Random thoughts of one whose original roots were in Puthukode.(Puducode), a village in Kerala.

Random  thoughts of one  whose original  roots  were  in Puthukode.

By

P.R.Ramachander

     I belonged  to an astrologer/Musician  family  of Puthucode and my grandfather left that village   about 120  years back  and moved  to Chelakkara, which is the only village  of Kerala   which I knew but somehow  Puthukode  struck  to my name  in  spite  of these  120 years.In this life  of 76  years , I have  visited Puducode  some 8-9  times. Only twice  have  I stayed  in the village  of my forefathers for  a  day. But  I loved the village  and I was proud  of the village  where  my grandfather   had  his roots, Whatever  I write below   are really random thoughts , which are  information   that I have heard  from my father  and my co-brother Sri. P.V.V.Raghavan whose  soul  always lived in Puducode, though  his body  lived in Mumbai .Had he been alive  he would have called  this as ignorant  thoughts , but  I really  want to call it as   random thoughts. Shall I begin my thoughts by A prayer  song  addressed to Goddess Annapurneswari of  Puthucode.

A prayer  to Goddess  Annapurni  of Puthucode by  Smt,P.S.Chellamma Teacher , Mani Mandir  , Puthucode

Puthukkottu  Annapurneswari  Akshara Mala Stotram

Translated  by

P.R.Ramachander

1.Annapurneswari , Akhilandeswari ,

Abhaya  Pradhayini  , Puthukodiye

1.Oh  Goddess  Annapurna   who is the Goddess  of all the universe ,

Who gives  us protection   and who lives  in Puthucode.

2.Aadhi parasakhi, Aananda Bhairavi,

Aadhiyai  theerpai , Puthukodiye

2.Oh Primeval divine  power  who is the joy filled  BHairavi ,

Please  destroy our sorrows, Oh goddess  who lives  in Puthucode .

3.Innalai  ozhithu , inpathai tharuvai  ,

Ishta varam tharum  Puthucodiye

3.Please destroy our pains   and give us pleasure  ,

Oh Goddess of Puducode who gives desired boons.

4.Eesanin nayagi , Devi Maheswari,

Iru padam paninthom  , Puthukodiye

4.Oh consort of Lord Shiva   who us   the   the greatest  Goddess,

WE salute  both your feet, Oh Goddess  who lives in Puthucode.

5.Ullilum irunthu, veliyilum irunthu,

Ulagathai kaappai  , Puthucodiye.

5.Living   inside   as well as outside ,

Please  protect  the world, Oh Goddess  who lives  in  Puthucode

6.OOnathai neeki  , ookathai tharuvai  ,

OOrellam pugazhum  puthukodiye.

6.Please remove my handicaps  and give me enthusiasm ,

Oh  Goddess  who lives  in Puthucode who is praised  in all places.

7.Rishikal  yaavarum  pothri vanangidum ,

Veda  SWaroopini Puthukodiye.

7.Oh Goddess  who lives in Puthucode  who  is worshipped,

And praised  by all sages   who has the form of Vedas.

8.Edutha kariyam  vethri kidaikkave  ,

Endrendrum  Kaapaai  , puthukodiye.

8.Please  protect us  always and help us  to succeed,

All jobs that  we take up  , Oh Goddess  who lives in Puducode

9.Yezhaikal yengalai  , endrum kaappai  ,

Yethathaazhvillamal  puthukodiye.

9.Please protect us   poor people ,

Not bothering  about our status , Oh Goddess   who lives in Pudukode.

10.Iyngari   sankari devi , krupakari  ,

Iswaryam tharuvaai  , Puthokodiye.

10.Oh Goddess  with five hands , who is consort of Sankara and who is very charitable,

Please  Give me wealth  , Oh Goddess  who lives  in Puthucode

11.Onpathu devikal ondraai   serntha,

Oyyara  roopini  , puthukodiye

11.Oh Goddess  with pretty  form,

Made by joining  together of nine forms, Oh Goddess  who lives in Puthucode.

12. OM yendrezhuthaal  odiye varuvaii,

OM Sakthi nayagi, puthukodiye.

12.Please Come  running in the form of letter “Om”,

Oh Goddess   of the letter om  , Oh Goddess   who lives in Puthucode

13.Oushadhamai   un namathai   japithaal,

Vyadhiyai   theerppai  , puthukodiye.

13.If we chant  your name   as medicine ,

You would cure our disease, Oh Goddess who lives in Puthucode.

