Thaindian News

Thiruvananthapuram, March 8 (IANS) The foundation of the sacred fire of the much talked-about 4,000-year-old Vedic ritual, “Athirathram,” the invocation of Agni - the fire god, was laid in a north Kerala village Monday.

The ritual is to be conducted near the old Lakshmi Narayan temple in the village of Panjal in Thrissur district.

Presided over by the Namboodiri Brahmins of the state, Athirathram will begin April 4 and conclude April 15.

The ritual is aimed at spreading the message of world peace and amity across the world, according to organisers.

The foundation symbol - a bamboo staff - was installed at the site of the main “yagnyashala,” the site of the hearth, by senior priests and several other Vedic scholars, a statement from the organisers said Tuesday.

They were accompanied by members of the Varthathe Trust, which is sponsoring the fire ritual.

Hundreds of foreign scholars are expected to attend the ceremonies, considered to be the oldest Vedic ritual, to study the impact of the fire worship and the Vedic chants on the environment.

The ritual is being performed after 36 years, the last one being held in 1975.

It involves the chanting of selected mantras from three Vedas, the ancient Sacred Texts of Hinduism - Rig, Yajur and Sama.

The last three days of the rituals will be a non-stop 72-hour chanting session with each priest getting a break of barely 30 minutes.

The offerings made at the site where the foundation staff was planted were in proportion to the height of the chief priest, the “yajamanan,” Ramanujan Somayajippadu.

Divided into seven portions, the ceremonial offering to appease the fire deity was a combination of bamboo, wood of the arecanut tree and coconut leaves.

The pots and vessels made of clay and wood are also being crafted by a team of local artisans in proportion to the height of the chief priest, the statement explained.

The hearth will be shaped like the mythical bird “Garuda” or eagle, and made of special bricks laid out to the ancient Vedic measurement, the statement said.

The preparation for “Athirathram” began six months ago.

Krishna Kumar Namboodiri of the Varthathe Trust said that in 1975, after the completion of the ritual, “a heavy downpour fell over the area which the sponsors claimed was true to tradition and marked the “success of the ritual”.

The Panjal Athirathram will be led by Puthillathu Ramanujan Somayajippadu, known as the “yajamanan” (the chief) and Dhanyapathanadi, the ‘Yajamanapathni’ (chief’s wife). A team of 40 assistants will help with the elaborate rituals.

The venue of the ritual has to be uniquely positioned to imbibe maximum energy from the sun, which has made Panjal the right place for almost all similar ceremonies held in Kerala in the past, a spokesman of the trust said.

The cost is estimated at Rs.10 million and the organisers are expecting at least 15,000 visitors.

People across all faiths can participate in Athirathram, the organisers said.

In 1975, the ritual was documented by Indologist Frits Staal of the University of California and by scholar Robert Gardner, with support from several international agencies.