The Ulloor Bala Subrahmaniya Swami temple situated in Ulloor glitters like a peacock feather of Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala. The annual Thaipooya Kaavadi festival here attracts thousand of devotees from far and wide. The festival falls on Pooyam day on the malayalam month of Makaram (January).
The Kaavadi, originally meant a gadget which symbolizes all earthly burdens. It is shaped like a bow with a pole which could be placed on one's shoulder with mass balanced on either sides and is usually made of wood. The legends have it that Sage Agasthya had wanted his favourite disciple, Hidumbasura, to bring two hillocks, from Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva. Hidumbasura, the obedient disciple, set out to Kailasa and plucked out the two hillocks after paying due obeisance to the Lord. He made a bow of wood and placed the two hillocks on either side of it and balanced it across his mighty shoulders the first Kaavadi ever. He planned to bring it back to his Guru's hermitage, but destiny and the Lord Subrahmaniya had decided otherwise. As ill-luck would have it, Hidumbasura lost his way in the dense woods on his way back to the hermitage. Lord Subrahmanya came in the guise of a king and took the tired Hidumbasura to his kingdom. The tired asura slept off and when he woke he could not lift the two hillocks. The bewildered asura saw a small child playing on top of the hillock and ordered the child to get down. It ended up in a fierce fight but the mighty asura was defeated within no time. Asura understood that the child is no ordinary person and with his powers of penance understood that the child was indeed Lord Subrahmaniya who had come to test him. He bowed before the Lord. The Lord blessed him and was relieved of all sins. This happened on a Pooyam day in the month of Makaram on which the Kaavadi festival is celebrated.
The festival begins with the Kappukettal ceremony which falls twelve days before. The devotees who have decided to take the Kaavadi takes abstinence from violence, sex and non-vegetarian food. Most of them stay in the temple premises. There are mainly three types of Kaavadi at Ulloor of which the Agnikavadi holds the centre stage. In Agnikaavadi, the devotee jumps into the burning embers and come out unscathed with the power of their belief.
The procession accompanied by caparisoned elephants which sets off early in the morning from Lord Shiva temple near Gowrisapattom, and covers over five kilometers to the Subrahmaniya temple. Tiny tots go in for the paalkavadi, a pot full of milk, while the young people take the pookavadi, the kavadi may contain vibhuthi or flowers which will be offered to the deity after the procession.
The temple complex is quite old and has Lord Shiva, Lord Shasta and Lord Krishna as sub-deities. The legend has it that Tarakasura, during his fight with Lord Subrahmaniya hid in the thick forests, now the temple premises. Lord Subrahmaniya could not find Tarakasura, and Lord Shasta, who had come to help his brother in the fight, pitched in. His constant companion was a dog and is supposed to have smelled the Asura every time the Lord could not see him. And it is as veneration to this legendary dog that the Nayaveyppu is held every year. The naya(dog) is taken out in a procession around the temple and installed in the shrine along with Lord Shasta.
The festival begins with the ceremonial flag being raised by the temple high priest. The other highlights of the ten-day festival is the Palliyannilavu. The deity, decked in full glory is taken out in a chariot around the temple three times which will be accompanied by the traditional temple orchestra. Oil lamps lit up the whole temple complex during the palliyannilavu procession. The Aarattu or the procession is held on the 9th day and offerings are made to the deity. The festival comes to an end with the ceremonial flag being lowered. And the devotees wait for next year for the another festival, treasured with glowing memories of the last one. Tantric rites are for the Manalikkara Madom and Athayara Madom and the temple is managed by Travancore Devaswom Board.
