The celebration
of Karandhar Palayam sasthaa Preethi
BY
Viswanathan Sundar
Translated by
P.R.Ramachander
(The original Tamizh write up can be seen in https://www.facebook.com/vu2rum/posts/558061387941943 )
Kallidai kurichi which is in THirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu
on the shores of Thamra barni
river has one more name “Karanthayar Palayam”
The Kula deivam(clan
God) of all the people living in this town
is God “Sri sastha”
Not only this place
but to many places to the south
of Madurai like Thirunelveli,
Thoothukudi , Amba samudaram, Kallidai kurichi, Aamboor , azhvarkurichi, Renga
samudram , Brahma desam , Adaichani , Pallakkal
, Ravana samudhram , Kadayam , Then Kasi
, Sengottai , Kuththalam , Surandai , Sundra pandiyapuram , Kadaya nallor, Raja palayam ,
Sri Villiputhoor, Vathiraippu and to
many places near them, the kula deivam of people would be mostly “sri sastha”
The God could be called Sastha,
ayyanaar , Bhoothanadhar, Kalyana
Varadhan, Harihara Puthiran, and
Muthayyan and all these names indicate The God Adhi Bhoothanadha who
with his queens Poona and Pushkala is in Ponnambala medu.
Most of the
children of families who have
Sastha as Kula deivam are named as Hariharan,
Bhothathaan , Chadayappan ,
Kalyanam , aaryaa , Ayyappan, Mani Kandan,
Ayya mani, Kulathu mani for males
and Prabha, Poornaa , Pushkalaa , Poornapushkala,
Harini , Haripriya, Rajeswari,
Ponnamma and ponni for girls. We can mostly
identify their native places by their names.
Once upon a
time a Brahmin called Vijayan, who had
great devotion to Lord
Sastha was living in
Karanthayar palayam. Lord
Sastha wanted to show his liking to these couple for their great devotion to him .So he
came in search of them in the form of a
young boy. They took him inside their home. That boy was wet because he had walked in rain. With a new towel they dried
him. Then the boy addressed the
wife of Vijayan and told, “Mother , I am very hungry. This is mid night and it is raining . Where shall I get food at this time? If you give me some thing
to eat it would be great.”
They Told her
Boy,, “As of now we only have a Gruel(kooz)
made of Millet(kambu) .Can you take it and
slightly get satiated of your hunger?”
The Boy ate
that and requested them for a place to sleep for the night and they cheerfully provided
him a bed and pillow to sleep.. Then
the boy showed his real form of Sastha and told them. “The kamban koozh that you gave me removed my hunger and made me very happy. From today your
family would be known as “Kambankudi(family of millets) “ and your family people would be forever my slaves.(I have read some where Lord Sastha
said he will be forever their slave) .From today I would be Kula deivam
to your family and wherever you are I would be your guardian”
And the members
of this family are made Sthanigar(President)
of the sastha Preethi in the
sastha Preethi conducted in Karanthayr
Palayam and are given a high seat and great recognition.
Even today elderly people of this Kambangudi family live in various places ,Some of them are Sri Krishna Iyer , Sri veeramani iyer and
Sri Ganapathi iyer of Mumbai ,
Sri suresh Iyer of Bangalore , Sri appachi Krishna iyer of Dondhi vilakam
street of Kallidaikurichi( The first
Sastha Preethi in Bangalore is conducted by this family)
Chella Pilai is supposed to be son of Dharma Sastha and
his place is occupied by the family of
Chella Vilas Appalam Muthuswami iyer as well as Chella Mani iyer .
Even to day in Sastha Preethi conducted in Cochin, Ernakulam And Noorni, and
the people of Karandhayar
palayam family are honoured there.
The very famous
Sampradhaya Sastha Preethi conducted by “Sri Maha Sasthrhru seva sangham
“ of Coimbatore is always conducted in
The Karanthar Palayam method (sampradhayam)
Sastha Preethi is the
Hospitality shown to the devotees to Dharma Sastha who is the lord of
the universe . so that he gets pleased. .The
first such Sastha Preethi was conducted
in Kallidai Kurichi town .As told earlier this town is also called Karanthayar Palayam.This has 18
agraharams .These have been divided in
to 8 Gramams.
They are
1.Vaidhyanatha puram 2. Thondhi Vilaakam 3 Ramachandra puram 4. Thennoor 5. Vahapuram
also called as Veerappa puram. 6.Patta
naayinaar puram 7.Mudhaliyappa
puram and 8.Ekambara puram.
Each of these Gramas
are called Kizhikkar. In the
Dakshinayana , in the month of aadi
on a Saturday The Satha Preethi is
conducted .Next day i. e on Sunday ,they would complete the function by
performing “Soorya Narayana pooja.”
This festival is
Called “Periya Adiyantharam” (great
arrangement).The village meeting for arranging it would be held in Sastham Kottai.
The Holder of the Kizhi for that year have to conduct all the festivals for one year.
This also includes Sankara Jayanthi “Sringeri acharya Varadanthi day”
All festivals
are celebrated by the monetary interest got
for the trust created for this
purpose.. Normally devotees of Sastha contribute
the funds for this purpose.
