Vishu Festival 2011 in Kerala

Vishu 2011 Festival in Kerala

Vishu festival is an important festival celebrated in Kerala, South India. Vishu is the new year festival of Kerala, and is observed on the 1st day of the Malayalam month of Medam (usually April 14th or 15th every year). Malayalis celebrate Vishu as the astronomical or zodiac New Year in Kerala. In 2011, Vishu festival is on 15th April 2011, Friday.

Vishukkani or Vishu Kani

Vishukkani is the most important event in Vishu. Vishu Kani literally means “the first thing to be seen on Vishu day”. Visnukani is a traditional ritual of arranging several auspicious things to be seen on the Vishu day in the early morning. Some of the important things which are arranged include an idol of Lord Krishna, nilavilakku, Kanikonna flowers (Cassia fistula), raw rice, golden cucumber, betel leaves, arecanut, metal mirror, coins, and coconut. The custom is that every member of the family has to wake up at dawn and go the puja room or the place where Vishukkani is arranged and open the eyes and see the Vishu Kani as th first sight for a better year ahead.

Vishu Kaineetam

Vishukaineetam is a ritual of giving money (earlier it was gold and silver coins) by elder members of the family to children, tenants and servants.

Vishu Festival in Kerala Temples

The famous temples in Kerala – Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple, Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple, Neyyattinkara Sree Krishna Swamy Temple will arrange "Vishukkani Kazhcha" on the early hours of "Vishu" day for devotees. There will be a heavy rush by thousands of devotees to have a Vishukkani Kazhcha of their favourite gods. Though all temples in Kerala celebrate Vishu festival, Vishukkani in temples dedicated to Lord Krishna and Lord Vishnu are of more importance.

New Year Festivals in other Indian States

Vishu is similar to the New Year festivals of other states in India - Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Bisu in Tulu Nadu region in Karnataka, Naba Barsha in Bengal, Bihu in Assam, Baisakhi in Punjab, and Vishuva Sankranti in Orissa.

Temple treasure set to go beyond Rs 1 lakh crore

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The fate of the vault 'B', which is the only one remaining to be opened in the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple for preparing an inventory, will be decided on Friday. The seven-member committee directed by the Supreme Court to take stock of the treasures and list them would meet on Friday to take a decision. The vault is likely to be opened by the end of next week only.

The contents of 'B' vault that has not been opened for more than a century are believed to outsmart those which had already been revealed. Precious stones and large quantities of antique gold ornaments and gold utensils are supposed to be stashed in this chamber which is closed with strong metal doors.

Sources said when the belongings of 'B' vault are valued, the total asset of the temple may cross the stunning sum of Rs1 lakh crore. This will make Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple the richest temple in the world.

On Monday, the 'F' chamber, which is one of the 'nityadi ara' (opened daily where items for daily use are kept), was opened to list the articles. It was found that the chamber consists of pooja utensils, jewellery of the Lord, several small and big idols, golden umbrellas and other items. The exercise was done in the chamber in the presence of the 'nambi' as only he is supposed to enter and handle the items. Total value of these articles will be around Rs 10 crores.

The inventorying exercise began in the temple vaults on June 27. The small vaults such as 'C', 'D' and 'E' were opened initially. The vault 'A' was opened on Thursday where the treasure trove found have made the temple the richest in the country. The examiners will submit an interim report to the Supreme Court in a day or two.

Lord Vishnu's royal servants guard his riches

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As Sree Padmanbha Swamy temple's glittering gems are valued and tagged, it's not just the diamonds that shine but also the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore.

It's an ode to the family's unflinching devotion and integrity that not a penny has gone missing from the billions stored in the cellars of the centuries-old shrine administered by the royals.

Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, current head of the royal family, refuses to comment on the stock-taking exercise till the last paisa is counted. "Till then, only my eyes would speak," he insists.

What makes the family's story vis-a-vis the temple all the more compelling is that the rulers always knew of the riches, yet never touched them. "The riches are mentioned in the book "Pradhanapetta Mathilakom Records" (Important Mathilakom Records) compiled by acclaimed Malayalam poet Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer and published in 1941. They also figure in the "Kottaram" (Palace) manual which runs into 12 volumes," says noted historian M G Sasibhushan. "These records refer to the sacred cellars from which treasure is being dug out."

