User:Velsubra/Muthappan Thiruvappana Mahotsavam

MUTHAPPAN THIRUVAPPANA MAHOTSAVAM Event Venue : DEWAN SERBAGUNA JOHOR JAYA, TAMAN JOHOR JAYA, JOHOR BAHRU(1), MALAYSIA(2). Date : 29 April 2012 ; Time : 10AM Organiser : SRI MUTHAPPAN TEMPLE, SUNGAI TIRAM, AND SRI MUTHAPPAN TEMPLE, KEBUN TEH, JOHOR BAHRU, MALAYSIA.

Sri Muthappan(3) is the benevolent protector who speaks to the devotees through a human medium called Theyyam(4). The significant factor in Sree Thiruvappana Vellatam(5) lies in his appearing in front of his devotees. During the Theyyam dance, the persons who dress up as Theyyam personify both Lord Vishnu(6) and Lord Shiva(7) and are called Thiru Roopams(8). Muthappan is the principal deity in the ritualistic Theyyam dance performed in the famous Parassinikkadavu Temple(9). The ritual performers of Muthappan Theyyam belong to the Vannan community(10) of Kerala. The puja(11) rituals and rites for Muthappan are performed by the Thiyya(12) community. ''Now you can see this LIVE in Johor Bahru, Malaysia for the first time on 29 April 2012. Don't miss it.''

Sri Muthappan

Sri Muthappan is a Hindu deity commonly worshiped in North Malabar region of Kerala state, South India. Muthappan and Thiruvappan, as a process of Sanskritisation, he is considered to be a manifestation of Shiva and Vishnu. Worship of Muthappan is unique in that it does not follow the Satvic Brahminical form of worship, as in other Hindu temples of Kerala. The main mode of worship is via a ritual enactment of Muthappan, performed daily at the Parassinikadavu temple. Fish is used as an offering to Muthappan, and people of all castes, religions and nationalities are permitted to enter the temple and take part in the worship.

Muthappan is the principal deity in the ritualistic Theyyam dance (Muthappan Theyyam) performed in the famous Parassinikkadavu temple. The ritual performers of Muthappan Theyyam belong to the Vannan community of Kerala. The puja rituals and rites for Muthappan are performed by the Thiyya community.

The Traditional Story Of Parassinikkadavu Muthappan

The Naduvazhi (landlord) Ayyankara Illath Vazhunnavar (a Nambudiri Brahmin) was unhappy, as he had no child. His wife Padikutty Antharjanam was a devotee of Lord Shiva. She made a sacrifice to Shiva for children. One day in her dream she saw the Lord. The very next day, while she was returning after a bath from a nearby river, she saw a pretty child lying on a flower bed. She took the child home and she and her husband brought Him up as their own son.

The boy used to visit the jungle near their house for hunting with His bow and arrows. He would then take food to the poor and to the backward communities. As these acts were against the Namboothiri way of life, His parents earnestly requested Him to stop this practice, but the boy turned a deaf ear to their warnings. Ayyankara Vazhunavar became very disappointed.

One day the boy revealed His divine form to His parents. They then realized that the boy was not an ordinary child but God. They prostrated themselves in front of Him and He blessed them.

He then started a journey from Ayyankara. The natural beauty of Kunnathoor detained Him. He was attracted by the toddy of palm trees.

Chandan (an illiterate and uncivilized toddy tapper) knew that his toddy was being stolen from his palm trees, so he decided to guard them. While he was keeping guard at night, he caught an old man stealing toddy from his palms. He got very angry and tried to shoot the man using his bow and arrows but fell unconscious before he could let loose even one arrow.

Chandan's wife came searching for him. She cried brokenheartedly when she found him unconscious at the base of the tree. She saw an old man at the top of the palm tree and called out to Him as "Muthappan" ("muthappan" means grandfather in the local Malayalam language). She earnestly prayed to the God to save her husband. Before long, Chandan regained consciousness.

She offered boiled grams, slices of coconut, burnt fish and toddy to the Muthappan. (Even today in Sree Muthappan temples the devotees are offered boiled grams and slices of coconut.) She sought a blessing from Him. Muthappan chose Kunnathoor as His residence at the request of Chandan. This is the famous Kunnathoor Padi.

After spending some years at Kunnathoor, Sree Muthappan decided to look for a more favorable residence so that He could achieve His objective of His Avataram. He shot an arrow upward from Kunnathoor. The shaft reached Parassini where the famous Parassini Temple stands today. The arrow, when it was found, was glowing in the Theertha (sacred water) near the temple. The arrow was placed on the altar. Since then, Lord Sree Muthappan has been thought to reside at Parassinikkadavu.[3]

References

1.^http://wikitravel.org/en/Johor_Bahru 2.^http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia 3.^http://sreemuthappan.org/ 4.^http://www.vengara.com/theyyam/about_theyyam.htm 5.^http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHwS9rkwuZU 6.^http://hinduism.about.com/od/godsgoddesses/p/vishnu.htm 7.^http://www.theshiva.net/ 8.^http://enchantingkerala.org/kerala-temples/parasinikadavu-muthappan.php 9.^http://wikimapia.org/1446712/SREE-MUTHAPPAN-TEMPLE-PARASSINIKKADAVU 10.^http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muthappan 11.^http://www.asia.si.edu/pujaonline/puja/background.html 12.^http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezhava

External links http://www.sreemuthappan.net/historypage/history.htm http://www.sreemuthappan.org/ http://www.valluvankadavusreemuthappan.org/ http://www.flickr.com/sree_muthappan/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aatRgPgH-3U/