Thrikkakara all decked up for Onam

Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple celebrates Onam with traditional rituals, attracting thousands of visitors, while shoppers prepare for Thiruvonam.

The Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple, believed to be about 2,000 years old, has been decked up for Onam even as the traditional Uthrada Pachil, a frenzy of shopping ahead of Thiruvonam day on September 15 (Sunday), reached a peak.

The temple grounds at Thrikkakara saw waves of visitors from the early hours of Saturday, and ceremonies continued uninterrupted through most part of the day.

Though heavy overnight rain had threatened to upset the rhythm of the annual festivities, a clear sky and bright sunshine on Saturday helped keep the celebrations on course for a climax on Sunday. Preparations have already begun for the traditional votive lunch at the temple hall, where around 20,000 people are expected turn up Thiruvonam day. The lunch would be served from 10.30 a.m., said T.C. Pramod of the temple committee.

The temple in Thrikkakara is among the major temples in the country dedicated to Vamana, considered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who is believed to have descended on the kingdom of Mahabali or Bali, whose abode was in Thrikkakara. Legend goes that Bali, a just Asura king, was sent by Vamana to the netherworld after granting him the wish that he could visit his subjects once a year, on Thiruvonam day.

The legendary king and nostalgia for the bygone days have combined to become the core of the Onam celebrations now, with the agricultural cycle going through its most important phase during the auspicious first month of Chingam of the Malayalam calendar. Malayalis leave no stone unturned to partake of a sumptuous feast on Thiruvonam day and on the eve of the feast, people turn into spendthrifts, splurging mostly on clothes, gadgets, and food.

N.H. Shameed, a vegetable wholesaler, said the shopping days had been largely free of rain, and on Saturday, the day was clear for last-minute purchases. The wholesale and retail market in the heart of Kochi was crowded as usual as the prices of vegetables held steady over a week, he added.

The prices of a few vegetables are on the higher side though not dearer than a fortnight before the Onam week. Ginger was sold at ₹180 a kg in the retail market, potato at ₹50, nendran banana at ₹50, carrot at ₹95, shallot at ₹65, elephant foot yam at ₹75, tomato at ₹40, green chilli at ₹60, local cowpea at ₹100 and imported variety at ₹85, bitter gourd at ₹70, French beans at ₹75, drumstick at ₹55, and big onion at ₹55.