|
Monthiyan Festival
This festival is held in the month of Adi at Thiruvalavayannallur
near Madurai.
The festival commences only if the deity gives permission
by the chirping of a lizard in particular direction or at a particular
spot, viz. in a mango or a coconut tree. Prayer continues till the lizard
chirps. At the chirping, a devotee get possessed and inspired and
dictates the mode of celebration. The streets are then decorated with
Margosa leaves, tied on straw ropes. On that day the priest of the
Ayyanar temple takes a token sod of earth from the temple tank for
making models of horses to be offered to the deity. He is paid a nominal
fee for preparing the earthen horses.
The horse models are taken to the Ayyanar temple
in a ceremonial procession with prescribed services to the
village deity Monthiyan, where the horse-models are mounted on a
cart. A party of Chakkiliayans, dressed in colourful costumes, come in
procession from the temple of Sonachami to the Monthiyan
temple. Carrying a palm-leaf basket containing unhusked paddy, a
small knife and a small pole. At the Monthiyan temple, the Chakkiliyan pujari
places the paddy at the feet of the horse-model, sacrifices a cock and
smears its blood on the eyes of the horse-model .While doing so, the pujari
has his eyes tied with a piece of white cloth. Then the horse model are
taken in procession to the Ayyanar temple headed
by the woman of the Kanakkan's family, who carry new earthen pots.
At the Ayyanar temple, the deity Ayyanar is worshipped and cooked
food and a bloody sacrifice are offered to the Ayyanar. On the fourth
and final day, the villagers celebrate 'bull-chasing'. The rope to tie
the bulls is prepared by the pallans out of straw and coir. When the rope
has been woven it is placed before the Kaniyalan, the clan
deity of the Pallans. The Pallan pujari, after some religious
oblations gets possessed and hands over the rope
to the pallans, which is then taken in procession to the Monthiyan
temple, where God's blessings are invoked to the coir. One end of the
coir is fastened to a pole firmly run in to the ground. Four persons
keep the rope intact at this end. The other end of the rope
is tied round the neck of a bull. The bull is decorated with garlands
and a token coin and eatables are tied to its neck. The crowd
scares the bull which runs amuck around the pole carrying the long
heavy rope and gets tired. Of such bulls brought to participate in the
chase, the first bull will always be that of a Muslim. After this to the
village deity and the festival is happily concluded.
|
