ACROSS
KERALA, there are
large-scale Onam feasts that have
acquired a legendary status, and
deservedly so. Among them is the sadya
served on Uthradom (penultimate day) and
Thiruvonam (final days) at the Vamana
Moorthy Temple in Thrikkakara,
Ernakulam. The feast is served to all
pilgrims who visit the temple on these
two days — a practice that grew out of a
custom of serving meals to temple staff,
elephant mahouts and so on. Crowds of up
to 20,000 routinely partook of the Onam
sadya in the pre-pandemic years.
The
Thrikkakara temple feasts begin on
Uthradom: the very first to be served
are the temple elephants. An afternoon
meal is then dished up for devotees. On
Thiruvonam, the sadya begins from 10 am
itself. The banana leaf set before the
diners includes “parippu, poppadom,
salt, sambar, erissery, kalan, avial,
olan, pachadi, kichadi, pickles, ginger
curry and palada pradhaman”. Rasam and
injithairu (ginger in curd) round off
the menu.
Other temples,
such as Guruvayoor and Sabarimala also
offer special Onam treats, although the
Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple’s feast is
unmatched for the sheer variety of
dishes (63) that are served, and the
pomp and ceremony that accompanies it.
The sadya is set for the rowers who
compete in the traditional boat races,
once they reach the temple banks. They
call out the verses of a song and each
of the 63 preparations is served in
response, including parippu, pulissery,
kaalan, avial, thoran, erissery,
koottukari, pachadi, kichadi, varieties
of mezhukku purattees, thorans and
pickles.
Apart from
these grand celebrations, however, there
are simpler sadyas that nonetheless
evoke the true spirit of the festival.
One is the sadya served to ants —
‘urumbinulla sadhya’, a custom followed
in certain parts of Kerala, stemming
from the belief that ants accompanied
Mahabali on his annual visit to his
kingdom from the netherworld. A portion
of rice mixed with grated coconut and
jaggery is placed on a small banana
leaf. Four of these servings are set
down in four corners of one’s home, on
the evening of Thiruvonam.
Ants (and the
elephants at Thrikkakara) are not the
only ones who are treated as privileged
guests at Onam feasts. Kollam’s Shri
Dharma Sastha temple, Sri Kallely Oorali
Appooppan Kavu in Konni, and Edailakkadu
in Kasargod district are places where
monkeys are served Onam sadya.
These rituals
reiterate that all living beings are
one, and created equal, and that the
Onam sadya is truly meant for
all.
For
more food stories, such as a deep dive
into the cuisine of Kochi
and Thrikkakara, visit
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