The myth of Mahabali might be as old and surreal as the God’s own country itself but the zeal and enthusiasm for celebrating Onam has remained the same over the years.

The Athachamayam can be regarded as a harbinger for the ten-day festival of Onam; an indicator of the visual treat that is in store for the Malayali. Athachamayam, a festival originating from the royal corridors of Thrippunithura, is the pride of Kochi, a true reflection of the bygone era of the King’s reign and the society’s receptiveness towards people of various backgrounds, irrespective of caste and creed.

What is Athachamayam…

The story behind Athachamayam reminds you of a fairytale. The glorious festival was officially conducted annually at Thrippunithura, setting the mood for the Onam celebrations. The subjects waited in awe to get a glimpse of their King who would arrive with pride and in full royal regalia on the day of Athachamayam. Onam being a festival of unity, the King’s procession brought the subjects together at one place, which resulted in a gala affair, embellished with colours and folk art forms. As was the custom, at the outset, the Maharaja of Kochi performed special poojas at the Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple on the day of Atham. The march was flagged off from Thrippunithura to the Vamana Temple at Thrikkakara.

Sasi Vellakkat, councilor, who is one of the organisers of this year’s Athachamayam, recalls how athachamayam was celebrated in the erstwhile Kochi. “The celebrations commenced with Kochi Raja, heading the procession from Kunnumel Kottaram, as the Hill Palace was earlier known as. The royal procession then headed to Thrikkakara temple.” The procession thus had Nettoor Thangal to represent the Muslim community, Karingachira Kathanar, as a representative of the Christian community and Chembil Arayan as a member of the fisherfolk, Sasi adds.

With the merger of the Kochi State to the Indian union, the King’s title, splendour and rule became things of past, and so did the celebrations for some time. It is presumed that the last time the King made his presence felt was during the reign of Rama Varma Pareekshith Thampuran.

Athachamayam reborn… However, the Thrippuni-thura Municipality took charge of the carnival in the year 1985 and the Athachamayam soon rose like a phoenix, without losing any of its initial charm. Floats of various hues and embellished elephants became part of the parade, with the inclusion of various folk art forms such as Theyyam, Kummatti, Kolkali, Mayilattom, Karakattom, Kummi, Poykal, Ammankudam, Puli Kali, Kathakali, Aattakavadi, besides Panjavadyam and Chendamelam. Floats depicting various sequences from the epics such as Mahabharatha and Ramayana add colour to the atmosphere, in addition to providing an authentic picture of how Athachamayam was envisioned in the yesteryears. On the day of Atham, the streets of Thrippunithura are adorned with conical shaped clay mounds, decorated with flowers. They represent Mahabali and Vishnu and is popularly called as Thrikkakara Appan.

Athachamayam this year.. Sasi feels elated every time he becomes part of the team and says, “We have incorporated folklore and traditional artforms from Kasargod to Palakkad, such as Puli Kali from Thrissur, Theyyam from Malabar, and tribal dance from Kasargod, among many others.” Apart from this, tableaus and around 100 different cultural shows will be brought forth by school students. As per the organisers, a representative from the royal family will receive the Atham flag on Tuesday, following which there would be a small procession. The flag will be hoisted by the Governor at the Government Boys’ High School Ground at 9 am on Wednesday. On the day of Uthradam on August 27, the flag will be lowered. The flag will then be given to Thrikkakara Muncipal Chairman, where they will be hoisting the flag again, which is symbolic of the fact that they can start the Onam celebrations in Thrikkakara.

Athachamayam 2015 Traditional artforms from Kasargod to Palakkad such as Puli Kali from Thrissur, Theyyam from Malabar and tribal dance from Kasargod Around 100 cultural shows and performing arts by schools students

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> Kochi / by Deepika Jayaram, TNN / August 21st, 2015