@Evening: 🕉️ The Ramayana Month In Kerala

🎊🛕 Karkidakam begins today!

The time period: The Karkidaka month (17 July to 16 August) marks the sun’s transition to Karkidaka rasi from the Mithuna rasi, hence the name.

• When Karkidaka masam ends, Chinga masam, the month of the Onam festival and a period of plentifulness and festivities, begins.

• An associated concept is the Illam nira (fill the house) festivity in Kerala, which is related to harvest and symbolically represents a prayer for prosperity. It is celebrated during Karkidakam when special pujas are performed for the newly reaped paddy spikes at temples.

Religious significance: Karkidakam is more popularly known as the Ramayana masam because seated around the nilavilakku (traditional lamp), elders read the Ramayana to family members when twilight falls.

• This tradition aims to imbibe not just the values rendered in the epic, but also helps draw strength to face the dearth as Karkidakam is a month of hardship due to heavy rains.

• However, in modern times, instead of telling the story themselves, Malayalees just play the Ramayana’s audio version for their children to feed on the essence of the epic.

A scientific reason: Karkidakam marks the beginning of the second part of the Hindu year, Dakshinayana, during which the sun moves in the southern direction, impacting the health of mind and body, and with its low rays affecting immunity and digestive powers.

• A combination of worship, fasting and practice of rituals helps overcome diseases and achieve tranquillity of the mind, a reason why the Ramayana, which shows the path of righteousness, is read with fervour.

• Oushada kanji is a herbal gruel savoured at dawn and dusk during this month to spruce up health. This ayurvedic blend, which aids in body purification, is prepared with rice as the base and many other herbal ingredients boiled in coconut or cow’s milk and jaggery.

Other rituals: The month is also marked by a day’s pilgrimage to the four temples in the Thrissur district, dedicated to Rama in Triprayar, and his brothers, Bharatha in Irinjalakuda, Lakshmana in Moozhikkulam and Shatrughna in Payamma.

• Karkidakam also denotes the panchamahayajna (five duties) of a Hindu householder, and of those, the pitri yajna is attached great importance.

• The amavasya (no moon; vavu) day of the Karkidaka month reverberates with the chanting of pitru puja mantras in the wee hours of the morning. Karkidaka vavu bali, or bali, is a ritual performed by hundreds of men, women and children for their departed ancestors in batches of hundreds.