Indian Express,
Thrissur, April 3: Representatives of Hind
Navottana Pratishthan presented a note, opposing the
revival of Elavoor Thookam, written by all-India president
of the Pratishthan Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha today to the
Ernakulam RDO during an enquiry into details of the ritual
- the controversial issue of 'hanging' a 'chosen
devotee,'stopped with the intervention of the State
Government in 1987 and now threatened to be revived.
In his note, Bhoomananda
said that in 1987, the government had intervened and
stopped Thookam. The move to revive it is against law and
order. It is also against the temple institution and Hindu
dharma.
It is based on violence and nar-bali.
Pointing out the possible repercussions of the
revival of Thookam, Swami said that if the ritual is
revived, there will be a massive upsurge of public
protest, causing severe embarrassment to the authorities.
Bid to
revive `Thookam' sparks off protests
Hindu, KOCHI, MARCH 31. The move from
some quarters to revive the `Thookam' at Elavur has sparked
off protests and the first to go from the blocks is the
Kerala Yukthivadi Sanghom ( Rationalists' association).
Sources close to Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha,
who was instrumental in 1987 to putting an end to `Thookam',
said that there cannot be any justification to revive
`barbarous acts' in the name of `acclaimed devotional
ritual'. They ask how a cruel act such as piercing and
hanging (warranting instant police action anywhere else in
the world) be allowed under the guise of traditional
practice in the sanctifying precincts of a temple.
As part of the ritual, the back of
"a hired person" is pierced with two sharp metal
hooks and the bleeding victim is pulled to a height of 32
feet in a scaffold. This is watched by a crowd even as the
scaffold perambulates thrice around the temple.
Those opposed to Thookam say that a large
number of money changes hands and this is what prompts the
votaries of this practice to revive the same.
In 1987, the president of Hind Navotthana
Pratishtan , Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha, along with other
sanyasins protested against this practice and after a
prolonged campaign in the media, the organisers decided to
call it a day. The Swami had pleaded that the `Thookam'
violated all scriptural, sober, religious and devotional
standards, and was criminal in nature. Besides it desecrated
the sanctity of the temple precincts and was reprehensible
to any civilised society, they said.
The Swami adopted a novel method to stop
the practice of `Thookam'. He resorted to `Shayanaa Vrata',
by lying with the devotees in front of the scaffold, making
it difficult for the scaffold-carriers to move around. He
also took out a propaganda yatra from Narayanashramam in
Thrissur to Elavur, near Angamaly. However, he and his
followers were stopped by the district administration and
they could not reach the temple premises. Bowing to public
pressure, the district administration banned the practice
then.
The committee of devotees who were in
favour of the tradition, however, decided to replace `Thookam'
with the ritual of covering the Devi's idol with flowers and
this had been in vogue all these years. This year, according
to some reports, the Thookam is planned on April 23.
The legend attributed for `Thookam' is
that in the days of yore, the King, to arrest some
widespread misfortune in the kingdom, opted to offer `Thookam'
for the Goddess. But criminals awarded with capital
punishment alone were chosen for this. The man was left on
the scaffold and the doors of the temple were shut for seven
days. The belief was to let the person shed his body in the
Goddess' proximity. They also hoped that the event would
give him sweeping repentance, offering scope to transform
the whole episode of punishment to one of excruciating
austerity. It is also claimed that the substitute for `Thookam'
had been widely accepted and the booking for `Poomodal' is
full till 2017. So, those opposed to `Thookam' wonder about
the necessity to revive this practice.
There is also protest by the rationalists
that the spokespersons of the RSS, VHP and other Hindutva
organisations have refused to comment on the moves to revive
`Thookam'. The Oorayma Devaswom board executive council of
the Elavur Puthankavu Sreekantheswaram Bhagavathi temple
stated that they had neither any knowledge of the move to
revive `Thookam' nor had they authorised anyone from the
board in this matter.
`Thookkam'
offering criticised
HINDU, KOCHI, MARCH
17.
`Elavoor Thookkam', a votive offering, in which a person
hangs on hooks piercing his body, has been criticised by the
Elavoor Pouradharma Samithy.
The Samithy has
described it as an "evil practice". The secretary
of the Pouradharma Samithy, K. K. Prabhakaran and the
Samithy convenor, V. K. Kumaran, said at a press conference
here this morning that they would prevent the `thookkam'
offering by all means.
The `thookkam' is
slated to be performed this year on April 23, 10 days after
`Vishu', after a gap of about 16 years.
Move
to resume `thookkam' ritual criticised
HINDU, THRISSUR, MARCH
12. The All India President of the Hind Navotthana
Prathishtan, Swami Bhoomananda Thirthar, has strongly
protested against the move to resume the `thookkam' ritual
at the Elavoor Puthenkavil temple.
Addressing a press
conference here today, the Swamiji recalled that the
decision to end the `thookkam' ritual at the temple was
taken in 1987 after protests by various spiritual leaders.
The present move was to
resume it through citing a `devaprasnam' which was
reportedly conducted even without intimating those living
close to the temple, he said.
The decision to end `thookkam'
and to replace it with the `poomoodal' ritual was taken at a
meeting of a 1001-member committee. Any action violating
that decision would be tantamount to a denial of truth, the
Swamiji said.
THOOKKAM
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