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Tuesday, 3 August 2010

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ONLINE Kavadi - ultimate test of faith
News
Lionel Wijesiri
Editorial
Business
Kavadi is not a strange concept to the average Sri Lankan, whether the person is Hindu,
Features Buddhist, Muslim or Burgher. Most of us would have seen Kavadi Attam - the dance
Political performed by the devotees during the ceremonial worship of Skanda or Lord Murugan
Security
Sport Thaipusam is a Hindu festival where you find Kavadi in abundance. It is celebrated
World mostly by the Tamil community once a year. The festival commemorates the
Letters
occasion
Obituaries
when
OTHER
Parvati
PUBLICATIONS gave
Murugan
OTHER LINKS
a
Vel
(spear)
so
he
could
vanquish
Many facets of Kavadi the
evil demon Soorapadman. Thaipusam
celebrations take place in many countries
where there are Tamil population including
Tamil Nadu, Singapore, Mauritius and Malaysia. The temple at Batu Caves, near
Kuala Lumpur, often attracts over one million devotees. The procession to the caves
starts at the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur in the heart of the city and
proceeds for 15 kilometres to the caves, an eight-hour journey culminating in a flight
of 272 steps to the top. The number of Kavadis reaching Batu Caves for festival is
over 25,000.

This is an exhilarating experience. Last year, at the festival I met Narain Appala
Swamy, an Indian lecturer in Hindu Philosophy. He explained to me the origin of
Kavadi and its significance to the modern world.

Origin

A colourful legend lies behind the origin of Kavadi. The narration goes like this: the
great Saint, Agasthya, instructed his student, Idumban to uproot two hills called
Sivagiri and Shakthigiri belonging to Lord Murugan and bring them back to him. As
commanded, Idumban went to Mount Kailai Range where the hills rested and
uprooted them and began to come back. But Lord Murugan had other plans.

Suddenly Idumban found that he couldn’t carry the hills anymore. To his
bewilderment, a child was standing haughtily on the hill. Idumban humbly requested
the boy to get down. When the child refused, Idumban flew into a rage and tried to
attack him, only to find himself falling like an injured bird. Idumban belatedly
recognised the boy as none other than Murugan and prayed to Him that whosoever
carried on his shoulders the Kavadi, signifying the two hills and visited the temple on
a vow should be blessed. His prayer was answered.

Another view

There is another view. Hindu deities have animals and birds as their vehicles and
peacock is the vehicle for Lord Murugan. The metal frame of which the Kavadi is
made is fully decorated with peacock feathers that are blue in colour - philosophically
blue is the colour of the sky and the ocean - suggesting the colour of the universe.

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Some Hindu intellectuals believe that Kavadi, the central wooden beam represents
the human body while the two pots hanging on either side represent the good
deeds done in one’s true life on one side and the evil on the other side. Carrying
this on his shoulders, the devotee appeals to the Lord for forgiveness for his evil
deeds and blessings for the good deeds.

Certain devotees in order to show their willingness to offer themselves in the name
and service of God in the form of penance and austerity, carry the symbol of Lord
Murugan with Vel-shaped pins pierced all over their body to show their tolerance to
suffering inflicted. In turn this prayer is symbolic of the willingness of the person to
suffer for others out of humility and humbleness towards one’s fellow human
beings.

Silver or steel Vel in many sizes are pierced into through skin, back, cheeks and
tongue of the Kavadi-carrying devotees, signifying that the Vel destroys all the
desires and evils in man and purifies him.

Types

There are few different types of Kavadi. Simplest of them is a pot of milk carried
on the head; You also find a small spear pierced through the tongue to symbolize
the vow of silence; or a metal rod pierced through the mouth (up to one meter
long), signifying that the devotee has denounced the gift of speech temporarily
and channeled his or her energy toward god.

The
difficult
ones
are
hooking
smaller
burdens
like
lemons,
oranges
or
coconuts into one’s flesh (on the chest or back) or
bigger hooks attached to a devotee’s back and
used to pull a cart. The most spectacular practice
is the Vel Kavadi, essentially a portable altar up to
Devotees performing rituals
two meters tall, decorated with peacock feathers
and attached to the devotee through 108 Vels
pierced into the skin on the chest and back.

Shapes

The Kavadi has various shapes and sizes, from the simple shape of a hawker’s
storehouse (a wooden stick with two baskets at each end slung across the
shoulder) to the costly palanquin structure, profusely flower-bedecked and
decoratively interwoven with peacock feathers. In all cases the Kavadi has a good
many brass bells adorning it and announcing it as the Kavadi-bearer draws it
along. As the Kavadi-bearer very often observes silence, the bells are the only
eloquent signs of a Kavadi procession.

The two baskets hanging at each end of the Kavadi contain rice, milk or other
articles that the devotee has vowed to offer the Lord Murugan. The more devout
among them, and especially those who do it as a Sadhana, collect these articles by
begging. They travel on foot from village to village and beg from door to door. The
villagers offer their articles directly into the basket of the Kavadi. The Kavadi-
bearer continues begging until the baskets are full or the avowed quantity is
reached and then offers the Kavadi to the Lord.

The Kavadi-bearer is required to observe various rules between the time he takes
up the Kavadi and the day of the offering. He has to perform elaborate ceremonies
at the time of assuming the Kavadi and at the time of offering it to the Lord. He
also puts on the dress of a Pandaram, consisting a saffron-coloured cloth, a conical

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scarlet cap and a cane, silver-capped at both ends. The bare chest of the Kavadi-
bearer is covered with several rudraksha malas. The Kavadi-bearer observes strict
celibacy. Only pure food is taken; he abstains from all sorts of intoxicating drinks
and drugs. He thinks of God all the time.

The Kavadi-bearer enjoys a high state of religious fervour. He dances in ecstasy.

His very appearance is awe-inspiring; there is divine radiance on his face.
Devotees claim they often experience the state of feeling united with the Lord.
Sometimes the Lord enters them and possesses them for some time.

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