Observers talk of the symbolic significance of the practice of royal family members dusting sand off their feet when they emerge from the shrine. "It was meant to convey that the family members would not take home or misappropriate even a speck of sand belonging to Padmanabha," they say. In fact, the present head, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, religiously follows the rule of paying of Rs 151 and 55 paise to the temple if he fails to make it to the shrine on any day.

Unlike other royals, the Travancore family has stayed away from opulence with descendants more inclined towards art and culture.

"There was also a rule that the affairs of the palace should be run from the proceeds of its spice business and not with money from the state treasury," says Sasibhushan. This is followed even now. The present ruler's nephew Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, next in line to head the family, runs the Aspinwall Company, which to this day supplies pepper to Buckingham Palace and many more European royals," Sasibhushan says.

Though the kingdom of Travancore lapsed in 1949 following the Instrument of Accession with the Union of India, the management of the temple remained with the royal family by virtue of a covenant.

Travancore extended from Kanyakumari (now in Tamil Nadu) in the south to Aluva (Ernakulam district) in the north. Padmanabhapuram (now in TN) was its first capital, but this was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram by Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma, better known as Dharma Raja, so called because he refused to let go of refugees who had fled Malabar following Tipu Sultan's onslaught. He succeeded Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, first ruler of Travancore, and is credited with formation of the state.

The family, which ruled over erstwhile Travancore, has had a long lineage of visionary rulers. In fact, it was a bold move by the first Marthanda Varma in 1750 that inextricably bonded the temple and the palace. The king donated the wealth of the kingdom to the deity Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu) and ruled the state as "Padmanabha Dasa" (servant of
Padmanabha).

Some important names in the family are Swathi Thirunal (1813-1846), legendary Carnatic musician, who promoted English education and the last king Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma (1912-1991), who abolished the death sentence making Travancore the first territory in India to do so. The last king issued the landmark Temple Entry Proclamation in 1936 doing away with the ban on "untouchables" entering temples. C P Ramaswami Iyer, then Diwan influenced the king's decisions.

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Lord's riches worth more than Rs 1 lakh cr

NEW DELHI: The Kerala temple treasure find keeps getting bigger. It has already captured the imagination of the country and has stirred a debate about the value and how it should be deployed.

While a final word is yet to emerge about the exact valuation, reports that have appeared peg it at around Rs 1 lakh crore. The staggering amount can help the cash-strapped Kerala state fund several of its programmes and transform its economy.

The amount that is being bandied around could also meet the cost of rolling out the Food Security Act (around Rs 70,000 crore) and the rural job guarantee scheme spending of Rs 40,000 crore.

If deployed for economic benefits, it could meet the Centre's education budget for two-and-a-half years and is Rs 82,000 crore more than what the government hopes to collect this year. It can help meet the central government interest and debt payment liability for over four months and is equivalent to seven month's defence spending.

Experts say the value of the treasure trove could be more if the antique value is taken into account. An independent evaluation by international experts could push up the valuation significantly while it may fetch a premium from investors if it is auctioned because of the religious sentiments and heritage value.

The value so far is more than the budget of three states — Delhi, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand and at least 50% higher than Posco's proposed investment of $12 billion (Rs 54,000 crore) in India. It equals BP's investment plans of $20 billion (Rs 90,000 crore) in India, including acquisition of a stake in Reliance Industries' oil and gas acreages. The value is equal to nearly one-third the market value of India's top firm, Reliance Industries Ltd, and almost equal to software giant Wipro's market capitalization of Rs 1.04 lakh crore.

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Bad weather suspends Amarnath pilgrimage

The Amarnath pilgrimage was suspended this morning because of bad weather on both routes leading to the cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag District .

Earlier on Thursday, a third batch of 2, 163 devotees left the Jammu base camp for the Amarnath shrine amidst tight security.

The pilgrims included 1340 male, 529 female, 97 children and 197 sadhus. They left in a cavalcade of 55 vehicles.

Adequate security arrangements have been made for pilgrims from Pahelgam and Baltal base camps upto the holy cave.

Administration has made every possible arrangement along the route for the pilgrims.