14.Ambike nin thirupadathai   paninthaal,

Adaikkalam tharuvai  , Puthukodiye

14.Oh Mother  if we   salute    your divine feet ,

You would give us protection , Oh Goddess  who lives  in Puthucode

15.Ajnanathai neeki  , jnanathai thauvai ,

Jnana  vikasini  , Puthukodiye

15.Please   remove   our ignorance nd give us wisdom,

Oh Godess  who increases wisdom, Oh Goddess  who lives in Puducode

16.OmShakthi Nayagi  , Om Sakthi Nayagi  ,

Om Shakthi Nayagi, Puthikodiye

10.Om Shakthi who leads, Om Shakthi who leads,

Om Shakthi who leads, Oh Goddess   who lives in Puducode.

Now   some info about Puthucode, its temple , its Navarathri festival   and its famous Puthukottu  Pulungari.

Puthucode  or Puducode is a village   in Palakkad  District of Kerala .It was   one of the biggest Agraharams  in Kerala , which consisted  of 500  Brahmin houses  once upon a time. As of now the centre of the Agraharam  is occupied  by  a very pretty  and a very big temple of Puthucode  Bhagwathy and in another corner  is a Shiva Temple . The  Brahmins of Puthucode consider that Puducode  Bhagwathi   is Goddess Annapurneswari .But  The Goddess  does not have the usual form of Annapurneswari with a ladle  and pot in hands but  holds Shanka and Chakra   in Both hands.  Though  most of the Brahmins believe that  this temple   was  established by the Tamil Brahmins themselves , most of the Keralites believe  that  it is one  of the  108  Devi temples  .While some Bramins   believe that the idol of the Bhagawathi  was brought out from the temple tank   by One Rama Sastrigal, others believe that  this idol was got made in Trithala   and was brought  by few Brahmins  carrying  the idol on their heads without keeping it on the earth   any where  and without taking rest.  There is Prathistha of Ganapathi as well as Lord Ayyappan in the temple  .There is also a Bhootha  Prathistha   and Sarpa Kavu inside the temple There  is a  practice of Chanting  Shyamala Dandagam   which praises  Goddess  Saraswathi by   the  Brahmins of the village. For some period the Temple was given by the Tamil Brahmins   for  Management to the Naduvil Madam .But in 1982  an organization of  Tamil Brahmins called  “Sri Annapurneswari   pooja Coordinators(SAPCO) was formed  and since that   time  only Tamil Brahmins manage   the temple .The daily Pooja of the temple  is done by a Tamil Brahmin priest. This association  was formed   under   the leadership  of the owner  of “Vadhyar boats”  a company  manufacturing boats  in Madras , who  is from Puducode.Maha Periyavaa   is supposed to have visited  the temple   and stayed  there  one month. Later  Swamy Jayendra  Saraswathi   of Kamakoti peetam    also visited the  temple.

     The people of Puducode with great pride say  , there is no greater  Agraharam  than Puthucode .The Village   was populated  by great Vedic Pundits, Scholars  in Sastra , Astrologers , as well as Carnatic Musicians.At the initial stages   there was only a school run by one  Gopalakrishna Iyer  in the village   which used   to give education up to elementary level.  At that time to study up to high school  , students had  either to go to Alathur or Thiruvilvamala..Poor and middle class students  used to walk down to and fro while rich families used to hire a home and employ a cook so that  their children can study there .Later  a Sanskrit Pata Sala   called  “Hari Hara  Pathasala “ was established  by one  Justice Sundaram Iyer   who  was  from Puducode a  prominent  Madras High Court judge  during the early part of the 20^th centuary.  This was integrated  in to an English medium  higher secondary  school   with greater emphasis  on Sanskrit by  one Sri P.R. Narayana  iyer.This institution also became a Sanskrit College   in later days.

    Puducode village   was also a great centre  of education in Sama Veda , where late  P.K.Gopala Vadhyar   who was   an expert in the THanjavur  method  of Chanting  Sama Veda  ,  lived.He was an expert in Kauthuma Tradition of chanting Sama Veda(Called Ramanna patam )    , though  this style of chanting  has almost  disappeared from its home Thanjavur.,.Howard university entrusted the  job of recording this unique method of chanting to one  L.S.Rajagopal of Trichur  .I understand that   the major part  of chanting of Sama Veda   by  Gopala Krishna Vadhyar   has  been preserved  in that university. The BHavan’s branch of Puthucode has also preserved   these  records.

” Among Puthucode's well known residents are the late Shri Puthucode Krishnamurthy, a Carnatic musician,  Mr. M.H. Krishna Iyer- of Manapadam Gramam(Ex Deputy collector)  ,Mr. P. Rajagopal I.A.S of Kanakkannur(Ex collector Palakkad)  and Justice Mr. P R Sundaram Iyer of South Village. Mr. P C Sriram, a well-known cameraman in Indian Cinema, is the grandson of Justice P R Sundaram Iyer. Mr.O.Rajagopal Ex-Union Minister Railway is from Kanakkannur, Puthucode.”( http://www.puthucode.com/). A great  expert in Sastras   called  Ambi Satrigal   also lived   there.

