Sunday, June 26, 2011

Ramayana Masam | Festival of Kerala

Ramayana Masam | Festival of Kerala

Ramayana Masam | Festival of Kerala
Period of spiritual consolation
Date: July 17 - August 26.
Ramayana is a Sanskrit epic describing the deeds of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. Ramayanamasam or 'the month of Ramayana' begins on the first day of Malayalam month Karkkidakom (July 17, 1999) and, called so because as a ritual in almost every Hindu home in Kerala the epic is read and completed within a span of 31 days.
The practice was considered auspicious as well as a consolation to the agrarian society, as this rainy month gave least yield and was marked with poverty, diseases and unhappiness.
The ritual of Ramayana reading evolved in the 16th century after Ramayanam Kilippattu, written by the great poet Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan the father of Malayalam langauge, became popular among the common man as this Malayalam version of the epic was simple and easy to understand. Ramayanam has always been an integral part of every Hindu's life. There were scholars to interpret the epic in every court and they even accompanied the king/nobility everywhere - so says the Hamilton's Hand Book about the importance of Ramayanam.
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