Mampatti

Mampatti மாம்பட்டி
village
Mampatti Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates: 10°03′12″N 78°29′36″E / 10.053406°N 78.493411°E / 10.053406; 78.493411Coordinates: 10°03′12″N 78°29′36″E / 10.053406°N 78.493411°E / 10.053406; 78.493411
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Sivaganga
Languages
• Official	Tamil
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	630566^[1]
Telephone code	04577^[2]
Lok Sabha constituency	Sivaganga (Lok Sabha constituency)^[3]
State Assembly Constituency	Tiruppattur (194) (State Assembly Constituency)

Mampatti(Tamil: மாம்பட்டி) is a Village in Thiruppathur Taluk in Sivagangai District of Tamil Nadu State, India. It comes under Mampatti south Panchayath union. It is a constituent of the ancient “Mayilrayan Kottai Nadu”(மயில்ராயன் கோட்டைநாடு).^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] ^[8]

Location

It is located 43 km North from District headquarters Sivagangai. Other nearby towns are Melur and Tirupathur. It is about 10 km away from Thirukoshtiyur which has one of the 108 Divya desam temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is well connected to Tirupathur, Melur and Madurai by private and Tamil Nadu State Transport bus lines.^[9]^[10]

History and people

It is a modern village with long history. Main occupation of the people is agriculture and trading. 12 villages that are situated around are administratively and culturally linked with Mampatti. Name of the 12 villages are 'Mampatti, Oppilanpatti, Santhirapatti, Thumbaipatti, idaiyapatti, kilukiluppaipatti, thirupathipatti, M.Valaiyapatti, kachapatti, kalungupatti, thoppupatti, indira nagar'.

Everyone knows the festival Deepavali/Diwali(Tamil: தீபாவளி), which literally means “row of lights” celebrated by Hindus across the world and is the most important festival in Hinduism. It is the celebration of good over evil, and light overcoming darkness. Regarding Diwali, astounding fact of this villages is that they never celebrate this festival. No new clothes, sweets or fire crackers here. For residents of the villages, Diwali has never been an occasion for celebration. For the past six decades, the villagers have shunned the festival. The reason behind this is that they faced a severe drought on that period and also the festival occurs at the wrong time of the year, where everyone will be in the midst of Samba Season where they incur agricultural expenses.

While the entire village was suffering due to drought, few affluent families celebrated the festival, as usual indifferent to the plight of others. It hurt many of the people in villages, particularly the kids. That was when they decided not to celebrate it. Everyone in the villages strictly adhere to the resolution adopted during a village meeting held 60 years ago. Even those who moved from the village to settle elsewhere have not violated this unwritten diktat of the village.

Also many youths from villages moved to foreign countries for survival as monsoon fails for a continuous time. Now the villagers' economic condition improved as farming picked up for some extent. But, they continued to shun celebrations. Youth who marry girls from this village are told about the practice in advance so that they do not expect to be honored during `Thalai diwali,' the first diwali after marriage. However, the villagers celebrate Pongal in a grand manner wearing new clothes and preparing sweet Pongal along with the engagement of a bull taming sport called Manju Virattu(Tamil: மஞ்சு விரட்டு).^[11]^[12]

Temples

Sri Kadukavalar Swamy Temple

Silhouette of Sri Kadukavalar temple during sunset

There are many temples around Mampatti. Main attraction of this region is "Sri Kadukavalar Swamy Temple"(Tamil: ஸ்ரீ காடுகாவலர் ஸ்வாமி திருக்கோவில்). The Deity of this temple is called "Kadukavalar Swamy" (Tamil: காடுகாவலர் ஸ்வாமி) situated in the middle of 12 villages. As every village deity, this too situated in the shore of a River and a Lake that running through the villages for cultivation. The rivers and tunnels flooding through this area get the source of water from a Tropical forest of Alagar Hills.

