Valladi Karar of Ambalakkaran Patti

Valladi karar of Ambalakkaranpatti

By

P.R.Ramachander

Valladi karar temple is situated in Ambalakkaranpatti which is ten kilo meters from Melur of Madhurai district. This village is situated in Vellalur Nadu which is a group of 60 villages.
It seems long long ago, t in this village mysterious thefts were very common. People believed that it was done by a magician who came to these villages in a flying horse. The people of the villages appealed to their Goddess “Ezhai katha Amman, “to stop these thefts. She met the magician and asked to stop these robberies. She also assured him that if he stops these thefts, he would be worshipped by the villagers of Vellalur Nadu. Hearing this, the magician agreed and vanished in to the earth in that place. Some how this was forgotten by the villagers. One day a lady taking food to her husband who was working in the field fell down at this spot. She thought that it was an accident. Next day also she fell down at the same spot. Then her husband came there and tried to uproot a stone which was there. Blood started oozing out of the stone. Then the village elders came there along with a Kodangi (God man who used to foretell,). He told them hat the magician called as Valladi Karar was there in that spot and they have to build a temple for him. They immediately built a temple for Valladi Karar and started worshipping him. They also built a statue of horse in front of the temple. It stands keeping its leg on a devil. It seems one white man came near the temple and teased the villagers, Would this horse eat grass? Would it neigh?” The chief of the village was hurt and went in to the temple and prayed to Valladi Karar. Then he heard a lizard making sound. He understood it as the positive answer from Valladi karar. Then he went out and offered a basket of grass = to the horse statue in front of the white man. Though the basket of grass was full it seems, the white man saw the horse eating the grass and also heard it neigh. His horse was disturbed and started running uncontrollably. The horse and the white man died by drowning in a pond in the village. This pond is now being called White man’s pond.
Near the temple of Valladi karar who sits along with his wives Poorani and Porkalai is a temple of Periyakaruppan. In the back of the temple is a rare tree called Kookamuthi, which looks like a mango tree. Below the tree, there is a stone and the villagers identify it as the original stone dug at the spot where Valladi karar vanished. There is also an outer wall to the temple. Two boothas are guarding the temple. Inside also the temple is guarded by two boothas. When the villagers tried to remove the boothas in sides, it seems a big snake came out and hissed at them. They thought that Valladi karar wanted them also there.
There is an Uchi Panai pongal worship to the Valladi karar on Maha Shiva Rathri day. Next day all the men of the 60 villagers start from Valladi kara temple and walk 40 km to reach a village called Man kondan chiru vayal. There is a pond and an ayyanar temple in this village. All the men wash their feet and take bath in the pond. And return to Ambalakkaranpatti by noon. Then they take out an old palm leaf and read the story of Valladi karar. This is called “Reading of Bharatha,”
Next they fix the dates for the festival. Once this date is fixed, no villager belonging to these sixty villages would wear new cloths. There would not be sound of drum or crackers in these villages. All the pregnant woman are sent out of the villages. If some one dies during this period new cloths or garlands are not worn to the corpse. They would not mix new soil with water. No non vegetarian dishes are prepared .Not even Idli is prepared.
On the eighth day bull taming takes place. On the ninth day pongal is offered to the horse of Valladi karar. In the evening Pongal, fruits and milk are offered to Valladi karar.

Then a goat is sacrificed to periya karuppan and villagers celebrate the festival in their homes by preparing non vegetarian dishes. Then there is a chariot drive and the festival comes to an end.