How one can call it a religious ritual? Iron hooks will
be pierced in the flesh of men and they will be lifted up with pulley and rope.
Then the Thookkam Chad, which can be called primitive cranes will be taken
around the temple and the people will dance to the rhythm of drum beats. All
this time the men who are offering this particular offering will be kept
hanging. Yes. Whether you believe it or not, such a bizarre ritual was in Kerala
till the recent past. Now it has been banned by law due to the protest from
civil activists and social workers.
Elevator Devi Temple is located about six kilometers in the
northwest side of Angamally town. The presiding deity here is Ma Durga. This
region was being under the rule of Paravoor Kings on those days. The king of
Alamode, the neighbor country used to create many troubles here by sending
miscreants to this country. When the troubles went beyond certain limits, the
Paravoor King approached the famous astrologer of Kerala at Pazhoor Padippura. He
told King that all these are happening due to the anger of Devi Durga and the
King should complete one year of worship at Kodungalloor Devi temple to solve the
issue. The king did as per the instruction of the astrologer from Pazhoor
Padippura and completed one year of worship at Kodungalloor Devi Temple. While he
was returning to his palace after completing one year’s worship, the Goddess
appeared in front of him near the banks of a river. King decided to construct a
temple at that place and did it. He also decided to sacrifice human beings here
once in a year. It has been decided that one human being will be sacrificed at
the temple on the tenth day of Malayalam Month Medam (On Pathamudayam) every
year. He ordered that each house will supply one man for sacrifice according to
their turn.
One particular year, the turn has come for a family where
only a widow mother was living along with her only son. According to the
custom, the only son will be sacrificed that year. Hapless mother, who cannot
fight the custom and the might of king started praying Goddess to help her. He
had nobody else to take care of her and if her son will get sacrificed, her
life also will be in trouble.
The man who is supposed to be sacrificed had to observe
certain ritual formalities for about forty-one days and this man too started
observing it. He had no other way than obeying the customs prevailing in the
society and the order of the king. At the same time, the hapless mother too
started worshipping Maa Durga to save her son.
The D’ day approached fast and the temple priests have come
to their house along with band troupes to take the person to the place of
sacrifice. The custom was to take the person with all celebrations such as band
and dance. Then they will take him to the front door of the temple where the
person meant for sacrifice will remain some time praying. Then the main priest
will come out from the sanctum sanctorum and apply turmeric powder on the
forehead of the person. Then the person will be taken to the place of sacrifice
by the temple oracle, who will invoke the divine power of the presiding deity.
Once the man has been sacrificed, nobody will enter the temple for one week.
The belief is that the Goddess will come there along with her disciples to
dance and enjoy. By the seventh day, the dead body will be finished almost as
dogs and foxes will eat it. Then the temple workers will come there and clean
up the premises and the normal rituals will get a start.
On that year too, the person has been taken to the temple.
The widowed and old mother too went to the temple. She has hidden a small sharp
knife inside her dress. Her plan was to kill herself if the goddess did not
come to help her son.
The rituals at the temple started as usual. The priest applied
turmeric powder on the forehead of the man and the temple oracle came there. To
the utter shock of the priest and devotees, all the lights in the temple went
off and a strong wind started blowing. They all heard a voice from the sky saying
that man should not be sacrificed and nobody should be sacrificed in the
future. Thus human sacrifice has been stopped from that day onwards.
At the place of human sacrifice, a new ritual has been
designed by the priests and it is Thookkam. Here the man, who is offering should
undergo certain rituals and should follow certain lifestyles for forty-one
days. He should consume alcohol and nonvegetarian food. He should not indulge
in sexual activities. On the forty-first day, he will be taken to the temple
with the grand band and drum beats. There the priest will apply turmeric powder on
his body and then the iron hooks will be pierced into his flesh on his back. Then
he will be lifted to the air using rope and pulley. The crane sort of vehicle
will be pushed around the temple with people hanging on it to complete one
round.
Anyway, now this ritual no more exists thanks to the initiative taken by many human activists and social reformers.
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