Sethubandhanam at Sreeraman Chira or Chira kettal is a
Hindu ceremony reminiscent of the ''
Sethubandhanam
Adam's Bridge, '; ta, ஆதாம் பாலம் ' also known as Rama's Bridge or ''Rama Setu'', '; ta, ராமர் பாலம் '; sa, रामसेतु ' is a chain of natural limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, a ...
'' where
Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and ...
and his army built
Rama Setu
Adam's Bridge, '; ta, ஆதாம் பாலம் ' also known as Rama's Bridge or ''Rama Setu'', '; ta, ராமர் பாலம் '; sa, रामसेतु ' is a chain of natural limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, ...
to reach
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
and rescue
Sita
Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, '' Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi ...
from the
Rakshasa
Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma wh ...
King,
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. ...
.
It is annually conducted at
Sreeraman Chira, a 900 hectares of paddy fields situated in
Chemmappilly near
Triprayar of
Thrissur district of
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 C ...
state in
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 ...
.
Binding of the bund
The ''Chira kettal'' (binding of the bund) is a sacred religious ceremony performed by a team of priest from
Thriprayar Temple. When the ceremony happens,
Thriprayar Temple is closed early after performing the ''Deeparadhana'' (Evening pooja) and ''Athazhapooja'' (Night pooja). Earlier workers who build ''chira'' belonged to the backward ''Vettuva'' community and the performance of pooja is done by Brahmins. It is believed that after finishing the poojas of
Thriprayar Temple, the God ''Thriprayar Thevar'' comes to the river in front of the temple and goes upon a crocodile to the place of ceremony. At this time one can see a number strong waves in the river as a symbol of god's movement. It is also believed that a heavy rain will come on this day which will fill the entire areas of paddy field of Sreeraman Chira with water.
Date
The temple observes ''Sethubandhanam'' in ''Thiruvonam'' day of
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 ...
month ''Kanni'' (September - October) in every year.
[Sreenilayam Sukumara Raja (1983). ''Thriprayar Sreeramaswamy Kshethram'', (Malayalam: തൃപ്രയാർ ശ്രീരാമസ്വാമി ക്ഷേത്രം) p.21-22. Nambeesans' Lakshmi Publications, Thriprayar.]
See also
*
Shree Rama Temple
Shree Rama Temple is Hindu temple situated in Triprayar in Thrissur district of Kerala state in India. The deity is Shree Rama and with four arms with bearing a conch
Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-siz ...
References
Religious festivals in India
Hindu festivals
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