Hinduism: Details about 'Ayyavazhi Religious Practices'

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Forms of worship and the features attendant on them can be said to be manifestations and indicators of the type of religiosity present in a religious universe. Apart from Basement of Philosophy and Theology, the various religious practices of Ayyavazhi are also the pillars on which it stands to prove its uniqueness. And from the sociological point of view, it also strengthens both physically and mentally the socially down trodden people in a religious way. Let us take a look at some of the prominent practices that evolved in the Ayyavazhi tradition. Religious experience that was existent in Ayyavazhi seems to have expressed itself through certain forms with specific features as said in Akilattirattu Ammanai. Let us take a look at the prominent ones.

Vegetarianism

The practice of vegetarianism is one of the important facts among the followers of Ayyavazhi seems to have originated along with this event of Thuvayal Thavasu. Some of the followers seem to have adopted partial vegetarianism. Even now, vegetarianism is being strictly practised in one form or the other by a section of the followers of Ayyavazhi. They have adopted it as one of their religious observances. Particularly most of the Panividaiyalars (one who perform Panividai) of Pathis and Nizhal Thangals strictly follows Vegetarianism.

Muttirikkinaru and Muttirippatham

Akilattirattu mentions about a well, situated near the place where Ayya Vaikundar undertook the tavam, and about the prevalence of certain ritual practices around it. The well, situated at present at a distance of a furlong to the west of the main pathi (temple) at Swamithoppe, is the historical well.

Akilattirattu speaks of, "the eighteen castes assembling in one place, and bathing from the same well." This refers to the prevalence of a seemingly innocuous practice of the people, gathered around Ayya Vaikundar, bathing together from the water of this well. People of different castes bath together at this well, mindless of their social differences. Physical closeness was necessitated, mainly, because of the smallness of the well. Besides bathing, they drank this water as cure for their illnesses. They cooked their food with the use of this water, and ate it in a community feast . In the course of events, the well and its water seem to have acquired religious significance to the people of Ayyavazhi. The acts of bathing, drinking a few drops of it, and cooking the food with this water came to be repeated with a ritual fervour. People consider the well a sacred one, and the water as having miraculous powers to heal sicknesses. A couplet from the Sattu Nittu Olai of Arul Nool reads as: "everyone is drinking the milk of the well around which miracles are growing". People considered it a religious obligation to bath and drink at least a few drops of water from this well.

Presently, one of the important ritual actions performed by the devotees of Ayyavazhi is to take this ritual bath, drawing water from a well dug near every Pathis. This has become a ritual necessity to be gone through, before one worships at the pathis. It is overwhelming to see the devotees throng the well to get a few buckets of water on to them and drink a few drops ceremoniously for five times and then proceed

On 17th of September, 1994, a miracle happened at the Muttirikkinaru. Some highly poisonous chemical was immersed in the water of Muttirikkinaru by some unknown miscreants in a large sack. Devotees were using the water as usual even though they experienced a strange smell coming out from the Well. Miraculously nobody was affected.

Thirunamam

Thiru (word representing sacredness) + Namam (name) represents (The Sacred name). The people of Ayyavazhi wore a vertical white mark on the forehead in the shape of a flame, starting from the central point between the eyebrows, going straight up near the top edge of the forehead. The flame shape represents Aanma Jyothi or Atman. Which in turn means that, Atman is considered sacred and as the name of God.(See:Symbol of Ayyavazhi) Zealous devotees smeared it on the exterior of the upper arms and over the chest. This white mark was unlike the one worn by a Hindu of Vaishnavism tradition who wore it on the forehead in the shape of 'U', or of Saivism tradition who wore it horizontally as three parallel lines. The white powder used for this mark was made from coarse white soil, found at lower layer of the earth.

Ayya Vaikundar seems to have personally touched the forehead of followers and worn it for them. On account of this action, it came to called also as thottunamam - meaning 'a mark with a personal touch'. A verse in Ukappatippu of Arulnool says: "Our Ayya is coming to us by wearing a thottunamam. This dimension of personal touch stood out to the public eye and was much appreciated by the people of Ayyavazhi.

At present, those who 'serve' in every Pathis or Nizhal Thangals, wear this white mark for the people and give a portion of it in their hands. People carry it home as holy object, and some of them even swallow a little of it believing it to be medicinal.

Wearing of headgear during worship

One of the significant ritual actions that distinguished the Ayyavazhi male worshipper from others was 'wearing a headgear' during worship. Ayya Vaikundar seems to have enjoined upon his male followers to tie a headgear when they came to worship God. Accordingly, the male followers seem to have tied a headgear during worship. This is to reveal that every people are kings and every one in to rule the Earth. This philosophy is told symbolically by the practice of wearing the headgear since the wearing of headgear is considered as a matter of Pride. It was said that this is one of the practices which ties Ayyavazhi close to the Advaita tradition. In addition to the uniqueness of this practice, writings of the historians, point to the emergence of this practice as unique to Ayyavazhi.

It became a ritual action to be performed before the people entered the Pathi to worship. The male devotees usually removed their upper garment and tied the headgear and entered the Pathi for worship. To this day this practice is followed.

Healing diseases

Ayya Vaikundar also cure the illness of people with the power he had as the avatar of Narayana. The LMS Report for the year 1843 mentions that Vaikuntacami, "asserts that one of the principle Hindoo deities has taken up his abode within him," and that because of this, "he is enabled to perform the cure of all diseases, and to confer innumerable blessings on his followers." People, flocked around him and to have been cured by him. In reality, Ayya Vaikundar seems to have initiated a practice of treating the diseases with water and earth. Ayya was doing all these as a realisation of the dharmam that he came to proclaim. Even today there are a few number of devotees in Ayyavazhi who does not take medicine at all and instead the Earth (Thirunamam) and Water (Patham) from Pathis and Nizhal Thangals, wearing the Thirunamam on their fore head and drink the Patham ceremoniously.

