Mappilassery Tharavad, my mother's ancestral house

 It's always a pleasure to visit this ancestral home of my mother, called Mappilassery Tharavad, in Champakulam. And particularly so on Moolam Naal in the Malayalam month  of Mithunam, because that's the day the Champakulam Boat Race takes place, and this house plays an important role in this spectacular water festival.

I give below, extracts from Wikipedia, which tells the fascinating story of the Boat Race and the ceremonies that take place in the house prior to the race:

The Champakulam Moolam Boat Race is one of the oldest^[1][2][3][4] vallam kali (snake boat race) (after the Aranmula Boat Race) in Kerala state of south India. The race is held on the River Pamba on Moolam day (according to the Malayalam Era M.E) of the Malayalam month Midhunam, the day of the installation of the deity at the Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple.^{[citation needed]}

Contents

• 1The legend
• 2Other renowned boat races in Kerala
• 3References
• 4External links

The legend[edit]

It is said that the Raja of Chempakasseri, Pooradam Thirunal Devanarayanan, built a temple at Ambalappuzha as suggested by the royal astrologers, but just before the installation of the deity (Lord Krishna) he was informed that the idol was not auspicious.^{[citation needed]}

It was important to install a suitable idol immediately. Accordingly, the priests identified another idol of Lord Krishna, kept at the Karinkulam temple in Kurichi. This idol was believed to have been given to Arjuna by Lord Krishna himself, and was therefore considered very sacred. After getting the idol from Karinkulam temple, the Raja's men set forth by boat for the return journey. While returning to Ambalappuzha, night set in, and, as instructed by the Raja, they took shelter at a Christian household, the home of Mappilassery Itty Thommen, in the village of Champakulam. Itty Thommen was a loyal subject and a confidant of the king.

Itty Thommen and his family received the men and the idol with great honour. The next day, the Raja and his entourage turned up at Mappilassery, accompanied by a huge mass of people. Pujas were offered to the deity and Itty Thommen and his men also travelled with the flotilla to Ambalapuzha where the idol was duly consecrated and installed with great fanfare. On the way, the people of Champakulam and adjoining areas, as well as the priests and laity of the Champakulam Kalloorkadu Church, honoured the Raja and the idol.

These events took place in 1545 A.D. The Raja, pleased with the love and affection shown to him by his Christian subjects, declared that henceforth, to commemorate these events, a great water carnival would be held at Champakulam every year, on Moolam day in the Malayalam month of Mithunam. Thus began the Champakulam Snake Boat Race and related functions, which continue to this day.

In 1613 A.D., sixty-three years after the idol was given shelter at Mappilassery, the old house was being demolished and a new one being built. Raja Devanarayanan's successor heard the news and immediately sent word to Itty Thommen's son, Kunhi Thommen that the area where the idol was kept, which was considered a devasthanam or sacred place, was to be specially demarcated and used only as a place of worship. Also, in keeping with Hindu practices, no menstruating women were to enter the room. A special lamp, made of rare metals, was given to the family, to be kept in this holy place, and perpetually burning, as an eternal flame. Special privileges were also conferred on the family, including the grant of lands and coconut groves to supply the oil for the lamp.

Even today, these practices continue. The lamp is kept perpetually burning. Every year priests and other delegates from the temple call at the house on Moolam day, with gifts and prasadam for the karanavar or head of the house. This ceremony is known as the Moolakazcha. It is believed that on Moolam Day, Lord Krishna resides not at the Temple, but at Mappilassery House! Reverentially, on unshod feet, the Temple delegates enter the prayer room, where along with Christian icons like the cross, and statues of Jesus and Mary, the lamp, known as the Vazhakoombu Vilakku is given a place of prominence. The temple representatives then venerate the lamp, and are treated by the family to a sumptuous feast. It is only after all these ceremonies, that the famous Champakulam Snake Boat Race commences.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This year's functions fell on 12th July 2022 and Simmy and I were once again privileged to see the events. As usual, we  felt that we were witnesses to history being repeated.

The Temple representatives (about 50 of them) came in a motor launch, were received warmly by the current head of the family, gifts were exchanged, (including the fabled Ambalapuzha palpayasam), the visitors paid their respects to the Vazhakoombu Vilakku (perpetually lit lamp) and were served tea and snacks. The Namboodiri Thirumeni (priest) and other representatives of the Devaswom Board, as well as the karanavar of the family, gave brief speeches, and then the visitors left, signalling that the boat race could commence.

For me and Simmy, it was also an opportunity to meet several members of the family, some of whom we had never met before.

