad area. Visitors wear new clothes and participate in the special puja in the temple. "Men wear the mund (dhoti), while ladies come adorned in ?kasavu' sarees. Prayers are then offered to Ayappa. Some of us also make pookkalam on the floor of the temple," he added.
Obeisance in temples then gives way to the enthusiastic assembly of friends and relatives in homes for grand feast. "The feast has as many as 22 delicacies like Avial (mixed vegetables) to Kalan, pachadi (vegetables cooked with curd), inchipuli (a dish of ginger with jaggery) to thoran (dry vegetables ), morucurry (cooked curd), naaranga (lemon curry), kootu curry (dry mixed curry), parip (moong dal curry), pappad, rasam, upperi (fried chips items), banana, paalpayasam and adapradaman (kheer)," said Madhu Nair, president of the Poona Keraleeya Samaj.
K V Shankaranarayan, a businessman and playwright, said that Onam is a Hindu festival and many of its festivities take place in temples. "For instance, families visit temples in the evening on the main day to see cultural performances such as Kathakali, Ottamthullal ( a dance form), martial arts and competitions connected to Kerala's
ancient heritage," he said.
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