Over 3000-year-old ritual commences at Panjal

Over 3000-year-old ritual commences at Panjal - Times Of India You are here: Home>CollectionsOver 3000-year-old ritual commences at PanjalPTI, Apr 4, 2011, 11.03pm IST

PANJAL (Kerala): Reverberating with vedic chants, this sleepy village in Kerala's Thrissur district came alive as the over 3,000 year-old vedic fire ritual 'Athirathram', began here this morning after a 35-year gap.

The 'yagashala' (where the ceremonies are performed) is a paddy field and is uniquely positioned to imbibe the energy of the sun, which has made Panjal the venue for almost all yagas held in Kerala in the past.

Athirathram began with conduct of various rituals, including 'agnimathanam'(churning of sacred fire through friction, 'savitrihoma' (preparation of sacred ghee) among others.

52-year-old Puthillathu Ramanujan Somayajippadu as 'Yajamanan' and Dhanyapathanadi as 'Yajmanapathni' are leading the rituals, considered to be most ancient of yagas.

The successful conduct of the 12-day Athirathram, which will end on April 15, is believed to rejuvenate the universal power centre and bring about peace and prosperity to mankind and promote well being of flora and fauna, M Krishna Kumar, managing director of the Ottapalam-based Vartate Trust, the organisers, said.

Only 10 Brahmin families in Kerala can conduct the ritual.

Considered as the ultimate invocation of vedic scriptures for universal harmony, the last Athirathram was held here in 1975 under the leadership of Indologist Frits Staal, a professor of South and South East Asian studies at the University of California at Berkeley, who filmed the entire ritual and later wrote a book.

87-year-old Staal, who is attending this Athrathram, will be delivering a lecture on the 'Theory of the ritual' on April eight.

Panjal is also close to Edappal Shukapuram temple, considered as the epicentre of all yaga rituals.

The organisers said the objective of the yaga is to promote universal harmony, peace, solidarity, prosperity and spiritual enlightenment and was relevant even today with the world witnessing a marked rise in discontentment and violence.

Former director of International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science and Technology and Emeritus scientist at Council for Industrial and Scientific Research, V P N Nampoori is heading the research wing of the Athirathram.

Studies will also be conducted on the implications on micro organisms in the soil and variation in the yield from plants and animals, the organisers said.

Physiological and psychological effects on human beings, especially those who meditate and those who are under medication will be assessed. Athirathrams were held at Kundoor in 1990 and Kizhakkancherry in 2006 and more than five Somayagams were conducted in different years at different sites.

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