Valla Sadya is a celebration in the Hindu temple at

Aranmula Aranmula is a temple town in the state of Kerala, India. It is known as the cultural capital of Pathanamthitta district, located at a distance of around 116 km from Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, it is situated on the banks of the ...

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. During the festival, the village conducts a

snake boat race Vallam kali ('' vaḷḷaṃ kaḷi'', literally: boat game) also known as Snake Boat Race is a traditional boat race in Kerala, India. It is a form of canoe racing, and uses paddled war canoes. It is mainly conducted during the season o ...

in the

Pampa River The Pamba River (also called Pampa River) is the longest river in the Indian state of Kerala after Periyar (river), Periyar and Bharathappuzha, and the longest river in the erstwhile former princely state of Travancore. Sabarimala temple dedicat ...

, and there is a feast at the temple. The Valla Sadhya is conducted on Ashtamirohoni day. During Valla Sadhya,

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

, the main deity worshipped in the temple, will come to take the offerings from people. The legend is that in a Valla Sadya all dishes asked for must be given to the people in order to please the lord.

Common offerings

The is a feast of vegetarian food of the ayurvedic tradition. Each meal consists of 10 to 20 dishes served on banana or plantain leaves, and up to 64 dishes on Ashtami Rohini Day, the birthday of Krishna. Some of the dishes and foods include: *

Parippu In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of p ...

- A thick

lentil The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest pro ...

dish eaten with rice,

papadum A papad is an Indian deep fried dough of black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat (flipped over an open flame) until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potato are also used. ''Papad' ...

and

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from c ...

*Pulisserry - Curry prepared with thick and sour buttermilk *Banana chips *''Shakara varatti'' and ''poovan palam'' *Aravana payasam. (Pudding made from rice, jaggery and ghee) *Kaalipazham payasam (Pudding made of banana) *Unniappam * Sambar * Rasam *

Aviyal Avial ( ml, അവിയല്‍, pronounced ) is an Indian dish with origins in the Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Udupi regions of India. It is a thick stew of usually 13 vegetables commonly found in the Western Ghats and coconut, seasoned with ...

Kaalan Kaalan ( ml, കാളൻ ) is a Keralite dish from South India, made of yoghurt, coconut and a raw fruit nendra kaaya or a tuber like the chena. It is very thick, which distinguishes it from a similar curry known as pulisseri, and more sour ...

Olan Olan or OLAN may refer to: *Olan (mountain), a mountain in the Massif des Écrins in the French Alps (3564 m) *Olan (dish), a dish that is part of the Kerala cuisine of South India *Olan Mills Portrait Studios, Olan Studios (photographic) *Saint Ol ...

Koottukari or Koottu curry is a prominent dish in the "Sadhya" of Kerala, south India. It is a yellow curry featuring one or two vegetables such as banana and coconut, and has a hot and sweet taste. Kootu curry is a thick curry made with vegetables and ...

Kichadi Kichadi ( ml, കിച്ചടി) is another name for Pachadi used in some parts of Kerala, for the sour variant of the dish. A sour dish made of curd, ground cumin paste and either cucumber, ash gourd or white gourd, with sautéed must ...

Pachadi Pachadi ( te, పచ్చడి, kn, ಪಚಡಿ, ta, பச்சடி, ml, പച്ചടി) refers to a traditional South Indian fresh pickle served as a side dish. Broadly translated, it refers to food which has been pounded. In And ...

Injipuli Injipuli is a dark brown sweet-sour and spicy curry made of ginger, tamarind, green chillies and jaggery mainly prepared in Kerala during Onam. It is also a part of Tamil Nadu cuisine. It is also known as puli inji in some parts of Kerala, South ...

Thoran Thoran ( ml, തോരൻ, pronounced ; or upperi in Northern Kerala is a class of dry vegetable dishes combined with coconut that originated in the Indian state of Kerala. This common dish is usually eaten with rice and curry and is also par ...

* Achar: Spicy pickled raw mango,

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

, or lime

Valla Sadhya

Valla sadya is conducted by the devotees as a "Vazhipadu" to Parthasarathy(another name for

). The Valla sadya is dedicated to any of the boats. On the Valla sadya day, the oarsmen will come to the Temple in the boat through the river. The oarsmen offer Nirapara to the presiding deity at the Nadappanthal in front of the gold plated temple mast and go around the temple chanting Krishna bhajans (Vanchi pattu). The entire atmosphere is charged with the rhythmic Vanchi pattu, songs in praise of Parthasarathy. The `vallasadya' begins immediately after the uccha pooja (noon worship) at the temple. They circumambulate the temple, chanting the `vanchi pattu', verses in praise of Krishna, before partaking of the Valla sadya. On the day of Krishna’s birthday – Ashtami Rohini day, the Valla sadya is conducted for all the devotees of Parthasarathy. Around 1 lakh people attend this event every year. Most of the palliodams attend this feast.

Events

During the Kerala floods in 2018, the temple remained open for the celebration and 92 offerings were performed.

References

External links

* http://www.aranmula.net * http://www.aranmulavallamkali.com * https://www.templespedia.com/aranmula-vallasadya-dishes/ {{coord missing, Kerala Hindu festivals in Kerala Festivals in Pathanamthitta district Aranmula

Common offerings

Valla Sadhya

Events

See also

References

External links