THE VYNI PADATH HOUSE

THE CENTURIES-OLD RESIDENTS OF PULAPPATTA

ENSCONSED faraway from the hustle and bustle of city life of most cities in Kerala , lies the place called Pulappatta. Pulappatta, as a scrawny small village, is naturally poised to drive appreciation and awe into the hearts of anyone who sets his feet there. A journey by car or bus or any motorized transportation for that matter would take you through strange-sounding townships like Mundur, Pattambi and Kongad. Kongad chantei is the busy market-place and a focal point for the villagers here. Mundur has its veil of notoriety as several criminal activities there in the past has stigmatized it until today. The landmark Pallakad Junction Railway station lies just about half-hour’s drive from Pulappata . Most of the trains from Kerala to other parts of India make their stop-over here. It sure is the separation point between the quiet and shy Pulappatta and the rest of Kerala or “God’s own land”. Just like elsewhere in Kerala, Pulappatta is noted for coconut trees, hot chaya. and fast talking Malayalee males draped in their moondus and shirts. The striking difference being that people here are more gregarious and have the time to spare to talk to you. They are friendlier and have a penchant for helping any pathetic traveller who has lost his way. The natural set-up and the untouched vegetation with a towering mountain range as the backdrop makes it more rustic and real.

THE BLANKLET OF MIST AND DEW AT PULAPPATTA

Pulappatta on the Google search Maps would appear as Pulpetta – for reasons unknown. The beautiful aspect of Pulappatta lies, as mentioned earlier, in the contended and gregarious personalities who live there. With large bungalows amidst thick rubber trees and vegetation, Pulappata may giveaway, at first glance, as an Ayurvedic Health Farm or some sort of country resort. This is so in the early morning hours as dew and mist blanket the entirety of the village under its hazy charm. Colourful chirping birds, striped squirrels, monkeys and the ringing of the temple bells to the accompaniment of the hollow sound of blowing conches invigorates your inner core. Added to these , the fresh smell of the blossoming flowers enchant and entice you so much so that you are elevated into a mood pattern you have never endured or experienced before. An absolute rejuvenation of your soul is instantly felt and silence befall upon you. Pulappatta is certainly not a health farm ( at least not yet). The residents here, are resolute in their outlook – they are there to stay, to live and expire . Many have had their ancestral homes here. One such family belongs to that of the Vyni Padath House.

The household has been there for more than a century and is famed for its Ayappan Villaku pooja – fostered and brought to fame by the late Narayanan Nair . His grave dots the short side-wall of the Ayappan temple that lie majestically in the compound of this household. Around the household the terrain rises and young rubber trees and shrubs of flowers add beauty to nature. They are there to cater to the livelihood.

THE CENTURY- OLD AYAPPAN TEMPLE

(with the late Narayanan Nair's samadhi beside)

Today, the late Narayanan Nair and his late wife Narayani are survived by just two of his offsprings namely Unni Krishnan and Parvathy Amma (Ammini ). The other children born out of the union between the late Narayanan Nair and Narayani amma were Appu (Ayappan Nair), Narayanan Nair (Chinnan). The male children had followed their late father, often by compulsion and fearing dire consequences for disobeying, to attend practically all Ayappan poojas in the neighbourhood. All of them were adept at reciting the Ayappan slokas in prose and from memory to the accompaniment of the udukku. The slokas spans Ayappan’s history in its entirety. The late Appu ettan was a man who had worked hard at bringing the family up, after the fathers’ demise. and was the working-horse of the family. He was a devout Ayappan worshipper but fate brought about his untimely death in the end.

Unni Krishnan Ettan and Parvathy Amma (Ammini)

KADAMPALIPURAM PANCHAYAT BOARD PHOTO WITH AMMINI EDATI SEATED

However, today only two souls, namely Unni Krishnan and Parvathy Amma are there to recount the past and make it live. The main dynamo and livewire of the present-day Vyni Padath House is the daring, straight-speaking and charming Parvathy Amma (Ammini).. Despite the fact that age has caught up with her, generally she is hale and hearty. She is no pushover because she was once a committee-member of the local Panchayat Board - a much coveted position in the village of Pullapatta. Today as she speaks tears pour out from her eyes. She is indeed an embodiment of pristine love and holds high regard to her forefathers and especially to her late uncle Appukuttan Nair – a strict man but a man with love - and a person who was of immense help to his sister, the late Narayani Amma during turbulent times.

