Linking the tradition

Linking the tradition
HUSSAIN KODINHI
Standing in front of the richly carved gigantically built Valluvarkottam at Nungambakkam in Chennai, memories traveled back hundreds of kilometers away to Thrithala, a small village in Palghat district in Kerala. It was there, ancestors of the great Dravidian poet Thiruvalluvar lived.
The village on the banks of Bharatappuzha was the epicentre of Parayipetta Panthirukulam (The twelve tribe born to a paraya woman), one of the most fascinating stories of the land. A recent research successfully unearthed many links that could bring the myth close to the reality.The myth goes like this. Vararuchi, the great scholar at the court of king Vikramaditya set out on a journey searching for the most sacred verse in Ramayana. On the banks of Nila (Bharatappuza) he married Adi, a low caste paraya woman brought up in a Brahmin family. It is believed that a female baby was delivered to the family by the river.
Performing penance for marrying a lower caste woman, the saint went on a pilgrimage. In the course of his journey, Adi gave birth to twelve children. Every time the saint asked, whether the baby had a mouth? “If it has a mouth the God will feed it” the saint used to say. Eleven of them were abandoned at different places. At the time of her twelfth delivery, the desperate mother lied that the child had no mouth and the saint immediately consecrated him at the top of a hill and now popular as the abode of Vayilla Kunnilappan (Hill God without mouth).
Each of these abandoned issues were adopted and brought up in different families belonging to various castes and religions. While Uppukoottan was brought up in Muslim family and Karakkal Matha, the only women member of the family, was adopted by Christian family. All of them became legends in their own time. Every year, on the anniversary of their father's death all these children used to assemble at their ancestral house at Vemancheri illam, where the eldest of them, Mezhathol Agnihotri lived. The myth goes on………..
The story says, Vellon, the ninth son of the couple, was none other than the Thiruvalluvar. It is believed that Vellon (Thiruvalluvar) was born during Vararuchi's pilgrimage to Dravida land and brought up in a weaver family. It is commonly agreed that the great saint was a weaver by profession.
Marvelously intertwined in history and myth the story has several interesting connections with the cultural traditions of Tamil Nadu. Varied forms of the same mythology are popular in Tamil Nadu also.
The whole story of the family, panthirukulam (tribe of 12 issues) is a part of rich cultural tradition of Kerala. The story still remains as perennial source of inspiration to the readers, writers and film makers.
Tracking the lineage of these legendary figures, a Researcher Dr. Rajan Chungath found that many live without knowing their great ancestors.


It has been noted that cultural traditions prevalent in neighbouring areas overlap each other, some times with varied details. The panthirukulam story has also several common aspects of tradition to share with rich Tamil culture prevalent on the banks of Cauvery.

It is believed that, the eldest son of the panthirukulam, Mezathur Agnihotri had been invited by a Chola king to strengthen a dam in Cauvery. He used vivanet (Kozhipparal in local parlance) a rare mineral available at Bharathappuzha. The Tamil work Pattinippalai also explains the story with a few variations. Recently, a British mineralogist JG Vivan identified the mineral. Another member of the family, Uppukoottan, is known to Tamil culture as Uppiliyappan, a deity of Vaishnava temple at Mayavaram in Kumbakonam. Karakkal Matha has been consecrated as Karkkalamma at a Siva temple at Karaikkal.

The two decade long pilgrimage of the Vararuchi finally ended at Mannur near Palghat and Thiruvalluvar and Pakkanar were the two sons present at the time of his death.
The life and history of the great poet is shrouded in mystery and varied explanations have been given to the time of his life. Professor A Chakravarthi, who translated Thriukkural into English ascribe the fist century BC as the period of his life. Several scholars have ascribed the same period to the Panthirukulam family also.
According to a mythology popular in tamil literature, Tiruvalluvar was the seventh son of Bagavan- Adi couple. Other children, Uppi, Uravai,Valli, Avvaiyaar, Atikaman and Kapilar were abandoned and brought up at different families.