Ramasseri Idli

Ramasseri’s claim to fame is a simple breakfast dish, soft flat breakfast cakes called Ramasseri idli. Idli is a staple breakfast dish all over south India. These soft, moist, steamed cakes are made with fermented batter made from rice and dal  They taste little salty with a hint of sourness. Various accompaniments served with it enhance its taste. Traditionally idlis are steamed in stacks of Idli plates. What makes Ramasseri idli special is its shape, feather light texture and an earthy aroma acquired from steam cooking in unglazed clay pots.

Ramasseri is a small village in Palakkad District. People from distant places visit this village to taste the famous Ramassary idli. It special feature is that it has nmore shelf life than the normal idlis made at the homes. Hence, when people travel in trains for long distances, thery prefer to have Ramassari idli with them which can be served a good breakfast during journey. It can also be served during lunch also.

The Mudaliars of Ramasseri are the traditional cooks who prepare this idli. Today restaurants from neighboring towns arrive in this village very early in the morning to collect idlis to sell at their establishments. Somehow restaurants and professional chefs have not mastered the technique of preparing this dish. They still continue to buy them from local homes in this village.

We got an opportunity to visit Ramasseri recently We visited a home, which was also working as a hotel for supply of Idlis. The front yard of the house was swept clean. There was an open veranda in the front with terra cotta tiled floors and whitewashed walls.

A lady invited us to his house/restaurant. Right behind the veranda was a very small kitchen with three wood burning stoves across the back wall. A large pot of idli batter was kept on a small raised platform on one side of the stove. A woman was in the process of making idli. She covered eight-inch round clay containers with pieces of wet cotton cloth. Fire logs flickered as they burned under blackened steamer pots. She stirred a large pot of batter vigorously with a ladle. Then poured ladle full of batter on each of the prepared clay steamer containers. She stacked four of them, one over the other, and carefully placed the stack in the steamer. She covered it with another large blackened pot.

By then the idli steaming on the adjacent steamer was ready. She lifted the cover, and slowly removed the stack of clay containers and they had hollow bottoms. They were tightly stringed with twine, almost like a tennis racquet. And the piece of cotton cloth was spread over these strings. She placed a large flat jackfruit leaf over the idli and slowly turned it upside down. The idli slid

Family recipes are never secret in Kerala. People are only too happy to share them. But they firmly believe that the quality of a dish depends on the cook's kaipunyam (god given skill for preparing tasty dishes). House owner narrated the recipe from memory “Soak one kilogram of good parboiled rice and hundred grams of black gram in separate pots for several hours. Wash and remove the skin of gram, and grind it along with a large pinch of fenugreek seeds to a smooth thick batter. Wash and grind the rice separately and combine the two. Add salt to taste and stir well. Cover and set aside, and let the batter ferment overnight".

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 “Do not stack more than four idlis at a time, and steam till they are cooked. Cook them only on wood burning stoves, and always use wood from tamarind tree" “And when they are ready, do remove them from the clay steamers with a large leaf from jack tree".

Kalpathy Ratholsavam -Palakkad

Kalpathy Ratholsavam or Kalpathi Ratholsavam is an annual chariot festival held at Sri Viswanatha Swami Temple(also known as Kalpathy Temple in the Kalpathi village of Palakkad District inKerala The deities of the Kalpathy Viswanatha Swamy Temple are Lord Shiva (Lord Viswanatha) and his consort Visalakshi, another name forGoddess Parvathi One of the most remarkable festivals of Kerala, this week-long Palakkad Kalpathy Chariot Festival is celebrated during the month of November, every year. +

The Festival

Dedicated to Lord Viswanatha or Lord Shiva, the Kalpathy  Chariot Festival is based on Vedic Tamil Brahmin culture. Vedic recitals are held daily and cultural programs are held in the evening. The recitals are believed to be over 700 years old. On the last three days, the temple chariots are ceremoniously taken in procession by large numbers of devotees through the streets. Major attraction of the festival is the three magnificent chariots, decorated with flowers and flags, in which one can feel the presence of the lord.

On the fifth day night is the Rishabha Vahana procession. The deities from all the temples are taken out in beautifully adorned chariots and after their meeting at western end of new Kalpathy village ground at midnight, they disperse after two hours. The deities of Viswanathaswamy Temple are taken out and installed in the three cars, one for the main deity Viswanathaswamy and consort Goddess Parvathi; the second for Vigneshwara and third for Lord Subrahmaniya Swamy.


The deities of Old Kalpathy Temple and Chathapuram Temple are taken in procession on the chariot and procession is made through all villages. By sun set, all the chariots return to the original place. Abhishekams (offering with rituals) are then performed to the deities who are decorated again and taken out on procession in floral palanquins during midnight.


The Viswanatha Swamy Temple, popularly known as Dakshin Kasi Viswanathaswamy Temple or Kalpathy Temple, is located on the banks of the Kalpathy River, a tributary of the Bharathapuzha River. Dating back to 1425 A.D., Kalpathy Viswanatha Swamy Temple is regarded as the oldest Shiva temple in Malabar and in Kerala. The village, Kalpathy, is also known as Dakshin Kasi or the ‘Varanasi of the South’. It is an early Tamil Brahmin settlement (agraharam) in the Palakkad District.

