THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While several people chose to adhere to the traditions of Karkkidaka Vaavubali on Friday, many customised the rituals while paying homage to their ancestors.
Raveendran Nair and his three brothers, like in the past years, kept a neat peg of whisky along with the sadya (feast) for his father’s soul to relish.
“We locked the feast and liquor symbolically inside a closed room for several minutes for the souls to relish. Then we knocked at the door and took the feast to the terrace and called out crows. Our dad loved whisky and we would not want him to miss it,” said Mr Nair, a teetotaller.
Some others keep charcoal powder or toothpaste and white towels near the wells for the souls to wash their mouth.
Mr Nair, like majority of the citizens here, believes that there is no place more auspicious than Thiruvallam Parasurama temple to do Balitharpanam rituals. Some believe that the annual Balitharpanam can be bunked if a person has at least once done it at Rameshwaram.
As per rules, Balitharpanam rituals on Friday had to end at 10.30 a.m., but many continued with them until 12 noon.
“If Karkkidaka Bali coincides with Punartham day of Malayalam calendar, one can pay respects even on the next day. However, on Friday it happened on Ayilyam and so the rituals had to be ended at 10.30 a.m. Karkkidaka Vavubali happens only on Punartham, Pooyam or Aayilyam days of Malayalam calendar,” said K.G. Ambi, a priest at Thiruvallam for decades.
“The polluted Thiruvallom river was continuously flushed with fresh water by the state government. Around 3,500 devotees came for rituals here,” said Harikumar, who is affiliated to an NGO which aids the devotees.
Most, who wanted to finish the rituals instantly, either went to Shangumughom beach or Papanasam beach at Varkala.
Around 500 people could offer Balitharpanam at Shangumughom at a time. Another estimated 700 people could do it at Varkala. Ironically, the people had to wait for up to two hours to offer Bali in local temple ponds.
In the district, grand Balitharpanams were held at Aruvippuram and Aruvikkara also. Elsewhere in the state, Thirunelli in Wayanad and Aluva in Ernakulam are considered auspicious,
