Nemmara, Nelliyampathy
Nemmara is a rural village
situated at a distance of around 24.8 km from Nelliyampathy. This village has
been divided into two parts, namely Nemmara and Vallangi. The place is popular
for the Vela Festival, also known as the Nemmara-Vallangi Vela Festival.
Another famous festival of this region is the Thrissur Pooram that is
celebrated after the harvesting of rice.
Nemmara is a small village
under Chittur Taluk in the Palakkad district of the state of Kerala, India. It is famous for its festival known as Nemmara Vallangi Vela or simply Nemmara Vela.
Nemmara is a predominantly
rural village, under the administration of Nemmara Grama Panchayat. Prior to
independence, this area was part of the Kochi kingdom. It is situated on the Thrissur Pollachi route. From here, one can go to Tamil Nadu via Kollengode and Govindapuram to reach the town of Pollachi.
The district headquarter
is 30 km away. Nemmara is the entry point to Nelliampathy, which is situated 30 km away. Pothundi Dam is 9 km from Nemmara on the way to Nelliampathy.
The population is
mostly Hindus, of castes like Nair, Ezhuthachan, Iyer, Ezhava, Chetty. There are some Muslims and Christians also. The major occupation is agriculture. The
crops are paddy, vegetables, ginger & rubber.
History
Two villages of Nemmara and Vallangi were important trade centres in the past. In fact, the name Nemmara is believed to have been originated from the words 'Nai maariya ooru', meaning 'the place where ghee was traded'. It is also believed that the name "Nemmara" or "Nemmara" originated from the words "Nenmaniyude Ara" which means "The Store Room of Rice". The village was originally surrounded by paddy fields (nowadays they are slowly being converted to residential area), the village was affectionately called the storage place of rice for the Chittur Taluk.
Two villages of Nemmara and Vallangi were important trade centres in the past. In fact, the name Nemmara is believed to have been originated from the words 'Nai maariya ooru', meaning 'the place where ghee was traded'. It is also believed that the name "Nemmara" or "Nemmara" originated from the words "Nenmaniyude Ara" which means "The Store Room of Rice". The village was originally surrounded by paddy fields (nowadays they are slowly being converted to residential area), the village was affectionately called the storage place of rice for the Chittur Taluk.
Sri Nellikkulangara Bhagavathi Temple
The legend of goddess Nellikkulangara Bhagavathi is very interesting. This legend is communicated from one generation to the other and is centuries old. The legend is also mentioned in the religious text of the Nellikkulangara temple. Here is a brief description of the legend: Once upon a time, a man by the name Kodakara Nair happened to go to Nelliyampathy hills from Nemmara.
The legend of goddess Nellikkulangara Bhagavathi is very interesting. This legend is communicated from one generation to the other and is centuries old. The legend is also mentioned in the religious text of the Nellikkulangara temple. Here is a brief description of the legend: Once upon a time, a man by the name Kodakara Nair happened to go to Nelliyampathy hills from Nemmara.
He got tired after
reaching the Nelliyampathy hills and decided to take rest under the shade of a
tree. He placed the umbrella that was made out of dry palm leaves next to him.
Bhagavathi happened to abode the place where he was resting and attached
herself to the umbrella. When Kodakara Nair returned to Nemmara, he did not
realize that he was bringing the Bhagavathi to Nemmara.
When Kodakara Nair reached
Nemmara, he placed the umbrella near a pond (the Kothakulam pond). Later, when
he tried to remove the umbrella, to his dismay it did not move. Slowly it
dawned upon the people that there is a divine power that has accompanied
Kodakara Nair from Nelliyampathy hills and it wishes to stay and bless them.
A temple now called the
Sree Mulasthanam was built at the place where the umbrella was placed by
Kodakara Nair. People started worshipping the Bhagavathi and the Bhagavathi
blessed her devotees. Later as the years passed by, the astrologers and other
renowned religious people in the area predicted Nellikkulangara as a better
place for the temple and a place of convenience for the devotees of both
Nemmara and Vallenghi to reach. The Cochin Devasthanam built a new temple, now
known as the famous Nellikulangara Kaavu for the Bhagavathi there.
The selection of the
elephants is another prestigious issue for the organizers. They compete to get
the best elephants of Kerala, paying exorbitant sums. Sometimes, they have
tried to get the same elephant, resulting in unrealistic biddings.
The Vela is also an
occasion for family reunions. People of the village, settled elsewhere and
employed in other cities and countries, make it a point to attend the festival.
It is also known as Nellikkulangara Vela. This festival (Vela) is conducted by two villages
Nemmara and Vallengi. There is always a healthy competition between these
two villages, that the Vela conducted by their side should be better than the
other.
The festival is famous for
its fireworks and the processions of richly caparisoned elephants. Nemmara and Vallengi compete to create more
spectacular vela; if Nemmara brings 9 elephants for their vela, Vallengi will
bring 11, and so on.
The fireworks are one of
the beautiful things to see, it is said to equal Thrissur Pooram (festival).
The main temple of this
village is of Sri Nellikkulangara Bhagavathi
temple where Nemmara
Vallengi Vela is celebrated. It is on the 20th of Meenam (in Malayalam era) - this may come on 2nd or 3rd of April.
There is also 'Navaneetha
Krishna Temple' at old village - famous for the annual 'Rathotsavam' (Car
festival).