The Late Appukuttan Nair

Brother of Narayani Amma and maternal uncle of Unni Krishnan and Parvathy Amma (Ammini)

Parukutty and Madawan A Nair have been to the ancestral home of Vyni Padam. Madawan A. Nair together with his family make frequent visits to see Ammini edathi and Unni Krishnan ettan. Over the long span of years Madawan A Nair had always maintained correspondence with Ammini edathi (even as early as 1966 as a school-going child) . In fact, he had strived all these years to maintain and nourish the connection with his paternal cousins (Ammini and Unni Krishnan ) and to resurrect that bond that his late father, had with the Vyni Padath House - all for the single purpose of family togetherness. Madawan A . Nair through his hard work and effort also rebuilt the family's pride and economic situation of Appukuttan Nair and Naniammah. Appukuttan Nair had lost all his wealth acquired through business because of ill-advice and association with the wrong company- in fact he wanted to settle down near his sister's place in Pulappatta and had acquired pieces of land there. However, destiny had other designs and plans for him. Due to the adamence of his wife Naniammah he abandoned this idea subsequently. Until his untimely death Appukuttan Nair had an undying love for his blood sister, Narayani , whom he would say was the next best thing apart from his mother whom he could hardly remember.

Ammini edathi’s husband, the late Sankaranarayanan (of the Pulandacherri Kalam ) was indeed a perfect match. A quiet man with a stern look, his emphasis was on quality education.

A staunch follower of Gandhian / Ramakrishna / Vivekandian principles, he lived a simple life readily rendering help to those who needed it. He succumbed to an untimely cardiac arrest a few years ago leaving the family in a lurch momentarily. He left behind his siblings namely Pathmavathy, Parvathy, Kunyilakshmi, Kamalthevi, Saraswathy and Vethavathi. As the sole brother he labored hard to get his sisters married off to men of quality. His family home replete with a framework in teak stands ostentatiously not far away within a thick foliage of green leaves and towering huge trees. A wide spread of compound beckons anyone who sets foot on it. A palanquin made largely of teak lies discreetly in one corner of the majestic house – reminiscing the splendour, dignity, pride and fame his household had at one time exuded in Pulappatta. Kuttan, Ram an and Sakunthala have vivid memories of this home wherein they grew up for most of their younger days.

The Sri Patheeswaran Shiva Khsetram has a lot of memories of the late Sankaranarayanan – it is here he spent most of his time towards the end of his life. His dreams for the betterment of the temple are now brought to reality by his eldest son Raja Rajan(Kuttan) . His effort and time spent to realise his late father's dreams as regards the temple is praiseworthy and admirable. It is resplendant of the filial piety and sacrifice that permeates the soul of this young man who by qualification and training is adept at electrical engineering works.

Today, he also manages the entire household with Ammini edathi's advice when needed. Certainly, this is no easy task considering he has his own family with three young boys to cater for. In this regard, his virtous wife Sathee Devi, a community nurse by training, is certainly of assistance when required. Apart from the management of the temple he also undertakes the management of the marketing and management of latex produced from the rubber trees at their household .

Kuttan, together with the help of his paternal aunts and their families strive hard to ensure that the temple - the sole Sivan kshetram in the village grows to even greater heights. The compound has been widened and the pond cleaned and upgraded . Lying amidst surrounding green foliage and towering trees eluding cold breeze in the evenings the kshetram is indeed a sight to behold. The Ayapan temple at Vyni Padath House and this kshetram are somewhat busy simultaneously during the Ayappan villaku pooja and the veylichapadu pooja. The households of this entire village gear up to witness the colourful traditional rendition of music , the pomp and gaiety plus the satya that ensues.

