Temples in Kerala (and in India at large) are primarily considered abodes of Gods and Goddesses rather than places of worship. This distinction is interesting as devotees are only incidental visitors to the abode and not central to the scheme of things there. The deities like sentient beings sleep, eat, bathe and receive visitors in their spare time. Temple festivals of Kerala have to be viewed with this fact in mind – they are occasions when the deities residing in the sanctum sanctorum come out to give blessings and mark special occasions.
Almost all aspects of a traditional temple festival is connected to how a divine persona would visit Her or His realm. The deity (represented usually by an idol) uses an exalted transport like a caparisoned elephant or a palanquin or a chariot. The choice is usually determined by regional practices and preferences. Drums and trumpets are usually used to announce the arrival of the deity to villages – much as they were used in earlier days to announce passage of Kings. A decorated umbrella and other royal insignias are often carried to indicate exalted stature and sovereign power.
Almost all temple festivals in Kerala are based on this premise – that the deity emerges from the sanctum sanctorum in a divine procession to mark a special occasion. Depending on the ritual basis, festivals are classified into different types – ulsavam, pooram, vela, thalappoli etc. Festivals can (usually) last from a day to nine days and almost all of them conclude with a ritual holy immersion of the deity in a water body such as a river, lake or the ocean. Ostensibly these water bodies would have marked the end of land over which the deity commanded divine authority.
Apart from these ritual and royal dimensions, temple festivals have over centuries evolved cultural and social dimensions. The accompanying drums and trumpets evolved into elaborate percussion orchestras of different flavours and have become independently existing art forms today. The caparisoned elephant s and paraphernalia evolved into elaborate and colourful decorations making the processions unforgettable audio visual treats. Stepping into the twentieth century and beyond, evolving social sensibilities meant that the rituals and royal dimensions started fading and temple festivals came to be regarded as predominantly cultural events.
In Kerala, temple festivals are mostly celebrated from late November to early May, a carry-over from an agrarian society when these months were the non-raining ones. Its tropical setting and abundant rain forests mean that elephants are most often the divine carriers. A highly evolved and sophisticated percussion system with seemingly infinite possibilities enthrall the thronging crowds in a timeless manner. These magnificent events are a great treat for the eyes, ears and mind even to the uninitiated. But every festival has its own special socio-histor ical setting and even a basic understanding of this setting can increase the joy of watching one manifold.
By Sreeni Nilamburi, Destination Knowledge Centre’s Festival Expert, Kerala.
