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Kodungallur (Kerala), Mar 20 (ANI): Devotes and oracles gathered at the Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple here to celebrate the Bharani festival, where they sang filthy and vulgar songs about Hindu gods and goddess with the belief that it praises their main deity.

Devotees here are free to sing any kind of songs but should be a vulgar one followed by ‘ta-naro-tanro’ and throw turmeric, coconut on to the temple’s sanctum sanatorium roof, while the oracles dressed in red attire holding sword with bells on their belly take a full round of the temple.

Sometimes most of them hit themselves on their forehead with their sword in praise to their deity.

Surendran Kumar, a Hindu devotee from Coimbatore, who comes here every year with his entire group to celebrate, said that he has been following his father and brothers even mother to take up as an oracle.

Kumar further said it is the power of goddess, which draws him to do it every year without any fail.

“I have been coming here for the past four years now. We are altogether 166 people. We have been becoming oracles as a family traditional from my forefathers, all my brothers and even my mother comes here every year,” said Kumar.

“Only because of this our life is safe and secure we are very happily living. There is nothing like any pain or any break on our foreheads even we do not know why we are smashing ourselves we are not aware that time,” he added.

The pilgrimage undertaken to the shrine on this occasion is believed to safeguard and bring lots of wealth to their families.

Another lady oracle Devaki Amma said she has been coming here since ages and there has been a kind of blessing in her family after visiting this place.

“I have been coming here to this temple since 1943 and I am an oracle. We are around 55 devotees came together. For all of us the Kodungallur Bhagvati is our own deity, who protects us from all evils and has got every wealth like car, house and other things to our family members,” she said.

The famous Kodungalloor Bhagavathy Temple located in Thrissur district of Kerala is open for all especially belonging to the lower strata in Hindu society on the occasion.

The Goddess Bhagavathy is the presiding deity of the ancient temple here. The Bharani festival, known for its bawdy songs, attracts the largest congregation of Velichappadu or oracles, both men and women, in the State.

Kerala is a perfect place of communal harmony and is often mentioned as the god’s own country. (ANI)