PUNARJANI, Thiruvillwamala

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An allegedly 500 m or, perhaps, 5 m long (?) sacred cave of dubious nature is said to contains a dwar (sin testing device) that is used in a religious ritual performed at the Sree Vilwadrinatha Temple (dedicated to Lord Rama & his brother Lakshmana) at one Thiruvillwamala (note 1). CULTURAL HISTORY - Human use (dwar): The most important ritual here is the -Punarjani Noozhal-. Devotees crawl through a 1/2 km - long cave known as Punarjani to get rid of their sins. On the festival day, the entire temple is decorated with garlands of lotus flowers. 30 elephants participating in the festival provide excitement to the crowd. Another popular ritual is Vavubali, a form of ancestor- worship. Thousands of devotees pay homage to the souls of their departed dears (keralalink.com/keralalink/html/palakkad_t.html accessed 2004.01.02).An allegedly 500 m or, perhaps, 5 m long (?) sacred cave of dubious nature is said to contains a dwar (sin testing device) that is used in a religious ritual performed at the Sree Vilwadrinatha Temple (dedicated to Lord Rama & his brother Lakshmana) at one Thiruvillwamala (note 1). CULTURAL HISTORY - Human use (dwar): The most important ritual here is the -Punarjani Noozhal-. Devotees crawl through a 1/2 km - long cave known as Punarjani to get rid of their sins. On the festival day, the entire temple is decorated with garlands of lotus flowers. 30 elephants participating in the festival provide excitement to the crowd. Another popular ritual is Vavubali, a form of ancestor- worship. Thousands of devotees pay homage to the souls of their departed dears (keralalink.com/keralalink/html/palakkad_t.html accessed 2004.01.02).