Thidambu Dance - Kannur

Thidambu dance is a ritual temple art form performed in the temples of North Malabar and Kasaragod District. Thidambu denotes the decorated replica of the deity in a temple that is usually taken outside for the purposes like festivals and poojas. Thidambu dance is usually associated with the annual festivals of temples. The crew contains a team of ten members. The thidambu of the Devi (goddess) is carried on the head. The dancers make rhythmic footwork based on the music of the drums.
Thidambu dance  is a ritual dance performed in Temples of This is one among many rich art traditions of North Malabar. It is mainly performed by Namboothiris, and rarely other Brahmin communities. North Malabar is well renowned for its deep  rooted culture and tradition. This northern part of present Kerala State is home for several prominent religious destinations that make it a heaven for several unique religious and ritual art forms including Theyyam. Thidambu Nritham is one such ritual art form.

 

History

This ritual art form is believed to be over 600–700 years old and follows the principles of dance laid down in Natyasasthra the ancient treatise on performing arts compiled by Sage Bharatha in the second century B.C.

The origin of Thitambu Nritham cannot be easily traced. Tulu Brahmins who had migrated to the North Malabar during Kolathiri might have introduced this dance from Karnataka where a form of "Nritham" called "Darsana Bali" was in vogue. Replicas are made of bamboo with which a beautiful frame with intricate designs is created. The priestly dancer, clad in the traditional style after performing the usual rituals, comes out of the sanctorum, and standing under the flag, holds aloft the replica weighing about 10 kg on his head and starts the divine dance. Another legend goes like this : A Namboothiri used to sit in meditation under a nux vomica tree. He had sores all over his body. The fruit that occasionally fell on his body gave him excruciating pain. In agony he cried out a curse : "Let this tree bear no fruit any longer". Even today the tree bears no fruit, though it has leaves. It is interesting that during the festival, the dancing Namboothiri priests place the idols of various gods in a small "Mandapam" under the tree. People pay obeisance to the deities here.

Performance

The dancer wears a striking costume a skirt of pleated cloth, a silk vest, earrings, bangles, necklaces and a decorated turban called ushnipeetam. There are various stages in the performance like Urayal, invoking the deity, Thakiladi adantha, Chembada, Pamchan etc. The dancer is usually accompanied by a group of artistes, five of whom play the percussions and two hold aloft the lamps. Kotti-Urayikkal (drumming in different rhythm) marks the beginning of the Thidambu Nritham. This would persuade the performer and the viewer to an equal extent. The performer will dance with the rhythm holding the “Thidambu” on his head and will create a holy atmosphere. This unique ritual art form has undergone changes over the period of time.

Thidambu nritham is commonly performed by Namboodhiris upper caste Hindus. This art form is staged both inside and outside the temple.

Parassinikadavu Sree Muthappan Temple

This temple is located at Parassinikadavu, 20-km from Kannur town, besides the River Valapatanam. The deity is Muthappan, Siva.

The mighty deity is very powerful to solve the problems of the devotees. People intending to start new business come here before starting it for blessings for success and give offerings. Large number of devotees visits the temple.

The rituals have variations as compared to other temples. Theyyam is a cardinal ritual here. In fact it is the only place in Kannur district where you can be almost guaranteed a glimpse of the theyyatam, enancted twice daily(6.30-8.30a and 5.45-8.30pm)before the assembled worshippers by the resident priest. The Theyyam dancer manifests as the presiding god, dances and utters like the god. During the ritual dance the dancer possesses the powers to solve the problems of the devotees and he announces solutions.

Theyyam begins in early morning. There are two Theyyams or Thiruroopanas (sacred appearance) as some call. One represents Thiruvappana and the other Vellatom. During Kalasam (a specific ritual performed in Muthappan and Chathan temples with related musics) the Madayan (chief priest designate) accepts Roopam (image). Thereafter the performer gears toThiru Nritham (sacred dance). The two hour ceremony culminates with the peak stage where the Theyyam performer transforms himself as the deity and the devotees are called one after one to listen to their grievances or demands. After hearing, solutions are prescribed. 

Kanyarkali -Palakkad Disrtict, Kerala

 

It is a ritual art based on Tamil literature Chilappathikaram, practicing in Palakkad and surroundings in Kerala

Kanyarkali is a ritual art form, popular among the Nair community of Palakkad district in Kerala,India. Kanyarkali owes its origin to the pursuit of martial arts by the local people in the region. The place was under threat of attacks from nearby Konganadu.
The performance is accompanied by folk songs and percussion instruments. The dance combines the agile movements of martial arts with the rhythmic grace of folk dance.
Kanyarkali is performed in at several places in Palakkad district during March-April. The performance starts with a ritual kanyarkollal on the auspicious day of Vishu, the first day of the month of Medam, according to the Malayalam calendar

The venues are usually temples or places called Tharas, local venues for informal gatherings.Kanyarkali is played in two styles; Vattakkali and Porattu. While Vattakkali is ritualistic, the latter is for played as an entertainer.