THE SHIVA KSHETRAM

Unni Krishnan ettan in contrast with Ammini edathi is a personality of his own. He had worked far and wide – with the military and the District Collector –essentially as a cook. A carefree man with a stubbornness of his own when it comes to quitting smoking beedis he certainly is a storerehouse of knowledge. Today his pastime is reading papers and smoking beedi . From his first marriage with Janaki he is blessed with a son named Haridasan and from his subsequent marriage with Letchumi Kutty (Kamalachi) he has as kids Nirmala, Rajan and Geetha. .

Despite his advanced age, he spends most of his time with the family of Ammini edathi and makes occassional visits to his house. A thin, wiry and vibrant chararcter, his skill in the Malayalee culinaries has remained unabated just like his penchant for smoking beedis. He speaks a smattering of Tamil and Hindi apart from his mother-tongue. He is outwardly very conversant in the Uddukan paathu of Ayappan.

SOME PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE VYNI PADATH HOUSEHOLD

THE ASPIRING YOUNG STARS ALL POISED TO ENHANCE THE NAME OF VYNI PADATH HO USE IN THE NEXT ERA ARE AS BELOW :

1. Arjun - the son of Kuttan / Sathee Devi
2. Abilash - the son of Kuttan / Sathee Devi
3. Unni Kuttan - the son of Kuttan / Sathee Devi
3. Aparna - the daughter of Balan/Sakuntala
4. Appu - the son of Balan / Sakuntala
5. The growing kids of Ram and Sheeja

"LIVE your dreams for you have been anchored deep and secured by your forefathers in a household that is rich in values, determination and morals. Breathe life into your dreams by sheer determination and grit - nothing else . LET THE FIRE within you ignite and burn infinitely until success is in your hands. To that we all Pray together "

THE AYAPPAN VILLAKU POOJA

The Ayappan Villaku pooja held at the Vyni Padath House is a spectacular panaroma of colours, music, prayers and free food (saadya) - let alone the aura of divinity it purports to invoke. Adorned in their coloured niceties, the local inhabitants throng the Ayappan temple, from the early hours of the morning to witness the pooja unfold systematically. The tantri chants the mantras to the accompaniment of the bell and the conch plus the beat of the deafening cenda. Interspliced among these, the rendition of the uduku cascades into the atmosphere rhytmically .The overpowering fragrance of the jasmine flowers, scent, incense and uthu patthis in toto bring forth the entire Vaikundam to earth. The magical spell of the villaku pooja at once overpowers you and silences you immediately. You become subservient to the going -on around you. Slowly and casually an inner stirring of the soul within can be felt. Nothing else baffle you.

In Sabarimala Sree Ayyapan worship, strict observance of cleanliness, one-minded and absolute focus on the prayers done is very very important. Ayappan is known to be a warrior prince- His purpose being to annhilate the demonness Mahisshi and no other.

The highlight of the pooja is the vellichapadu. The Vellicahpadu performers are thin, wiry characters. As they come into the temple, they take their official bow and get in their routine rendition of dancing. The chenda dictates the tempo, velocity and ferociousness. Armed with swords, they slash at each other - usually they are a pair . Moving slow at first ,these dancers then go into maximum speed, electrifying those around. The stamina they possess is unmatchable by our standards. The sharp swords in their hands are precariously held and could prove lethal if the dancers loose their footing. Their dances usually depict the fight between Ayappan and Varvar or that with the Mahishi. Eventually, they phase out, usually collapsing at the temple in the hands of the senior devotees. Before that, they bless they family members and others. In their frenzied, trance-like state they are deemed to be in the Ayappan adn Bhagavathi bhava (attirubute) and are thus honoured and respected throughout vellichapadu.

The saadya or the provision of free food by the Vyni Padath Household is another matter altogether. The food and drinks flow free all around the clock until the vilakku pooja is over and the devotees are fed to their hearts' content and leave satiated - blessing the family members.
The Ayappan Villaku pooja is a rarity these days - especially one that is replete with the uddukan pathu and velichapadu . It cannot be found elsewhere as it is in the Vyni Padath household.


The Uddukan pathu is singularly the sole authoritative version of Swami Ayappan's genesis - unfolding from His unique birth until His ascencion up the sarvatnya peedam at Ponnamabala hill. Passed down by way of mouth from one generation to another it retains in its antiquated form the unadulterated essence of truth. Today's books on Ayappan worship have varied versions written to the whims and fancies of the writers.