“Oushadha Biksha Yatra” Gets Under Way, to Visit 114 Temples Across Kerala

KOTTAYAM:
Reviving a lofty tradition, the “Oushadha Biksha Yatra,” a campaign which will tour through 114 temples across Kerala seeking divine blessings for the wellness of the society, organised by Nelliakkattu Sreedhareeyam Oushadheswari temple of Koothattukulam , got under way today .
This is for first time that the Yatra is being undertaken on such a massive scale to collect medicines and herbs from various temples to prepare the special monsoon season Ayurvedic preparation, which will be served to the people for mental and physical health in the month of Karkitakam of Malayalam calendar.
The ‘yatra’ was inaugurated by Narayanan Namboothiri of Nelliakkattu Mana by lighting the traditional lamp in the premises of the Oushadheswari temple in the presence of a large gathering of devotees who had turned up on the auspicious occasion.
The yatra set off in a specially decorated vehicle fashioned as a chariot, carrying the lighted lamp along with a statuette of Goddess Oushadheswari, which will tour through 114 temples in the length and breadth of the state.
Hari N Namboothiri, Trustee, Sreedhareeyam Oushadheswari Temple, P K Vyasan, Convenor, Festival Committee and Sreekumar N, Manager, Sreedhareeyam Oushadheswari temple ,were present at the ceremony. The campaign rolled on after receiving ‘Thriphala’ and ghee as ‘biksha’ (alms) from the devotees.
After touring through eight temples located in the eastern parts of Kottayam district, on the first day the yatra entered Pathanamthitta district after touching the Ramapuram temple at Ranni. It also visited Onam Kunnu Sri Krishna temple, Koothattukulam, Ramapuram Sree Rama Swami temple, Koothattukulam, Kadappattoor Mahadeva temple, Kidangoor Subramanya Swami temple and Thottam Kavu temple.
Arrangements have been made at every halt en route for the devotees to make their offerings in the form of medicines and herbs.
On the second day, the yatra will cover famous Malayalappuzha Devi Temple before passing through Thazhoor Bhagavathy temple, Sri Kodumthara Subrahmanya Swamy Temple, Bhagavathikunnu Temple, Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple,Sakthikulangara Narasimha Swami temple, Chengannur Mahadeva Temple, Karakkad Sree Dharmasastha Temple, Pandalam Valiya Koyikkal Dharmasastha Temple, Pandalam Mahadeva Temple and Puthenkavu Bhagavathy Vilasam Temple.
After touring up and down the state, the Yatra will be flagged in on July 15. It has been a centuries old tradition in Kerala to have specially prepared medicines and follow a strict regimen of simple diet and oil bath in the month of Karkitakam (broadly July-August ), which will re-energise the body and mind.
The devotees will be served the medicine after poojas and rituals at the Oushadheswari temple from the first day month of Karkitakam. The Yatra has been organised in two stretches. The first one will tour south Kerala down to Valiyasala in Thiruvananthapuram, covering 28 temples. The second leg of the Yatra will start from Thiruvananthapuram and go up to Neeleswaram in Kasargode district, touching 47 temples. The campaign then will return to Koothattukulam, visiting 39 temples on the way.
The Yatra, on its return to the Oushadheswari temple on July 15, will be accorded a rousing reception, followed by dedication of the 14-foot high Oushadheswari sculpture by Aswathi Tirunal Gowri Lakshmibhai Thampuratty of the Travancore royal family.
Medicines, herbs and other ingredients collected during the campaign from around the state would go into the making of the special ‘Karkitaka” medicine package, which will be distributed to the people.
On the first day of Karkitakam , special poojas and rituals, including the “Ashtadravya Ganapathi Homam’ , offering 1008 coconuts, will be performed by priests led by Sooryakaladi Sooryan Parameswaran Nampoothiripad. This will be followed by the ‘Gaja Pooja’, lining up more than 20 elephants, and then the distribution of the medicinal preparation.
The preparation will be served to the devotees from 6 to 12 in the forenoon and 5 to 7 in the evening on all days, till the end of Karkitakam. The temple trust has decided to confer this year’s Oushadheswari Puraskaram on film star Jayaram, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to art and culture.
The temple has also planned the ‘Oushadha Ponkala” on August 6, a ritual seeking divine blessings for the wellness of the society as a whole.