5,000 Malayalees from all over Gujarat take part in the day-long celebrations.
ver 5,000 Malayalees from all over Gujarat gathered under one roof at the fourth Shree Thiruvappana Vellatta Mahotsavam organised by the Shree Muthappan Seva Samithi (SMSS) here on Sunday. The celebration began at 5 am and ended at 10 pm.
The highlight of the event was that Thiruvappana, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who was brought to Ahmedabad for the first time.
"People have come to seek the blessings of Thiruvappana, which is the main attraction this year," said PV Balakrishnan, trustee, SMSS. It seemed as if a small part of Kerala had converged at the venue to participate in spiritual activities. The programme started with Ganapati Homam at 5am and ended with Ootusadya (feast) in the evening.
The Mahotsava, saw a traditional ritual dance performance called 'Theyyam,' which is an ancient dance form of North Kerala. At the end of this performance, the performer becomes fully possessed and transforms himself into Shree Muthappan who virtually enters the body of the performer. After this, devotees have personal interaction with the Muthappan, with faith that the deity will solve their problems. People, irrespective of caste and creed, come and seek the blessings of Muthappan.
A cultural troupe of about 15 performers from Kerala, dressed in their traditional head gear and costumes and with body painted from natural substances like coconut leaves and bark of trees, danced to the reverberating beats of 'chenda' or dhol.
"For generations, my family has been involved in performing this ritual dance form. I have performed in many places," M Ratish, an artist said.
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