An onavillu is a simple, short, bow-shaped musical instrument. Its name may come from ''

Onam Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. Onam commemorates Vamana ...

'', a festival in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

where the instrument is used in dances, and ''villu'', which means 'bow' in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

(and several other South Indian languages). Although still regularly used in rural art forms, use of the onavillu is on the decline. ''Onavillu'' also refers to flat, tapered wooden artifacts decorated with tassels and used in ceremonies of devotion to

Lord Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

Instrument

The onavillu that accompanies the

Kummattikali Kummattikali or Kummatti Kali is the famous colorful mask-dance of Kerala, prevalent in Thrissur District, Palakkad District and parts of South Malabar. During the festival of Onam, Kummattikali performers move from house to house collecting sma ...

and other folk dances is a Keralite string instrument made from the pith of the

palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...

stem, or from

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

, shaped as a bow. Bamboo slivers are used for bowstrings. The bow strings sound when struck with a thin stick, the size of a pencil. The sound can be varied through finger pressure on the string.

Ceremonial bow

The ceremonial onavillu, which is not a musical instrument, is made from a flat piece of wood 1/2 inch thick, tapering on both sides. Sizes range from 3.5 feet by 4 inches to 4.5 feet by 6 inches. The wood of kadambu, maruthu, jack fruit, and aanjili trees are preferred (See

List of Indian timber trees There are over 150 species of timber which are produced in India. Following are the chief varieties of timber (trees) which are used for engineering purposes in India: ¹ After seasoning at 12% moisture content Indian Mangrove *Agati *Algar ...

). The wood is cut to the required dimension before being decorated with miniature paintings of Anantha Sayanam (reclining pose of Lord Vishnu) and avatars Dasavatharam, Shri

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...

Pattabhishekam and Shri Krishna Leela. Ashari family residing near Pujapura Trivandrum are the right to make the red tassels used to adorn the bows. The making of the ceremonial bows is the preserve of a local family.

Legend

According to legend, when King

Mahabali Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend, in ancient texts such ...

was being pushed into the earth by

Vamana Vamana (), also known as Trivikrama (), Urukrama (), Upendra (), Dadhivamana (), and Balibandhana () is an Dashavatara, avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu, and the first Dashavatara in the Treta Yug ...

, Lord Vishnu appeared before him. King Mahabali asked that each year he could be allowed to visit his native land and to see the Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu granted him the boon, but said that the King would be able to see him and his avatars only as painted images. Lord

Vishvakarman Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman ( sa, विश्वकर्मा, Viśvakarmā, all maker) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar and th ...

was ordered to paint images of Dasavatharam on pieces of kadambu wood. This was the origin of the onavillu, which is put on display every year for King Mahabali to see.

Ceremonial use

On Thiruvonam day, the birthday of Lord

Maha Vishnu Mahavishnu (Sanskrit: महाविष्णु) is an aspect of Vishnu, the principal deity in Vaishnavism. In his capacity as Mahavishnu, the deity is known as the Supreme Purusha, the absolute protector and sustainer of the universe, th ...

, large number of devotees visit the Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

to take part in the ''onavillu charthal'', the dedication ceremony of the colourful bows. The temple is one of the 108 sacred temples dedicated to Lord Mahavishnu. The bows are first offered to the family deity at the Vilayil Veedu, Karamana for three days. They are then taken to Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple on Thiru Onam day and displayed at the Natakasala before being offered to the deity. The Anantha Sayanam version of the villu is consecrated to Lord Padmanabha (Vishnu); the one with the Dasavathram painting is offered to Lord

Narasimha Narasimha ( sa, नरसिंह, lit=man-lion, ), sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is regarded to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to slay Hiranyakashipu, to end rel ...

; the one showing the Krishna-leela is dedicated to Lord Krishna; the one with the painting of Shri Rama Pattabhishekam is consecrated to the idol of Shri Rama. The onavillu are removed on the third day. The Temple Trust distributes and sells the onavillu to devotees, who consider them a symbol of prosperity.

References

{{Strings (music) Indian musical instruments Musical bows Ceremonial weapons