Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], November 18 : The governing council member of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and the representative of the Central government, Karamana Jayan, on Wednesday, explained the ritual of Murajapam ahead of the celebrations to be held at the temple in Kerala's capital city of Thiruvananthapuram on November 20.
"There is a legend surrounding Murajapam. It was initiated centuries ago by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma and the Travancore royal family for the welfare and prosperity of the people and the kingdom," he said.
"This ritual, which takes place once every six years, involves the sequential chanting of the Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Samaveda. After the days of chanting, the ritual culminates in Mura Siveveli," he added.
He elaborated that the ceremonies will begin on November 20, after the Veda Mandapam is set up on Wednesday. The chanting will continue for seven days, followed by Mura Siverveli on the eighth day.
"The ceremonies begin on November 20, with the Veda Mandapam being set up on November 19. The chanting continues for seven days, and on the eighth day, Mura Siveveli is performed. The deity will be taken out in procession on different vahanams (vehicles). Hundreds of Vedic scholars participate, staying here for 56 days and chanting at various levels," he stated.
Karamana Jayan further added that the council will hold discussions with the police for the complete security arrangements and for the crowd management, as the council expects a much larger crowd this year.
"We will hold discussions with the police on how to manage the large crowds. The last Murajapam was held in 2020, and we expect a much larger turnout this year," he said.
Emphasising the vision of turning the celebration into the "Kumbh Mela of South India", he said, "By 2032, our hope is to transform this into a major Kumbh Mela of South India. The governing committee has already begun the groundwork for this vision."
"In the future, we want the upcoming generations to see the Murajapam and Lakshadeepam of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple evolve into a grand Kumbh Mela. What you see around this temple was once the language and culture of the temple itself. The royal family, with great generosity, handed over many of these responsibilities to others," he added.
He marked the key objectives to reclaim the temple's properties as many assets are in possession of people by unauthorised means and recovering them is one of the integral missions of the governing committee.