The previous
day to sastha Preethi “ i.e. on a Friday after 6 Pm
from the village temple of the
concerned Kizhi things like “Periya Adi yanthiram” (A bundle of palm leaf books) , The stick of
Dharma Sastha, His elephant vahana, the chain of
Sangili Bhothathaar “ the
minister of Dharma Sastha and Vattai
vilakku(This lamp is worshipped during sastha
Preethi) are brought by the elders of the Kizhi village and
for each of the people holding them, young people hold a coloured
Umbrella.
They come in a
grand manner accompanied by Nadaswaram
music and keep all of them in the
temple of Sastha. During that night a
huge white ash gourd is given to the
person who is going to represent sastha
during that year and he would cut it in to two and give it to the cook,
with a cry “Swamiye Saranam ayyappa”
Then lots are
taken before God as to who will serve what dish next day during Anna Dhana from The Village Kizhikar.
Next day i.e. on Saturday the sastha Preethi would be celebrated in the “Adhivaraha(Lakshmipathi)”
temple in Sannidhi street All functions
would be carried out in the Southern hall
of the temple.
The God would be
decorated in a pretty manner and The
God would be made to
occupy (avahanam) huge lamps.
Ganapathi in one
lamp, Guru in another lamp and Maha
Sastha along with poorna and Pushkalamba
in another lamp.
In a lamp facing south The minister of Dharma sastha called
Sri Bhoodathar would be made to
enter., A big stick and chain would be
kept before that lamp. And that lamp
would be decorated by a garland of Vadai
Then they will offer
flower garland to Sastha followed
by worship with chanting of Sastha
Sahasranamam , Sri Rudra
Parayanam, Reading of all four Vedas
and so on.
Then they will put four seats, one for the person who will represent Dharma Sastha,
another for son of Sastha called Chella pillai or Sri Sathyaka , Another for the minister Bhothathar and another for the Subsidiary Gods of Sastha like Karupanna Sami
and Yakshi
These seats would
be occupied from selected members of the
Kambangudi family.
Then the “Maha Meru Sastha” written by
Sri Manidasar containing
Sastha Preethi varavu songs would
be sung emotionally.
Then after taking auspicious
bath , lord Sastha would go. Two devotees holding a coloured
Umbrella would support and guide him by giving support with their hand and then
they would keep on singing Sastha
Varavu songs. Before him, one person would accompany holding the Vattai lamp., Before the
god his accompaniment Gods like Sangii
Bhothathaar, Kundanthadi bhothathaar, Karuppa Swami, Yakshi, Chella Pillai Sri
Sathyakan etc would keep on dancing and
going ahead..Devotees would keep on offering them tender coconut so that they do feel thirsty.
When they
reach the western gate of Perumal
temple, through a hole in the wall of one house The person representing Lord
Sastha would see. And elders have told us that he is seeing Billawadi Sastha and Ariyankavu sastha
through that hole. Then through
Melada Veedhi they will reach The Chidambareswarar temple and take bath in the steps of” Kannadiyan Kalvai”.Then all
of them would wear new cloths and through Vadakku Mada Veedhi enter Perumal
temple. There they will all sit in the pooja mantapa and Deeparadhanai would be shown to god,. The morning worship
would come to an end there.
Afterwards the
leaf bundle would be given to person representing Sastha and he would give it to the Kizhikkar of the
village and he would commence the Annadhanam to all the guests.,This feast would
continue for three hours. The feast would be held on the Prakaras of the Perumal temple .Normally four to five batches of people
would take food.
Sastha Preethi Payasam
A huge
Aduppu(stone stove) would be
dug and a huge vessel supported and carried
by more than 10 people would be kept on
the Stove.. The Payasam would be prepared in that .Since there is a belief that Payasam should be prepared under the supervision
of God, this would be prepared opposite to the Mantap whered decorated God is kept
Again on that
day, night worship, would
be done like morning, God would be given an auspicious bath .Naivedhyam
would be prepared and later there
would be Deeparadhana
Next day ie Sunday They will chant Adhithya Hrudayam and
Surya Namaskaram On that day annadhanam
would start at 10 AM,
In the evening there would be a meeting of the villagers.
There they will choose the Grama Kizhi who will do next years Sastha Preethi.
Along with playing of musical instruments and Sarana
Gosham of God, The periya adi Yanthiram, The Stick of God , Elephant Vahanam , Saram, Vattai Dheepam would
be given to the New Kizhi., They are supposed to take it and keep it safely
till next years Sastha Preethi
That nighttThere
would be special Garuda Seva to adhi
varaha perumal conducted by Maha Meru
Samooham.
Nowadays Sastha Preethi is conducted in the Sastha temple called “Then
kulathoor ayyan temple
Very huge
number of Devotees from various places come and join in this Sastha Preethi
Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa- I surrender to God Ayyappa
Then karanthapuri vaasane
Saranam ayyappa-I surrender to Ayyappa who lives in Then Karantha puri
Karanthayar palayarthuraivone Saranam mAyyappa-I surrender to Ayyappa who
lives in Karanthayar Palayam
Karuna sagara
Kadalone Saranam Ayyappa-I
surrender to Ayyappa who is ocean of mercy
Then kulathooril ayyane
saranam ayyappa_I surrender to Ayyappa who is lord of South Kulathoor
Kambamkudikkudaya
udamaye Saranam Ayyappa_I
surrender to Ayyappa who is property of Kamban gudi
Un Ponnadikku
adimaye Saranam Ayyappa-I
surrender to ayyappa to his golden feet
Samiye Saranam
Ayyappa- I surrender to God ayyappa
