User:ATHIRATHRAM

According to the Hindu scriptures, among the diverse forms of Yajnas, Athirathram is the supreme, the most exalted one .Athirathram is a sacred ritual that is performed over a period of twelve days and nights, involving many scriptural rites. Only those who are well versed in the Vedas and the Vedangas can have a full grasp of the purpose and meaning of these rituals.

It is well known that the vedic rituals have come down to us in two broad types, the Grhya and the Srauta. The Grhya system is concerned with rites of passage of an individual such as the initiatory rite or upanayana and marriage. The Sruata rituals, on the other hand, are solemn and exalted, showcasing in oral tradition the great learning espoused in Sruties, comprising the three Vedas (Rig-yajur-saama Vedas) and their ancillary texts. Whereas the Grhya system is still extant all over India, the Srauta system has survived only in isolated pockets of Bhramana settlements. The Namboothiri Brahmins of Kerala form one such pocket, in particular in a place called Panjal in north central Kerala. There are three types of Srauta rituals in their repertory, the Agnyaadhaana, the Agnistomam and the Agnichayanam or Athiratram. The first one is the setting up of the three fires (Gaarhapatyam, Aahavaneeyam and Dakshinam) and it is initiatory to the latter two, both being Somayagams. The Agnistomam, or Somayagam as it is known among the Namboothiries, is a prakruti or paradigmatic model of Soma ritual, lasting six days. The Agnichayana, or simply Agni to the Namboothiries, is a vikruti modification of the Agnistoma, and lasts twelve days and nights.

Not all Namboothiries are entitled to perform Yajnas. It is a very restricted sub-class of the Namboothiries who have the sanction to be Rithviks in a Yaagam. Though few in number, they have assiduously kept the tradition alive in its pristine form across centuries. In recent times, it was the Namboothiries in the village of Panjal, in Kerala that organized an Athirathram in 1975 under the competent supervision of the late Prof. Stall, a linguist-turned-vedic scholar. Again in 2011 Athirathram was conducted at Panjal. In 2011, at Khammam in Andhra Pradesh, for the first time in living memory, a team of Namboothiries brought from Kerala performed an Athirathram adhering strictly to the vedic injunctions. Enthused by the massive support it gained among the common people, THAPASS, a voluntary organization in the twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad, has come forward to organize an Athirathram in April 2013, at the precincts of the famous Shiva temple at Keesaragutta, 20 kms from Hyderabad. It is proposed to conduct the Yagam from 13 April through 24 April 2013.