Remains from the past

 

Remains from the past

It may look strange but Ordinary mortals like me have (can afford ?) the luxury of " Doing Nothing ", and belong to a majority of my age. No activity costs nothing , rather saves money , which is all the more essential when you have less means to sustain, with no pension or  " Amrutkal " benefits to call for. Time and tides flew over fast, with so much  progress all around,  the coveted title of Senior Citizen status also bestowed on us.

 It was  in one such  moment when the monotony and boredom is  to taking over,  a call came from one of the nephew from  my hometown with an invitation to visit  and bless them  on their newly built house. Am I not fortunate to get this opportune occasion to travel back in time and to retrieve so much that is stored so diligently. Equally enthusiastic was my better half when one senior member of  her father's lineage with whom there was no contact for the last three decades , received a  call and extended a firm request to be present on a family gathering.. " Sneha Sangamam ". It was  rather  a coincidence and surprise that both the venue and dates were comfortable for us and there was no second thought on a prospective  journey.

We have Kumaran Nair, son of Sankunni Nair as Driver, arranged by my brother to escort us and at our disposal. Having been in a Private firm in Chennai for long years, he  had cut the Nair surname for all practical purposes and liked to be called Kumaran in Tamil slang and not Kumaaran. His decision was adopted much before the TN Govt. imposed the directive to do away with the surnames , as a measure to remove the social stigma ? attached to them! So we have Thambu Street , Linghi Street  ( Chetty removed ),  Bhashyam Road, CP Road ( Iyengar, Iyer was cut ),  the famous Dr. Road ( which Dr ? Nair  cut) etc etc.  The irony is that  the same Dravidian dispensations  is now bent upon  implementing the Caste Census sooner  than later so that the Votes doesn't go away from their  kitty !.  

Coming  back, at Palakkad our journey in the morning was planned to start by offering prayers first in the nearby temple - Kaipathi Ambalam at Hemabika Nagar, the original name being Kallekulangara Bhagavathi / Emoor Bhagavathy Ambalam .

 The chief deity here is Goddess Hemambika, Parvathi but the idol worshipped is an "upraised hand," behind which there is a legendary tale. The Goddess once agreed to appear before the priest  on the condition he will not disclose it to anyone. But the excited devotee, unable to hold it within himself, told everyone, and when the goddess appeared before him, seeing the small crowd that had gathered there, She vanished immediately, and all that the devotees could see were Her upraised hand !.

The specialty of the temple is in its unique idol and also the fact that it is surrounded by the pond that surrounds the temple, signifying that the deity emerged from there.

Also it is believed the deity takes three forms in a day: Saraswati in the morning, Laxmi in the noon, and as Durga in the evening.

There is also a snippet about this temple. It seems the former Prime Minister of India, Smt. Indira Gandhi visited this temple after the Congress split along with Sri. Karunakaran ex-CM, Kerala, She was impressed by  the serene beauty of the locality and also Goddess and made the palm of the goddess as her election symbol which  gave her huge margin in the election . 

After our prayers  we left for  the town wherein Palghat Fort- Tipu's  Kota is situated.  

It is an old fort situated in the heart of Palakkad Town. It was recaptured from British Regiment and rebuilt grandly by Sultan Hyder Ali in 1766 A.D and  one of the best preserved heritage forts in Kerala, and among the must-visit places during Palakkad trip. At the entrance to the fort, there is a temple known as Kota ambalam (fort temple) with Lord Hanuman as the main deity. Inside, there is a Martyr’s Column and an open-air auditorium called Rappadi, (named after a songbird that sings at night). The Palakkad sub-jail is also situated inside the fort. The Fort Maidan today, is a popular venue for expos, fairs, circuses and political meetings. And the nicely maintained Garden as walker's path .

The Fort Hanuman Temple is a must see here. A lovely icon of Lord Hanuman is found near the entrance. This tiny Hanuman was decorated with some lovely flowers and a ' Vadai Malai '. The fragrance from the combination was wafting through while we offered our prayers. A silver sheet emblazoned with the image of Lord Rama can be seen in this old shrine. 

Our next destination was my nephew's  house which is on the outskirts of the town, near Kodunthirapully Village, Gramam Road which leads to the Agraharam, an old Brahmin settlement . Our hosts were  waiting for us, we Pravasis eagerly, and  received  with warmth, meeting after an unusually long period of three- four years.  Once the initial discussions were over on both sides, the new House was shown to us in depth . It is beautifully built with most modern infra and facilities unthinkable in a small village few years back. As most admit that Kerala is  place where there  is no noticeable division between village or town. 

