Nallur festival in Jaffna

Unconditional devotion to gods

By Dhaneshi YATAWARA

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The heat of the sun did not burn our skins, the large gathering did not make us sweat, long hours of standing did not make us tired; it may be the miracle of god’s blessings. We were at the prestigious Nallur Sri Kandaswami Kovil in Jaffna.

Devotees were gleaming with the glitter of gold and bright coloured attire. This is one of the loveliest sights in our island nation. This festival is sacred to Hindus seeking the blessings of God Skanda. To devotees this holy event is as important as the annual ‘Esala Perahera’ of the Temple of The Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy and the procession of the Katharagama Hindu temple.

This is a series of rituals paying homage to God Skanda also known as Murugan, a son of God Shiva, that lasts for a total of 27 days, nearly a month that requires massive devotion to continue with a dedicated soul. According to the calendar of Hindus, the festival starts in the ‘Aadi’ month.

This commences with the hoisting of the flag of the Nallur Kovil and on specific days they conduct special ‘poojas’ while carrying out daily ‘poojas’ as usual during other days. The series of poojas pay homage not only to God Skanda but also to his two wives, Valli and Devani and the six women who believed to have brought up God Skanda since his childhood - as Hinduism depicts.

On the 24th day of this series of events, statues of the God Skanda and his two wives are carried in a procession in a single cart throughout the city streets giving the blessings of the god and godesses to the people. This is the special day that attracts devotees from all over the country. On this day people dance with ‘Kawadi’ and some hang themselves with hooks torturing themselves showing their unconditional devotion to Gods.

While roaming around among this mammoth sized crowd of Hindu devotees I just did not feel that there was a threat from the ruthless LTTE on these innocent people. The success of the untiring efforts of the Army in creating a secure setting was evident. It was a glorious event.

“All of us want to live in peace. We want, somehow, the A9 road to be opened,” R.V. Kandaswami (70), a retired veterinary surgeon, told me.

He said, “Now I spend more time in the kovils serving the gods. And it gives me such pleasure.”

“I have worked with many Sinhala, Muslim officers and of course with many belonging to other ethnicities as well during my years of service. We never felt any difference. We were so united. We need to bring back that past,” Kandaswami said recollecting the golden years of his life. His wife and the younger daughter came to him and I bid adieu to this wonderful person. They all prayed for peace and so did we. These people were unbelievably devoted to this religious event. The young crowd was highly enjoying this colourful event. But little ones knew only to play under the watchful eyes of their parents and grandparents.

For amma, appa and thangachchi.... Carrying the lunch packets distributed by the Army

The unconditional devotion

Little Rithika, who was just four years , was happily running around with her mother and father, Inbasothy and Yoganadan. Yoganadan, 47, runs a small business in Chavakachcheri after he returned from a foreign job in the Middle East. “We are quite satisfied with the security situation. Average people like us feel very safe and the number of robberies and thefts have gone down drastically,” Yoganadan said.

The Army personnel were seen giving their utmost support to the people to make the event a great success.

The support these officers and soldiers received from the Jaffna Security Forces Commander Maj. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri was the true force behind their success. From the top ranker to the average soldier there was such devotion and dedication in making the lives of these people happy.

The Army brought 10,000 lotus flowers all the way from Vavuniya by air and distributed them among the devotees. They provided food parcels , especially for the people who came from distant villages.

“For these people there are three treasures in life. One is education, the other is gold, and the third is religion. They have such an affection towards their religion,” Jaffna Town Commandant Brigadier Ruwan Kulathunga said when we met him that evening. They have very well understood the thinking of these people, the true owners of this land.

“This is not our home, none of the soldiers were born or brought up here. But we have a duty to protect this land and give it back to their owners,” he added.

Jaffna is blessed with such wonderful people. We have always prayed to see a day blessed with peace of mind and I’m sure, we have not given up that prayer.

Mmm....mouth watering!	Pix by Prabodi Lanka	The heat of the sun was by no means a hindrance!
	Enjoying sweetmeats ..	Devotees gathered in thousands seeking the blessings of God Skanda