Sand, Sun and the Stream - An Evening at Aluva Manappuram

"...ഈ മനോഹര തീരത്തു തരുമോ ഇനിയൊരു ജൻമം കൂടി ...."- വയലാർ 

This is the view from the bridge on which we stood

          It was sometime around seven o'clock, just when the blueness of the sky was giving way to the  approaching dark clouds.  Leaning on the magnificent bridge across the Periyar river, my senses were transported into a distant and buoyant land. The whirlpool down below and the engulfing sky up above made the experience of standing on the bridge uplifting in every possible way.
 The Periyar shore dotted by puddles of water ( due to the monsoons) formed the perfect backdrop for the temple well lit by diyas and candles. The cool evening breeze set the the yellow glow of the lamps into motion spreading a mystic tone to the surroundings.What a refreshing way to end the day, I thought, as I observed women in their set mundus and dripping wet hair, small girls in their pattupavadas, and men in kashavu mundus, circling the worshiping area chanting silent prayers.

The Shiva temple at the Periyar bank in Aluva

Aluva manappuram is one place which according to me retains the traditional glory that Kerala is associated with. The temple festival happens once a year in the month of March. Manappuram literally means the sand shore on which the temple is built. It is on this shore that the great annual festival called the Shivarathri takes place.
During this time, the whole place is lit up by colour and light and the atmosphere is made festive by  the ever joyful crowd, the smell of hot bhajis and the long stacks of diyas in different shapes and sizes.
 Vendors from various places run stalls which are visited by swarms of people across the State. This time when I visited Shivarathri Manappuram with Amma, we bought some clay pots and straw baskets, not because we don't get it anywhere( in fact, we get it almost everywhere) but the significance of things bought from manappuram is special.

With next Shivarathri eight months away, I am waiting for the shore to light up again. Is that all? Definitely not! :)

paalada paayasam- (only thou can make my sweet tooth happy!)

I am  longing to taste the hot paalada and the yummy jackfruit cutlet ( we bought it from the stall run by a group of ladies from kudumbashree) and;
watch the giant wheel go round and round with the hullabaloo from the young and old spreading into the bustling bargaining crowd...

The colour of Shivarathri glitters on one's eyes as much as it does on the mightly Periyar which looks its best on the days of the festival...that's what I believe makes everyone happy on this shore. I bet you wouldn't find a single grumpy or disheartened soul here. Everyone hops around with a happy heart no matter what. And that's why we always visit Shivarathri Manappuram and carry the mood and memories of it through the year till we hit the place again for another annual bout of energy and enthusiasm

during the festival when the calm shore is woken up