Standing amidst a motley crowd of Hindu priests and devotees in the premises of temple, V.A. Subair took out an air-gun and pointed it towards the sky. As the flag went up briskly to the top of the pole , the 70-year old man fired a shot straight up into the air .
The event, staged on Monday evening at the Parappadam Devi temple in Veloor, a village near Kottayam, marked the beginning of an eight-day long annual festival at the centuries-old temple. The tradition, a fascinating testament to the syncretic culture that this village has embraced since the Thekkumkoor era, remains unscathed even in the time of raging intolerance.
Mr.Subair, who is engaged by Palapparambil – a prominent Muslim family in Tazhathangadi, has been performing the ritual at the temple here for the past one and half decades. He is now slated to return to the festival venue here on the final day and fire three more rounds into the air, announcing its conclusion.
Commenting on the ritual, Rajeev Pallikonam, secretary of Nattukottam, a local history group, said the shrine stood out at a time when the world was seen in the binaries of Hindu and Muslim.
“Legend has it that the idol of the temple’s main deity was discovered by one Thumpayil Karanavar, who lived here during the reign of the Thekkumkoor kingdom. The King, on his part, appointed Moosambis, a prominent group that belonged to his Jonakapada (Muslim Army) to guard the idol,” he said.
“When a temple was established here later, the king awarded the right of ceremonial firing to the Palapparambil family. Similarly, the right to supply flag rope for the festival here had been vested with Punnathara, a Syrian Christian family from the village. The custom, however, was discontinued later,” he added.
Shivaprasad, secretary of the temple advisory committee said the Assistant Commissioner of the Travancore Devaswom Board would formally send an invite to the Palaparambil family every year, seeking their cooperation in performing the firing ritual.
“They also receive a certain sum from the Board as a reward for this service,” he said.