These ceremonies have been going on since 1545 AD and represent the spirit of communal harmony and amity that have characterised Kerala all these years. I hope and pray that they will continue for ever. Sometimes however, when I survey the present polarisation of communities that is going on in the country, I feel rather pessimistic. God help us all, and our country.

Some photos of the events at Mappilassery Tharavad on 12th July 2022 (Moolam Naal of Mithunam ME)

Temple representatives arrive by boat

Murukkan for the Temple representatives

 

The lamp

Another view of the lamp

Speech  by the Temple Thirumeni

Kurisumala Ashram

Kurisumala Ashram

Simmy and I have just returned from a brief stay at Kurisumala Ashram where we spent the latter part of Passion Week. It was a wonderful experience.

I was going to the Ashram after many many years. The last time I went there was when I took my old friend Yogi Aggarwal (who passed away in February this year) and his young son Abhay there. This must have been more than fifteen years ago, and we met the Abbot, Francis Acharya and had lunch in their refectory.  But in the old days, before I went to college, I was a frequent visitor, and our family had very close links with the monks there.

The Ashram was set up in 1957 or thereabouts, by two spiritually adventurous priests- Francis Mahieu from Belgium and Bede Griffiths from England. Their idea was to establish a centre where there would be a continuous dialogue between Christian and non-Christian (particularly Hindu) intellectuals. The duo had the blessings of the Syro-Malankara church and land (about 100 acres!) was donated by the well-known planter and philanthropist K V Thomas Pottenkulam.

It was a wild and rugged countryside, with minimal road and other facilities, but through sheer hard work and perseverance, the two pioneers and their band of devoted hermits soon established a thriving monastic community which was totally self-contained. They grew their own vegetables and cereals, started a still-flourishing dairy farm (Kurisumala milk is a well-known brand now), lived a monastic life in keeping with Indian traditions such as wearing ochre robes, not using footwear, and eating only simple vegetarian food, sitting cross-legged on the floor! The emphasis was always on prayer, manual labour, silence and a spartan life-style.

A part of the dairy plant at the Ashram

My parents were very hospitable to the monks. Quite often the founders, as well as other members of the community, spent the night in our Mavady house or in the tharawad in Teekoy, while trekking up to Kurisumala from Teekoy ( and sometimes even from Erattupetta), as the State Highway was just being built in those days. And Ammachi, my mother, took special care to serve delicious food to them, something they really appreciated! The famous architect Laurie Baker and his doctor wife Elizabeth, who had a house near the Ashram, were also well-known to us. They too visited us often, though I don't ever remember them staying with us.   

 The founders: Dom Bede Griffiths (Swamy Dayananda) (left) and Acharya Francis Mahieu (right) 

When Simmy and I reached the Ashram on 14th April, the current Abbot, Swamy Sevananda, and the Guest Master, Swamy Nirmalananda received us very warmly. Since they did not have accommodation for couples, they very kindly decided to put us up at 'The Hermitage' a hut little away from the main Ashram. This suited us very well and for three days and nights, we stayed in this little shack resembling a shepherd's hut. It had two small rectangular rooms, fitted with the bare essentials, but we were quite comfortable. The only disadvantage probably was that it had no provision for hot water.

                                                                    Outside our Hut 

  The misty scene outside our 'shepherd's hut' 

The interior of our hut

The main building of the Ashram

Most of our time at the Ashram was spent in their tiny chapel, in silence or in prayer. The Holy Week Services were of course rather long, sometimes lasting up to 5 hours. But we were quite prepared, and took everything in our stride. The liturgy in the Syro-Malankara Rite was very interesting, and the aura of mystery and mysticism was predominant throughout. I noticed too that the sacred Hindu 'AUM' was conspicuously present, along with the Cross, just above the altar. This was something that had fascinated me years ago, and I was glad that this symbol was still there.   

The austere chapel

We also met some interesting priests, nuns, as well as laymen from different parts of the country, including a priest from St.Paul's Publications in Mumbai, a nun who runs a Yoga Centre in Muvattupuzha, and our old acquaintance Fr.Jacob,  Director  of SEERI in Kottayam, an institute that specialises in the teaching and propagation of the Syriac language. There was even a young man named Mark from Manipur (but working in Cochin) who was attending the services. And Simmy was particularly pleased to meet a young girl who turned out to be her Bangalore college classmate's daughter!

We returned to Kottayam on Easter day, after lunch at my sister Laila's house in Mavady, and a brief visit to my cousin Lonappan in Teekoy .   

Altogether, it was an unusual experience.