Anna Dharmam (Charity on Food)

Inter-dining was an

The practice of Anna Dharmam (charity on food) too seems to have emerged in association with inter-dining. With a ritual significance, food was distributed to the needy and to all those gathered around Ayya Vaikundar.

Today, the food being served as Anna Dharmam is known as Unpan Annam, literally meaning 'the food to be eaten', and, it has its own specific method of preparation. Rice, vegetables, and spices are cooked and mixed together for the purpose. Then it is served ceremoniously. When it is served, the partakers wait till everyone is served. Then a question is posed customarily by the partakers: "Ayya annam kutikkalama ?" (Ayya, may we eat the meal?) and when it is answered by those who serve as "Ayya annam kutiyunkal" (You may kindly eat the meal), the partakers eat the meal. This was to ensure that everyone got the meal. The poor and the rich - all partake of this meal without discrimination. It was considered as a religious virtue to partake of this meal. There is another variant of Anna Dharmam known as Palvaippu serving of gruel-like food boiled in milk'. Presently, every centre of worship of Ayyavazhi has this practice once a month. Anna Dharmam in one form or the other is a daily feature in most of the worship centres of Ayyavazhi, For instance, Swamithoppe has it everyday.

Panividai

Panividai means service. It originally seems to have denoted the service rendered by the disciples to Ayya Vaikundar while he performed the tavam and other activities. It included the activities of serving him with meal, instructing the people on his behalf, and carrying him to different places wherever he wished to go.

After the earthly life of Ayya Vaikundar panividai had come to mean the service rendered at the sanctuary of Pathis and Nizhal Tangals where Ayya Vaikundar is believed to reside. This service includes cleaning the floor of the sanctuary with water, cleansing and lighting the lamp, offering Churul (betel leaf, arecanut, and bananas), conducting or leading the prayers of incantation like Ucchippatippu or Ukappatippu, wearing Thirunamam to the devotees and serving food to the devotees. Those who do this service are called as panividaiyalar (one who perform panividai). This service may be considered as the counterpart of the puja offered in the temples of Hinduism.

Patippu, Pattu, Pothippu (The Prayers)

In the religious gatherings of Ayyavazhi, even as certain forms of worship were in their rudimentary form, one could find the practice of singing songs together which, later on, seems to have been recognised as 'prayer formulae', and recited ritually. Among these prayer formulae, Ukappattu, known also as Ukappatippu, which have been formulated during the Thuvayal Thavasu, seems to have occupied a prominent place during the worship. It was recited by a leader and was repeated after him by the people in unison. This prayer formula, for its main part, dwells on the themes of Ayya Vaikundar's divine attributes, his mission to destroy the kali, to establish the Dharma Yukam, and to rule the earth as the undisputed king. Presently, a short form of this prayer is recited every morning and evening at the worship centers of Ayyavazhi or at homes, and the full version of it during special occasions

Other prayer formulae of Uccippatippu - a form of incantationary prayer that speaks about the special attributes of God, recited presently during the noon-worship, Vazhappatippu - a form of adulatory repetitive prayer that has statements of wishes for a prosperous living of the people of Santror Makkal seem to have developed during the course of the early development of Ayyavazhi. Pothippu, another short formulaic prayer, the content of which invokes God for forgiveness, protection, means of livelihood, attitudes of tolerance and amiability towards one another, and, intelligence seems to have evolved during the course of the years. It is now recited at the starting of every collective worship session. The followers of Ayyavazhi are enjoined to recite this prayer at the break of each day.

Offering of Churul

Ayyavazhi does not have the idea of 'giving offerings' but only 'giving Churul’ This is also one of the significant practice of Ayyavazhi. Gift offered to Ayya Vaikundar was called ‘Churul’, a word that denoted the gift exchanged between consanguine relatives during marriage functions by way of introducing the kith and kin to the affines. Whoever brought a gift to Ayya Vaikundar gave it to him as if giving to his / her Ayya (daddy), a curul. It is said in Akilattirattu that towards the end of his mission. Ayya Vaikundar was invited to the houses of his followers and was treated with this Churul.

At present this act of giving Churul has been ritualised and it is also called as nemital. People bring bananas, coconut and flowers, in a box made of palm leaves, and hand it over to the one performing Panivitai. The panivitaiyalar receives it and offers to Ayya and then, after retaining a major portion of it for sharing with others, returns the box with a small portion as Inimam - gift from Ayya to his children.

Worship in front of a mirror

This is yet another unique practice that distinguishes Ayyavazhi from other Hindu religious traditions. The Nizhal Thangals and Pathis have, in their sanctuary, a mirror to reflect the images of those who come to worship. People pay obeisance to their God standing in front of this mirror, facing the Elunetru admist two oil lamp. Even in the houses of the people of Ayyavazhi, the place earmarked for their daily worship has at least a miror and a lamp. This is to show the worshippers who went in front of the mirror that, 'God in inside him or herself'.

Regarding the time of origin of this practice, as soon as Ayya attained Vaikundam - a religious euphemism to indicate pass over - people, as per his earlier instruction, installed the mirror over his tomb and started to worship.

Congregational Worship

Congregational worship was a distinctive feature of Ayyavazhi worship. Praying together or, 'mass prayer' was a form of worship Ayya Vaikundar formulated.

See also

• List of Ayyavazhi-related articles