Saturday, November 28, 2015

Nemmara, Nelliyampathy

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 KeralaIndia. 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, EzhavaChetty. There are some Muslims and Christians also. The major occupation is agriculture. The crops are paddy, vegetablesginger & 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.
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.
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
Nearest Airport: Kochi International Airport and Coimbatore Airport in Tamil Nadu.
Nearest Railway Station: Palakkad or Trichur

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.