Alappuzha: The regressive ‘Chooral Muriyal’ ritual will be performed at the Chettikulangara temple, Mavelikkara, during the Kumbabharani festival on March 11, though the High Court had banned it last year.
As per the ritual, the skin of children below the age of 10 are pierced with golden threads by Asans (masters) and their blood is shed in front of the deity to invoke the blessings for those who sponsor the kids. The children belonging to poor families are bought by wealthy people by spending '50, 000 to '1 lakh each. They will be isolated from their parents and kept in the houses of their sponsors for over seven days till the ritual of ‘Kuthiyottam’ is performed at the temple, where goddess Bhadrakali is the main deity.
‘Kuthiyottam’ is a ritualistic symbolic representation of human ‘bali’( homicide). This is one of the rare Adi Dravida folklore traditions still practised in central Kerala in accordance with tradition and environment.
The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) had banned the ritual on November 1, 2016 after a lawyer based in Alappuzha registered complaint citing child rights violations. The High Court had also banned it in February last year. However, the temple has refused to fall in line.
The Sreedevi Vilasam Hindumatha Convention is firm on conducting the ritual and held a convention of its office-bearers near the temple on Sunday last.
Thirteen sets of Kuthiyottam will be held as part of Kumbabharani festival on March 11. For this, at least 26 kids below 10 would be taken away from their homes.
The ritual this year will be held at Kothamangalam, Mannar, Kottakkakam, Nooranad, Oachira, Moonnamkutty, Koipallykaryama, Thamarakkulam, Pela, Pallarimangalam, Mullikulangara, Iravankara and Muthukulam, which are far away from the temple. The kids will be brought from there on March 3 and transported to the temple on March 11 for the ritual.
The devotees who conduct Kuttiyottam at Kothamangalam have distributed a brochure saying that they would offer kids to the deity after subjecting them to ‘Chooral Muriyal.’
Lawyer Sandhya Raju, who moved the High Court in 2017 against the ritual, said that the court will be informed of the violation of its orders. The police had registered an FIR against the convention leaders, parents of children used for the ritual and those who bought the children for the purpose under section 324(voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of Indian Penal Code and section 75 (punishment for cruelty to child) of Juvenile Justice Act.
Mr Anish V. Korah, DySP, Chengannur, said that the police had registered an FIR against the organisers on the basis of the court order last year. The chargesheet will be submitted to the court soon, he said.
