KASARGOD:
After passing through major temples in up north Kasaragod, the Oushadha Biksha Yatra of Sreedhareeyam Oushadheswari temple today began its home-bound journey to Koothattukulam, from where the road show was flagged off last month to go around the state and collect basic medicinal ingredients from devotees ahead of the month of Karkitakam of the Malayalam calendar.
The Yatra, which marks the revival of an age-old tradition of gathering ingredients for making the restorative Ayurvedic package consumed by people in Karkitakam and invoking the divine blessings for universal wellbeing, received enthusiastic response at all the it had gone .
On reaching Kasaragod on Monday, the yatra went to Sree Karppooreswara temple, Poonkavanam, and Sree Parashiva Viswakarma temple at Kanhanagad, where people gathered in large numbers to greet the campaign and offer medicines in the form of ‘biksha’ (alms).
On Tuesday, it resumed the tour from Sree Mallikarjuna temple and rolled on to Sree Bhagavathy temple, Pallikkunnu, Sree Thrayambakeswara temple, Trikkannod, and Thaliyil Sree Neelakandeswara temple.
When the chariot, a specially designed vehicle carrying the idol of Goddess of Wellness Oushadheswari, arrived at the temples, devotees offered ‘thriphala’ and ghee, as befits the tradition, and prayed for the universal well being, in tune with the holistic outlook and ethos of the ancient Indian wellness system.
After accepting alms from Madhur Sree Madanantheswara Vinayaka temple, the yatra resumed its return journey towards Koothattukulam through the temples in Kannur – Kadalayi Sree Krishna Swami temple, Chirakkal, Kalarivathukkal Bhagavahi temple and Parasinikkadavu Muthappan temple.
The Yatra which began from Sreedhareeyam Oushadeswari temple at Koothattukulam, covered 28 temples down to Thiruvananthapuram in its initial leg, followed by another 47 temples in its north-bound journey.
In its return trip, 39 more temples will be covered, taking the total number of shrines to be toured to 114.
It’s been and age 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 ), to re-energise body and the mind.
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 among the people.