The announcement , 'Lunch is ready'  has already been noticed much earlier by us, as the pleasant aroma couldn't be wished away. The surprise was more on  the  Dining table, the wide Banana Leaf was overspread with items specially made for us . Let me  attack the first item with a brief .  Venpongal - moong dal and rice cooked with flavor of ginger , pepper and jeera. Vada- it's for nothing that this golden fried circle of crispiness is the key to every south Indian's heart. Sambar- Wars have been fought over bad pronunciations of sambar. This aromatic blend of dal and vegetables in a flavor packed masala just has no contenders. Rasam - Is not this light yet nutricious and packing  a punch watery dish was elevated to superpower  status during Covid ?.  Potato Fry- who can resist succulent morsels of potato immersed in a  irresistable  mix of  flavors.  Beans usili - Beans married to lentils in a happy union, a taste that will surprise anyone. Curd Pachadi- curd, cocunut  and jeera- the combo that creates a lot of joyful culinary tales. Manga  vellai  pachadi- A sweet mango relish that will have  you craving for more!  Cocunut chutney - Never under estimate the power of a simple and spicy chutney. Pickle- guaranteed to tickle the taste buds, are not to be missed. Appalam - the more nutricious cousin of Pappadam , this crispy delight is fortified with urad dal.  Now comes the deserts.:  Kasi Halwa- South India's answer to Petha, this luscious  sweet made with white pumpkin will rock your world. Lastly, Paruppu Payasam - an eternal favorite , this delectable dish slow cooked in jaggery and ghee with a final topping of cashew and nuts. Protein high and refined sugar free,  this one ticks all the right boxes.  Still you are not filled the belly, Rice and curd is waiting in bowls readily !.

Proximity to Agraharam seem to have changed the menu and dietary habits too, of the family. When the belly is full , both the head and mind wanted to rest. My wife has already been  dragged on  to their privacy like the tiger  its prey .

 Suddenly I  remembered and noticed  '' PRATI SMRITI " , the decorated board,  name given to the house at the Main Gate.  It was the other  day  I heard from my  friend's home meant for sale , a similar name  " MUDGALYA BHAVANAM" . Something  strange and unheard  to a house. 

My mind was wandering with the thought ; Are we not a story-obsessed people. Who said that ' The universe is not made of atoms, but of stories'. India probably is the only one that thrives vibrantly because we continue to celebrate our stories. Yes, I got it. 

According to Mahabharata, when Pandavas in exile were residing in Dvaitavana (forest), Sage Veda Vyasa  visited them  and suggested to Yudhishtira that he should send Arjuna to  Heaven to acquire Divine weapons. He taught the powerful ' PratiSmriti ' mantras to him in private and requested  to teach Arjuna  after full Tapasya and reverence before proceeding to Himalayas. Arjuna later acquires many divine weapons namely-  Vajra, Varuna and Pasupata  from Indra, Varuna, and Shiva respectively which will be used on Kauravas in the War. With Guru Bhakti anything is possible.!

In the epic Mahabharata, 'Pratismriti' refers also to the Yaksha Prasna- known as the "Questions of the Yaksha." Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandavas, encountered a Yaksha who asked him a series of questions. Yudhishthira answered the questions correctly, and as a result, the Yaksha granted him a boon. Yudhishthira asked for the life of his brothers, who had gone there to fetch water, disobeying Yaksha fallen unconscious due to thirst. The Yaksha then revealed himself to be Yama, the god of death, and praised Yudhishthira for his righteousness and wisdom. This event is known for testing Yudhishthira's wisdom and righteousness, and it is considered a significant episode in the Mahabharata .

Again Mahabharata offers an account of Mudgala, a virtuous sage who lived in Kurukshetra with his wife, Nalayani, also called Indrasena, and his son. He is said to have subsisted merely on grains of rice, and performed a rite known as ishtikrita. He is described to have been so devoted that Indra and Devas themselves appeared in his abode in person to partake in his sacrifices on the full moon and the new moon. Whenever he offered grains of rice to his learned guests, they increased hundredfold, so that all the Brahmins who visited were able to be satisfied.

 Having heard about Mudgala's austere lifestyle, Sage Durvasa visited his ashrama in order to test him. Appearing before the sage's presence in the nude, he demanded food from him. Unprovoked, Mudgala offered Durvasa all the food that he had. After eating his meal, Durvasa smeared the leftovers all over his body. This continued for a few days, and Mudgala  never rose to anger, ignoring all of Durvasa's eccentric  behaviours. Pleased, Durvasa decided that Mudgala would go to Heavan with his present body intact. A heavenly charioteer brought his vimana before the sage, announcing to the latter that he had achieved nirvana, and would now travel to the abode of the devas. After enquiring regarding the pros and cons of being in Heaven, Mudgala chose to stay on earth. 

 Once back from slumber, I was wondering the relevance of these names to the Houses. Unlike in Cities where our identities in Apartments are with  Block no  or Numerical in Street / Road Name , in villages the houses are identified with names as above. Alas, the Postman or the other Agencies must be having a tough job and they do a yeomon service !

Hats off for making a simple job so tough !