Traditional krishna Jayanti Celebrations in tamil Nadu's Reddiarchatram Feature Pole Climbing

In the Vidhinidukkal district of Reddiarchatram, tamil Nadu, the Gopinath Swami temple has been at the center of krishna Jayanti celebrations over the past week. On september 3rd, the festival's procession saw the Utsava Moorthy, Malaiyappa Swamy, descend from the temple hill to visit the Kadhir Narasingha Perumal temple in the prominent village of Reddiarchatram.

A highlight of the festival was the Valakku Maram (Pole Climbing) and Uriyadi (Pot Breaking) events. The Valakku Maram, a traditional festival activity, involves climbing a slick, vertical pole. Originally a test of bravery, it has evolved into a popular form of entertainment. For this event, the bark of a 50-foot tall pakku tree is stripped, and the pole is coated with a mixture of palm leaf, oil, urad dal flour, and other oils. After soaking for seven to ten days, the pole becomes extremely slippery. A prize is placed at the top, and participants attempt to climb the pole while water is poured over them to increase the difficulty. success in retrieving the prize earns the climber hero status, though today the event is more about entertainment than bravery.

In earlier times, special prayers accompanied the preparation of a 40-foot pole, and men from Vellappam Patti would climb it for up to two hours to remove a garland and gold ornaments from the top. Following this, the Uriyadi festival featured participants from Ramalingampatti dressed as krishna breaking pots.

Thousands of devotees from regions including Dindigul, Reddiarchatram, Kannivadi, Pannaipatti, Srirampuram, and Ottanchathiram gathered to witness the pole climbing and pot breaking events and to pay their respects to Malaiyappa Swamy. The celebrations concluded with the distribution of prasad (food offerings) to attendees.
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Balasahana Suresh

04/09/2024 04:16 PM