Chola Vinayagar and Choleswarar Temple

Chola Vinayagar Temple

Chola Vinayagar/Cholesvarar Temple is a Hindu temple. The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Ganapathy. The temple is renowned and maintained by Mampatti village.

Karanthamalai Aiyanar Temple

Karanthamalai Aiyanar Temple

This is the Aiyanar Temple of this region worshipped by the 12 villages mentioned above and other nearby villages. 'Puravi Eduppu' is the festival that will be conducted once in every 3 years for this temple.

Another temple located in front of an Village courtyard is 'Manthaiya Kali' and 'Manthaiya Ayya'. The people entering into the village will worship this deity first.

Festivals

Vaikasi Thiruvizha

“Vaikasi Thiruvizha”(Tamil: வைகாசித் திருவிழா) festival celebrated every year in the month of April/May is one of the major annual festival in this village. It is a 5 days festival for Deities "Ponnadai Selvi" and "Piriya Vidai Naynar" situated in Vadavanpatti(Tamil: வடவன்பட்டி) village. Deity will be carried through the villages towards the river that flows near the village Oppilanpatti in order for a 'Ganga Snanam'. This festival attracts devotees from around the villages. Most of the natives living outside of the village returns home to participate in the festival.

Pongal Festival

Pongal(Tamil: பொங்கல் பண்டிகை), a national festival of the Tamils, is celebrated on January 14. The next day is "Mattu Pongal"(Tamil: மாட்டுப்பொங்கல்)(celebration of cows and bulls). This is the major festival celebrated in this region which brings the natives back home. As Diwali is shunned in this region, this festivals will be celebrated in a grand manner with bull taming sport called Manju Virattu(Tamil: மஞ்சு விரட்டு).

Tying a 'Salli'(copper coin) on the foreheads of the bulls, trained specially for this, the bulls are set loose. The competitors then try to capture the fierce bulls. The Tamil literature and the famous grammar Tolkappiyam(Tamil: தொல்காப்பியம்) which is created in the ancient Sangam period mentioned this as "eru taluvuthal"(Tamil: ஏறு தழுவுதல்).^[13]

Puravi Eduppu Festival

Karanthamalai Aiyanar Temple - 'Puravi Eduppu'

'Puravi Eduppu'(Tamil: புரவி எடுப்பு திருவிழா) is a festival beseeching the rain gods for their mercy. This is the festival taken for the deity Aiyanar who protects the rural villages and their families. The festival of Aiyanar is decided upon by the entire village. After the decision has been taken, the god sometimes is consulted as well; he will answer e.g., through the "message of salvation". Once the decision made for conducting the festival, with a symbolic handful of earth from the temple the priest requests the potter (Velar) to make the necessary statues. The temple administration or the village pays for the statues of the deities and some of the horses; the devotee commissions his/her own votive offerings and pays for them. The potters also fashion the statues of the deities and of other items, be they animals or parts of the human body (legs, arms, eyes etc. offered in return for the healing of an illness). The statues are whitewashed and then painted with colors. Large old clay(terracotta) horses reaching a height of two meters and more, wonderfully molded and with intricate decorations with Vestis, Flower garlands. Devotees decorate their votive offerings themselves with flowers, pieces of cloths, balloons, pin-wheels, mirrors, etc.,.

Over a padding of straw tied to the sides of the larger statues, two wooden poles are fastened with which the statues can be carried. The smaller statues are carried on the head or shoulder of a person. The horses that given to the god denotes status, strength, power and royal qualities. once the priest completes performing Puja for all the terracotta's, the clay statues are then carried at a fast pace to the temple, where their eyes are opened and where they receive a place in front of the old statues. This terracotta horses seen inside the compound are given to the god in order to walk around his territory on night time to assert and record its boundaries^[14]

Mampatti

Location

History and people

Temples

Sri Kadukavalar Swamy Temple

Chola Vinayagar and Choleswarar Temple

Karanthamalai Aiyanar Temple

Festivals

Vaikasi Thiruvizha

Pongal Festival

Puravi Eduppu Festival

References

External links