Sree Anjaneya Mandir
(Gangothri Nagar), Nemmara, Palakkad District near Nemmara NSS College, and
Palakkad District are visited by devotees from all over the world. The Mandir
is situated in a top place between Malabar and Cochin Region. Special Poojas
for students are also performed in the Mandir. The Mandir is situated halfway
between Trichur and Pollachi on the main road.
Nemmara Vallangi Vela
Nemmara is known far and
wide for its 'Vela' festival, known as Nemmara-Vallangi Vela, a festival celebrated in the villages of the Palakkad
district in summer after the rice is harvested. Rice is a common grain crop in
this area, but after the harvest, the fields are empty and dry, and serve as an
ideal venue for celebrating Vela. Nemmara Vela is celebrated on a grand scale, equaling
the famous 'Thrissur Pooram'. There are several possible reasons for celebrating
Vela at this time--among them are the birthday of the temple deity or the
killing of a demon by the goddess.
The Vela falls on the 20th
day of 'Meenam', the month in the Malayalam era (2nd or 3rd of April). The two competing
groups, Nemmara and Vallangi, have their own temples plus a common temple,
Nellikkulangara, where the two groups congregate for this festival. The festivities
start ten days prior to the actual holiday of Vela, with the hoisting of flags
in the separate temples. Natives are not supposed to leave the village once the
flag hoisting is done. All the ten days, there will be some ritual in the
night.
Nemmara starts its Vela
from the Mannattu Muthi temple and Vallangi from the Siva temple. Each group has 11-15 elephants, which are
adorned and paraded through the main thoroughfare to the accompaniment of drums
and other percussion instruments. In the evening, these groups reach Nellikkulangara
temple. There is a vast area of empty fields here, enough to accommodate a
large crowd.
The festival attracts
people from the immediate area and from the neighbouring districts of Thrissur, Malappuram and Tamil Nadu, in addition to foreign tourists. The TV channels
telecast the festival live.
The finale of the festival
is the display of fireworks. It is a magnificent show, as both sides strive to
outdo each other. New techniques are tried every year to bring out the best
performance. The quality and quantity of the fireworks are discussed by the
people for many days after the event.
Another attraction of the
festival is the Aana Pandal, an arch-like structure where the caparisoned elephants
remain for some time. This arch is decorated with coloured electric lamps,
which give different patterns of light, when switched on. The switching on the
'Pandal' on the previous day of the festival is a grand occasion for the local
people. Both groups keep the design and the illumination of the 'Pandal' a
secret.
The Kodiyettam or the flag
hoisting is conducted on 13th of April with various folk entertainment and cultural programs to follow. The Nemmara
Vallangi Vela festival is the forum to enjoy the numerous folk arts like Kummatti, Karivela, Andivela and many to mark the following days.
The concluding day
celebration is marked by the splendor of a ceremony with an array of 30 tuskers
paraded on the streets laden with heavy decorations and a decorated canopy as well. The colorful ceremony is witnessed
by thousands from all over Kerala and other states as well. The conglomeration of two villages to celebrate the occasion too is something
striking.
The best way to reach the
spot of festival is to take the rail route to reach out to the Palakkad station
which lies around 40 kilometers from the site
The nearby places also
have the right to participate in this vela festival. Pallavur, Aylur,
Melarcode, Elavanchery, Kudalur, Cheramangalam are the nearby places that join
in this festival.
The background works for this festival will start well
before six months. Foreign tourists and people from different parts of India
visit here to see this festival. Vedikettu, Panchavadyam, Melam, Elephants,
Aanapanthal, Kudamattam are the main highlights which gives more importance to
this festival than others. Vedikketu uses large amount of fireworks. Thus it
becomes one of the special items and is liked by Poora Premikal (Malayalam word
for those who like temple festivals of Kerala). Panchavadyam and melam adds the
musical rhythm to the festival.
The main events of Vallanghy-Nenmara vela are following:
·
4.00AM Mahaganpathy homam
·
5.00AM Prathyaksha
Mahaganapathi homam
·
5.30AM Thidampu pooja
·
9.30AM Eeduvedi 11 Keli,
Kombu payatte, Kuzhal Payatte
·
11.30AM Kolam Kayattal
·
11.30AM Panchavadhyam
Starts at Shiva Kshetram
·
4.00PM Pandimelam starts
at Aanapanthal
·
4.30PM Nellikulangara Kavu
kayaral (Nellikulangara temple)
·
6.00PM Nellikulangara kavu
irangal
·
6.30PM Vedikettu
·
8.30PM Thayambaka
·
10.30PM Kommbu payattu,
Kuzhal payattu
·
11.00PM Kolam kayattal
·
11.05PM Panchavadhyam at
Shiva Kshetram
The main elephants of the festival are following
·
Mangalamkunne Ayyappan
·
Mangalamkunne Ganapathy
·
Thiruvanikkav Rajagopalan
·
Mangalamkune Sharan Ayyappan
·
Chembuthara Devidasan
·
Mangalamkunne Ganesan
·
Idakunni Arjunan
·
Konark Ganapathi
·
Mullathe Ganapathi
·
Paranur Nandan
·
Peringathara Rajan
Connectivity
From Kochi Airport: Come to Trichur -
65 km, take a taxi to Nemmara or by bus from Trichur bus stand to Nemmara - 48
km.
From Coimbatore Airport: By taxi or bus to
Palakkad - 60 km.
From Palakkad: By taxi or bus to
Nemmara - 30 km.
