KERALA, INDIA, January 12, 2014 (New India Express): It is the beginning of the year and Namboothiri families in Kerala are getting ready to conduct Vettakkoru Makan Pattu (the song to worship Lord Vettakkoru Makan) or pantheerayiram. It is a popular but challenging ritual in which the chief priest has to break 12,000 coconuts continuously in one sitting.
Manoj Kumar Kandamangalam is one of the few priests in the state who excels in conducting pantheerayiram. Coming from a noted priest family in north Kerala, Manoj has conducted this ritual at various temples and households since 1996 and is probably the fastest at it. He holds the Limca Book record of breaking 12,000 coconuts in 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Pantheerayiram is carried out as an offering to Lord Vettakkoru Makan and Lord Ayyappan. “In Kerala it is conducted for Lord Vettakkoru Makan while in other south Indian states, the ritual is conducted for Lord Ayyappan,” says Manoj. Vettakkoru Makan is regarded as the son of Lord Siva. He was born to Siva and Parvathi while they were wandering through a forest in guise of tribal warriors. Soon after his birth, the infant was left in the forest and raised and trained in war strategies by tribal leaders.