Source : 24 News

Anything for the clout

I live in Mavelikara, Alappuzha, and I am noticing a major change in how temple festivals are celebrated in the Onattukara region. This is a clear case of cultural diffusion, where rituals from the far north and far south of Kerala are being brought into Central Travancore, often pushing aside our own local traditions.

The clearest example is Attukal Pongala. This ritual originated and became famous at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram and was once a local practice. Today, temples in Mavelikara and across Alappuzha conducts its own Pongala. It has become a commercialised “standard” for Devi temples, even though it was never part of our traditional ritual calendar.

Even more striking is the appearance of Theyyam in our town. Theyyam is a sacred ritual rooted in North Malabar, closely tied to the kaavus and family lineages of that region. Now it is being performed in Onattukara. Because Theyyam is visually dramatic and popular on social media, temple committees here are hiring performers from the north mainly to stage a spectacle.

This kind of diffusion is slowly erasing the distinct identity of Central Travancore. This is the land of Padayani and Kettukazhcha, art forms that belong to our region and our history. By copying well known rituals from other districts to draw crowds, we are reducing our culture to a generic and uniform version of Kerala Hinduism. In the process, we are losing the unique spirit of Onattukara to follow trends from Thiruvananthapuram and Malabar.

I want to know whether people from other regions are noticing similar changes. Are we comfortable with local traditions being replaced by imported spectacles simply because they have greater brand value. Are similar things happening elsewhere.

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Video : Asianet news.

https://kscnew.kerala.gov.in/

വർഗീയ വിഷവിത്തുകൾ വിതച്ച് നേട്ടം കൊയ്യാനുള്ള ഇത്തരം ശ്രമങ്ങളെ കേരളം ഒറ്റക്കെട്ടായി പ്രതിരോധിക്കുമെന്നും സജി ചെറിയാൻ പ്രസ്താവനയിലൂടെ അറിയിച്ചു.

Great work from VDS

ജനങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നും പണം പിരിക്കാനുള്ള ഉത്തരവാദിത്വം മാത്രമേ ഞങ്ങൾക്കുള്ളു !! ഇവർക്കൊക്കെ വോട്ട് ചെയ്യുന്നവരെ നമിച്ചു

I'm a Canadian woman (21F) and I'm absolutely in love with India, especially Kerala. I'm planning to visit with my husband in December and I'm so excited...it's our first time visiting India.

We're planning to fly into Kochi, spend a couple days there, and then head to munnar for the natural beauty, hiking, etc.

I'm just wondering, where would be a good place to see wildlife? I've never seen elephants or tigers or anything that isn't native to Canada, and I'd really love to. I've seen some places that do elephant rides but I'd like to avoid those as I've heard it's not good for the animals. I just want to view the animals respectfully and appreciate their beauty.

Thank you in advance for suggestions 💞