The helicopter service has also started for the pilgrims from Baltal to Panjtarni and from Pahalgam to Panjtarni.

The one-way heli-fare for Baltal-Panjtarni and Pahalgam-Panjtarni has been fixed at 2425 and 3450 rupees respectively. Children, in the age group of 2-12 years, will be required to pay half of the aforesaid prices.

The Amarnath cave shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main shrine is claimed to be over 5,000-years-old.

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18,000 pilgrims proceed towards Amarnath cave shrine

SRINAGAR: More than 18,000 pilgrims were on Thursday allowed to move towards the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir on the second day of the annual pilgrimage, officials said.

"A total of 15,463 pilgrims were allowed to proceed towards the holy cave from north Kashmir's Baltal base camp this morning," a senior paramilitary officer said.

Around 3,000 pilgrims were allowed to proceed towards the cave shrine from south Kashmir's Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp on Thursday, said a senior police officer from Pahalgam.

Hundreds of buses, taxis and private cars carrying pilgrims from different parts of the country continu to arrive.

In its advisory issued for the pilgrims, the local weather office on Thursday forecast cloudy skies with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers along both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes.

Heavy traffic jams on the Srinagar-Baltal road, especially from Ganderbal town towards the base camp, have affected normal life in many areas.

"It has taken us six hours to negotiate the heavy traffic jam from Baltal to Ganderbal town. It is quite frustrating," said Suhail Ahmad, a local resident.

Locals in Haripora village, which is adjacent to the Manigam transit camp of the yatra, also complained of noise pollution.

"Since yesterday, there has been so much loudspeaker activity for the entire night that one cannot sleep," said Abdul Majid, a resident of the village.

Authorities are battling hard to control the heavy rush of pilgrims.

"The problem is that we are fully geared to receive the pilgrims who have registered for the day but the huge rush of unregistered pilgrims is frustrating our plans," said an official.

The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) which conducts the annual yatra has also issued an advisory to the pilgrims making it clear that unregistered pilgrims would not be allowed to undertake the yatra.

"We have to look after the welfare of the pilgrims. We also have to ensure that the delicate environment along the yatra route and at the base camps is not adversely affected," an SASB official said.

"This is not possible if we allow unforeseen number of pilgrims to undertake the pilgrimage. There has to be discipline and system. This can only be maintained once we know the exact number of yatris we would be handling each day," he added.

Around 25,900 pilgrims, including the unregistered ones, proceeded towards the shrine on Wednesday from both the camps.

The 13,500 feet high Himalayan cave houses a stalagmite which is believed to represent the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.

The 14-km long mountain trek from Baltal to the cave shrine passes through glaciers, mountain streams and tricky narrow paths where pilgrims have to move very carefully.

The 42-km long mountain trek from Pahalgam to the cave shrine passes through Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panjtarni where pilgrims make night halts before reaching the cave shrine.

The Pahalgam route is the traditional one. It is considered to be safer than the Baltal route although it takes three days for pilgrims to reach the cave shrine while pilgrims return via the Baltal route the same day.

The pilgrimage will last until Aug 13, when Hindus will celebrate Raksha Bandhan.

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Heavy rain halts Amarnath Yatra

NEW DELHI: The annual Amarnath Yatra was on Friday temporarily suspended from the Baltal route as heavy rain continued to lash parts of north India.

Downpour triggered a flood-like situation in southern Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and caused landslides in Uttarakhand, where hundreds of pilgrims were reportedly stranded at various places. "The Amarnath Yatra from Baltal route has been stopped temporarily due to inclement weather. A decision on allowing the pilgrims to proceed further will be taken only after the track is declared safe," a Yatra committee official said in Srinagar.

Hundreds of pilgrims going to three shrines of Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand were stranded due to landslides. At least 10 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state in the last fortnight.

Puish Rautela, executive director of Uttarakhand Disaster Management Mitigation Centre at Dehradun, said highways along the Rishikesh-Gangotri , Dehradun-Yamnotri and the Rishikesh-Badrinath routes suffered damage . The Rajasthan government has taken up rescue operation. At least 2,000 people in several flood-hit villages of Baran and Kishanganj have been moved to safer places. Baran district authorities put the crop loss at Rs 70 crore.

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