   Puducode was   also a great centre  of Carnatic music in Kerala.” Some of the great musicians of the earlier times were Seshu Bhagavathar, Venkichu Bhagavathar, Seetharama Bhagavathar who served in the court of Cochin king, Visweswara Bhagavathar and Madhu Bhagavathar who was an expert in Veena. Among the present day greats is Puducode Krishnamurthy Bhagavathar  (http://orkut.google.com/c20656126-tcf335210d4bb02bd.html) .I also understand that  the Asthana Vidwan of the  Guruvayur temple   at one time was a tamil  Brahmin belonging to Puthucode. Some members of the Bhagwathar  family were  also astrologers  and some Sastric Pundits. I know that there  was a Deekshithar  and Ganapadi   family   belonging to Puthucode .I am one  of the member of the Sastri/Jyosyar/BHagawathar   families  of Puthucode and my father used to tell me   that ,  with  our family   there  was a referral  book  which was a  the Palm leaf  manuscript dealing with  Rules and rituals  of Brahmin tradition and whenever a  need for  interpretation  of the rules  was needed  , Tamil Brahims   from all over Kerala  Used to come  to Puthucode  and consult that Manuscript which was with our family .Our Family  is big one with lots of Branches   and in spite  of my best efforts  I could not  trace  this great book.

   The Greatest  festival that  Puthucode celebrates  is the Navarathri  ,It is a time when representatives  of almost all the 500 original families  come back to their  village.Elaborate   arrangements  for their free  stay and free food  is arranged  by the Brahmins  of the village . The procession carrying Goddess is called  Shiveli. From the first  to the fifth day  the Shiveli is held only inside  the temple, While the sixth day the Goddess  goes out to the Thekke    Gramam(south village) , On 7^th she goes  to the  KIzhakke   Gramam(East village)  , on 8^th    to the Vadakke Gramam (North village   and on the ninth day to the  Padinjare gramam (west village) ,.The celebrations on each of these days  is simply gigantic  along with large number of Elephants,  several top ranking  artists playing Pancha Vadhyam , Chenda etc  , Bursting  of crackers .The Goddess goes out  three times to those  Gramams on each day.There would  be Shyamala Dandakam chanting in the   extremely   well decorated temple   , followed by the great  feast .The Major  main Dish is  the Puthukottu  Pulungari and Olan and the famous  Idichu Piuzhinja Payasam (also called Sada sadayam) .  On the ninth  day  night  the goddess   comes out for  a pig Hunting  (Panni Nayattu) ,She goes  up to a place where a wooden pig is kept  and is supposed to kill it by  using  bows and arrows.On the tenth day is Arattu .The Goddess is taken out   and gets  dipped in a temple tank and returns. While returning she  is supposed  to go 15 times around the temple .The people there  especially Children go on shouting  and playing  loud instruments   and make the elephant run faster and faster .At the end, the  elephant touches   the flag pole  and enters her  temple bringing  to an end the  festivities.

    In the Souvenier  Published  during the  Kumbabishekam of the temple , the preparation  of Puthukottu Pulankari  is given in detail .Based on it I have made   a recipe for the modern home.

Puthucode Kovil Pulungari/ Pulinkari
Pumpkin 150 g, Yam 150 g, Ash gourd 150 g, Plantains 50 g,Raw rice 10 g, tur dhal 25 g, dried chillies 3, Fenugreek (Mentha) 5 g, Tamarind 50 g, Coconut (shredded) 25 g, Mustard 2 g, green chillies 5 g, Jaggery 20 g, curry leaves, Coconut oil 25 g and some quantity of curry leaves and salt to taste.
Method:
1.Cut and cook Ah gourd and yam together in a cooker
2.Also cook Tur dal in the cooker
3. Cut and boil pumpkin and plantains
4. fry rice till they pop and powder it
5.fry fenugreek (Mentha) to golden brown and powder it
6.Grind coconut and green chillies together
7 Extract Tamarind juice and boil it for 5 minutes
8. Add all vegetables, jaggery, and cooked dhal for 10 minutes
9.Add rice powder and boil for 5 minutes
10. Take out from stove and immediately add coconut paste, mentha powder, coconut oil and curry leaves and stir.
11. Season it with mustard and dry chilies in coconut oil.

       I would be grateful   if corrections and additions    are  made to this  random jottings   so that   even after  100 years  people would know  about Puducode  in all its  glory.