Vavar mosque heralds harmony

Sabarimala:  The  Vavar  mosque at Erumely next to the  Ayyappa temple, where the Sabarimala pilgrims visit,  highlights the communal harmony in Kerala. Vavaruswamy was a Muslim saint  who became a devotee of Lord Ayyappan, according to legend.  At the mosque,  a traditional Muslim family renders  prayers and showers blessings on the Ayyappa devotees who arrive to have  darshan at the  temple nearby.   The priests  (parikarmis)  of the Muslim shrine are the descendants of Vavaruswamy of the Vettiplackal family who  have been serving there for the last 10 generations.

According to legend, Vavaruswamy,  died at the place. As per  family sources, the erstwhile Travancore royal family gave  the title deed to the descendants of his family  to stay at the place. The family is currently settled at Vaipur,  35 km  from Erumely.  “We wish to spread communal amity and peace among the people and we  bless those who come  here,” V.S. Abdul Rasheed Musaliar, 70, the current ‘Mukhya Parikarmi’ (chief vavar) of the  shrine,  told DC. He took up the position in 2010 after the tenure of his elder brother.

Currently, the family consists of 26 priests  who have  the right to be the priests  of the shrine.  Among them 10  selected persons  will sit at the shrine  by turn  from the beginning of the Mandalam Makara Vilakku season. The chief priest is selected at a public meeting by 26 persons. The  priests  give an offering comprising  pepper and dried grapes to the devotees at the shrine. They are also entitled for the offering  by the devotees. One-fourth of it  is given to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and  the rest is for the
family.