Oushadha Biksha Yatra Returns Home After Touring 114 Shrines Across Kerala

KOCHI:
After touring 114 temples across Kerala, the Oushadha Biksha Yatra today returned to Nellikattu Oushadheswari temple, koothattukulam, from where it set out on June 27, showcasing the best traditions of the Indian wellness system Ayurveda.
With the Yatra concluding, the preparation of the seasonal medicinal package began with the temple head Nellikkattu Narayanan Namboodiri, ‘tantri’ (high priest) Puliyannur Sasi Namboodiri and wife of temple head Sreedevi Antharjanam ceremonially igniting the hearths. The medicine will be served to the devotees from 6 to 12 in the forenoon and 5 to 7 in the evening on all days, from July 17 till the end of Karkitakam (August 16).
It has been a centuries old tradition in Kerala to take 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 first such massive road show undertaken anywhere , the campaign marked revival of the tradition of invoking divine blessings for universal wellbeing and gathering the basic ingredients for making the special Ayurvedic preparation, served to people in the month of Karkitakam of Malayalam calendar to energise the body and mind.
The unique outreach, planned and executed by leading Ayurvedic institution Sreedhareeyam, also highlighted the concepts and approaches of the time-tested Indian wellness system and its emphasis on building a healthy society.
The campaign, carrying the idol of Oushadheswari (Goddess of Wellness) in a vehicle fashioned as a chariot, had visited all the major temples up and down the state. In all the shrines, people lined up in large numbers to offer ‘thriphala’ and ghee, the essential components used in the special restorative preparation, which will be served to people during Karkitakam.
The Oushadheswari Temple is associated with Kerala’s leading Ayurvedic retreat Sreedhareeyam, run by the Nellikkattu Mana , a Namboothiri Brahmin family reputed for preserving and practising the best traditions of Ayurveda for generations. On its final day, the Yatra rolled out from Sree Krishnaswamy temple at nearby Thodupuzha, where it had camped last night, and headed to Mahadeva temple, Koothattukulam.
The campaign then wended its way in a procession, joined by a large numberof people, to the Oushadheswari temple, where it was received by devotees and priests led by Puliyannur Sasi Namboodiripad and the temple authorities, amid chanting of the Vedic hymns.
Marking the completion of the yatra, which was unprecedented in its scale and scope, a 14-foot high idol of Oushadheswari was dedicated in the forecourt of the temple by Vasudeva Brahmadananda Theertha of Thrikkaikkattu Swamiyar Mutt . Sculptors of the idol Shaji Okkal and Rajan Mayura were honoured on the occasion.
It has been a centuries old tradition in Kerala to take 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 Yatra was organised in three stretches. Initially it toured south Kerala down to Thiruvananthapuram, covering 28 temples. The second leg started from Thiruvananthapuram and went up north to Kasargode district, touching 47 temples in its wake. In its home-bound journey, the campaign covered another 39 temples.
On the first day of Karkitakam month (Juy 17), special poojas and rituals, including the “Ashtadravya Ganapathi Homam’ ,offering 1008 coconuts, will be performed . This will be followed by the ‘Gaja Pooja’, lining up more than 20 elephants, and then the distribution of the medicinal preparation.
Adding a cultural dimension to the occasion, the temple trust has chosen top film actor Jayaram for this year’s Oushadheswari Puraskaram, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to art and culture. The award, comprising Rs one lakh and scroll of honour, will be presented to the actor on July 17.
Also an accomplished percussion artist, Jayaram will lead the performance of ‘Panchari melam’ at the temple on July 16. The temple has also organised ‘Oushadha Ponkala” on August 6, a ritual seeking divine blessings for the wellness of the society.
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