| Kunissery | |
| — town — | |
|
|
|
| Coordinates | |
| Country | India |
| State | Kerala |
| District(s) | Palakkad |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
Kunissery is a small village in the Palakkad district of Kerala state, South India. It is 7 km east of Alathur. Kunissery's famous festival is Kummatti which is celebrated on the birthday of the local goddess Pookulathi on the Punartham Star of Meenam.
Contents |
The Kummati festival is held at the Pookulangara Bhagavathy Temple, 7 km from Alathur which is 22 km from Palakkad town.
One of the attractions is Kanyar, a folk art practised by the Nair community.
Kummatti falls on the "Punartham" star of Meenam month (mid-March to mid-April) every year. It is also the birthday or "Pirannaal" of the Bhagavathy.
On Punartham of Kumbam (Feb-March), people of Kunissery assemble at "Vari Mandam" (വരി മന്ദം) to start announcement of Kummatti after a month. This is called the "Vari Idal". Starting this date till Kanyar Day, all types of Vaadyam (Chenda etc.) is banned for usage in the village.
On the day before the Kummatti, the Kanyar is performed. On the day of the festival, ten caparisoned elephants participate in a procession. Kannyar Kali owes its origin to the practicing of martial arts in the region, which was under the constant threat of attack from neighbouring Kongu Nadu. At the high point of the celebration, the villagers who have assembled near the temple are asked if they will defend the village. Only upon getting a positive answer can the celebrations proceed. If any one of the villagers dissents, the celebrations are held up.
Apart from the famous Kummatti, the annual Aarat (holy bath) coinciding with Dasara and the twelve-yearly celebration of Valia Aarat (Big Festival) is noteworthy. Once every 32 years, there is a joint festival called Thalapoli in which the people of Kunisseri who worship the deity Pookulangara Bhagavathy go to "meet" her father Pallavoorappan (that is, Shiva), in the nearby village of Pallavoor.
Dance and comedy performances were added to military training to make it more interesting and challenging. The result is a combination of the agile movements of martial arts (Kalaripayattu) with the rhythmic grace of folk dancing. The Kannyar Kali is usually performed during March–April in temples as well as in places called Tharas (grounds), a venue for informal gatherings. The dance is accompanied by folk songs and percussion instruments.
Another performance involves an art form called "Ponnani Kali". Here, after many days of training under an "Aasan" (ആശാന്, teacher), the villagers dress in costumes representing folk characters such as Panan the pot maker, Chakiliyan the leather worker, Vannan the washer man, Cheruman the farm-hand, and others representing various castes. Its origins are unknown and the name Ponnani Kali is curious. It seems to have nothing to do with Ponnani, which is a town in the Malappuram district.
Right next to the Pookulangara Bhagavathy Temple is the Angala Parameswari Temple, a family deity or kaavu for many families. Unverified history has it that the Bhagavathy was moved here about 750 years ago by a set of devotees from Tiruchirapalli (Trichy) as they sought to find greener pastures during a famine. To this day, the priest of this temple hails from Trichy.