Lord Murugan is one of the most revered deities of the Southern region of India. The Valli Murugan Festival is an important festival underlining the glory of the deity. Let us see how this festival is celebrated with fanfare and joy in the respective regions.
Pazhani:
As Lord Muruga married Valli Kurathi, the tribal people would bring the products grown in the hills of their mother's house and visit groom Palani Muruga. They performed their traditional dances like Kuravan Koothu, Velan Attam, and Kavadi Attam with a variety of products like mango, jackfruit, banana, mountain honey, millet flour and vegetables grown in the mountains.
Tribal people brought dowry with dance and music to the God Palani Murugan
The hill is the abode of Lord Muruga, the Tamil god. Lord Muruga was worshipped as the land deity of Kurinji, a hilly and hilly place during the Sangha period. He is also worshipped as the visionary deity of hill dwellers and tribal people. Most of the Murugan temples are located in the mountains. Murugan's Arupadai (Six houses) houses like Tiruparangiri, Thirucheeralaiwai, Tiruavinankudi, Thiruveragam, Kundruthoradal, Palamuthircholai, Marudhamalai which are called the seventh house.
Thaipusam:
Among the six houses of Murugan, the third house, Tiruavinankudi, is famous for the Thaipusam festival. Every year, lakhs of devotees come on pilgrimage to witness the Thaipusam festival and worship Lord Muruga. But this year 2021, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Tamil Nadu government banned pilgrims from visiting places of worship.
Dowry Items:
Due to the ban by the Tamil Nadu government, thousands of devotees come to Palani every day after the Thaipusam festival to visit Lord Muruga. Due to this, devotees throng Palani Hill every day. In that way, many Kurava people from all over Tamil Nadu and members of the Vanavengaigal party came to Palani Hill with their belongings and had darshan of Swami.
Honey and millet flour
Tribal women would carry their produce like mango, jackfruit, banana, fruits, tubers, mountain honey, millet flour, and mountain-grown vegetables in bamboo baskets and carry them in a procession from the bus stand area. Before the procession, boys and girls dressed as Kuravan-Kurathi and danced to the sound of musical instruments such as drums(melam) and Parai.
Kavadi Dance:
Later, in front of the Padavinayagar temple, which is located down the hill, they will perform their traditional dances like Kuravan Koothu, Velan Attam, and Kavadi Attam along with dowry brought for Lord Murugan. Next, they go to the hill temple and worship with a dowry of items.
Dowry from mother's house
The people of our Kurava tribe said that since Lord Muruga had married Valli Kurathi, a daughter of our Kurava tribe, we brought the produce of the mother's home in the hills to have Lord Muruga's darshan.
This article is created as a part of the Adivasi Awaaz project, with the support of Misereor and Prayog Samaj Sevi Sanstha.