Palayadi Karuppu

Palayadi Karuppu

By

P.R.Ramachander

Gandharava kottai is a village which is thirty km from Pudukottai. Varappur is 12 km from this village. This is the head village for the surrounding 35 villages near there. The same caste people there have divided themselves in to eight groups. They did not have any God to protect them. So two elders of the village went to Kerala. They saw a sage who was doing meditation there. They waited in front of him for 90 days. Drinking only water. The sage realized their earnestness and opened his eyes and gave one fist full of mud to each of them. One man kept it safely in side his turban and the other made a packet with his cloth and hung it on the thread that he had tied in his hip. They reached their village. When the man went to the pond to drink water, he removed his turban. The mud in his turban became like an arrow and went through a Pala tree and fell below it. The elders then rushed to the village and brought all the people. Then God entered one of the assembled and he told them, “I am Karuppan. I like this place. If you build a temple for me here, I will take care of you.” Then the asked God, as to what has to be done with the mud brought by the other person. Then the God told them to place it below another Pala tree in Nerunchipatti which was two km from there. The people did accordingly. The people built a temple and the Karuppu was referred to as Palayadi Karuppu (Karuppu below a Pala tree).All the 18 villages around Varappur consider this Karuppu as their God and are firm that he will satisfy all their wants.
The Pala tree has become in to a very big tree. Along with Palayadi Karuppu, there are three more sub gods called Chinna Karuppu, Changili Karuppu and Muthu Karuppu. Nearby in another structure, there is a small statue of the man who brought Palayadi Karuppu from Kerala. When Karuppu is worshipped, he also is worshipped. Lot of mud horses are also there built by devotees as their offering. Nearby there is temple for the fearsome God Billi muni. People believe he is the god who does things for Karuppu.
Once a Muslim gentleman called Mal Ravuthar went by this side and he teasingly told about whether the horses would eat grass. After he left Palayadi Karuppu told Billi Muni, “When he is returning back, I will make these horses eat grass. Then he would be surprised and come here. At that time you cut off his head.” As a memory of this incident there is a small structure for Mal Ravuthar also. He sits headless on a horse. Below the feet of the horse, his head is seen lying. Worship is done for Mal Ravuthar also. The Billi muni temple does not have any doors. It seems all attempts to put a door have failed.
In the month of February –March there is a ten day festival for Palai Karuppu. All the villagers attend this festival without fail on the eighth day there is a festival called “Billi koduppu Vaibhavam.” It seems once upon a time to satisfy the ferocious Billi Muni, every year, one child was sacrificed. Its blood would be mixed with Pongal and the balls of rice and blood would be thrown in to the sky on all four directions. It seems in one direction the ball will not fall back. They would then conclude that Billi has taken the ball of rice on that side. They also believed that the villages in that direction would become prosperous for that year.
This sacrificing of a child continued till the family which was supposed to give child for sacrifice had only one son. The family members went and cried before Palayadi Karuppu. Then Karuppu appeared before them and told them not to sacrifice the child but take out a little blood from the thigh of the child.
On the eighth day of the festival , pongal is prepared and offered to the other Karuppu kept below the Pala tree in Nerunchi Patti Then the Chamiyadi of Palayadi Karuppu and Billi muni jump and dance Then they start walking towards the Palayadi Karuppu temple. On the way many villagers garland both the Chamiyadis. They ask al their doubts and in trance the Chamiyadis reply heir questions. Around 12 mid nights they prepare Pongal and offer it to Palayadi Karuppu Then the blood is let from the thigh of the boy. Then the villager belonging to the village of that boy mixes the blood with pongal and throws it towards the sky. With this festival of the eighth day comes to an end.
People of the 18 villages have great faith on Palayadi Karuppu. The first invitation to any function in any house in these eight villages is always to Palayadi Karuppu. The Pala tree behind the Palayadi Karuppu is also believed to have magical properties. Women without children chew the leaves and people honour the leaf by putting them on their head.