Kerala: The boy who learned the story of Pongala 35 years ago is now Melshanti in Attukal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ”Pongala, Pongala, Attukal Ammaiku Pongala … ‘ Fifth-grader Aneesh got curious when he heard this song from the loudspeaker at the Kanchikode Shiva temple in Palakkad on the occasion of the Shivaratri festival. “Where is Attukal? What is Pongala?” Aneesh immediately asked his father, Narayanan Namboothiri, who was a poojari at the Kanchikode temple. He told his son that there is a temple in the far south and that Pongala was a famous festival there. The boy who turned a devotee of the goddess at that time is now at Attukal after 35 years as the Melshanti. The Pongala festival began when the kappu was tied on goddess’s sword (udavaal) and on the hand of Aneesh Namboothiri.

“This is a great blessing. I came first after listening to the stories my father told me. I stood in the queue and started to pray. That day I saw the goddess for only a few moments. Then I came for the Melshanthi exam. That day too, I prayed and left. The third time I came, I came as the Melshanthi.””When the prayers of the devotees are heard outside the shrine, I will perform puja for them inside. Then I will be able to feel and know the essence of the goddess,” said Aneesh Namboothiri.Aneesh was the Melshanthi of the Sabarimala Malikappuram temple in 2017. “There, the worship is in the concept of Durga Devi; here, in the concept of Bhadra Devi. Here, it is the Shaktheyam system. Attukal Bhagavathy is in a peaceful form, blessing the devotees. Malikappuram is Vaishnava.”Aneesh was selected as the Attukal Melshanthi while he was performing puja at the Valiyathottathu Kavu Sree Mahadeva Temple in Mayyanad. His family now lives in Mayyanad, Kollam. Aneesh’s mother is Savitri Antharjanam, and his wife Srividya is a teacher. They have a son, Abhishek, studying in class 10.