Happy Onam

My first visit to Kerala was when Onam festivities were going on in the State. It was a wonderful experience, which I had never come across anywhere encompassing so many celebrations and activities.

Onam is  the most auspicious annual harvest festival in Kerala, which is the official state festival too.

According to legends, the festival is celebrated to commemorate King Mahabali, also known as King Bali or Maveli, whose spirit is believed to visit Kerala at the time of Onam.

King Bali was a very popular mythical king in Kerala. The people were very happy and satisfied with him.

A scene from Bekal, Kerala

He was the great-grandson of a demon, Hiranyakashipu and the grandson of Prahlad. He defeated gods and took over all the three worlds. Being the  king of Asuras, he had procured Amrit in the Samudra Manthan and became immortal.

Jealous of King Bali’s power and popularity, gods conspired to bring his reign to an end. They approached Lord Vishnu, who re-incarnated himself into a Vamana (Dwarf) Brahmana and at the end of a great Yajna, sought a gift of three paces or steps of land from King Bali.

Being magnanimous enough,  King Bali granted his wish. Vamana then transformed himself into  a huge (विराट) form, put his first step on earth, second step on sky and asked King Bali where he should put his third step. King immediately realised that this Vamana is none, but Lord Vishnu Himself and offered his head for the third step.

Although King Bali had to leave his country, Lord Vishnu granted his wish to revisit his kingdom every year to bring happiness to his people. Keralites celebrate Onam with much gusto to welcome his return to state.

Onam falls in the first month (Chingam) of the Malayalam Calendar. The ten day celebrations mark the start of  Malayalam New Year with the first day being called Atham and conclude with Thiruvonam.

All the ten days, different types of dishes like neyappan, unniyappam, kinnan, sukhiyan, idiyappam and vattayappam with (inji curry) are prepared and enjoyed.

Preparation of household dishes

Onam Sadya (banquet) is the traditional meal with more than two dozen vegetarian dishes served without cutlery on a banana leaf, without which the celebrations are incomplete.

Onam sadya

Onam celebrations include Vallam Kali (snake boat race), Kathakali (traditional dance), Pulikali (tiger dance), Pookkalam (flower rangoli), Thumbi Thullal (women’s dance), Kummattikali (mask dance), Onathallu (martial arts) and so on.

Snake boat race

In fact, Onam, as I witnessed, is an exuberant community festival, which brings together people, irrespective of caste, creed and religion.  It’s really a godly festival in the God’s own country.

Sending my most heart-warming Onam greetings your way…

–Kaushal Kishore