Kannur: A shrine dedicated to the Ant God? We’re not kidding you. Read on…
Urumbachan (Father Ant) Gurusthanam is situated in Kappanayilparambu about 5 km from this Kerala district headquarters. Devotees offer coconuts hoping that the ant menace at their dwellings will be tackled through divine intervention – a several-centuries-old belief. Monthly pujasare performed and appam prasadam – made with rice, jaggery and bananas – distributed to throngs of believers by temple authorities following the half-hour-long pujas from 1800 hrs. Also special rituals are arranged on Mahashivaratri every year. Hundreds, including women from across the district, gather on Karthika Nakshathram in December. On that day, the place attains a unique charm as people light lamps around the specially-designed circular platform. A lamp is lit at the Gurusthanam every evening by residents of a nearby house.
“People in this area never hurt ants,” local-resident D. Janardhanan told this correspondent. Though there is no idol, believers feel the invisible presence of Urumbachan. The Gurusthanam is associated with the nearby Udayamangalam Ganapathy temple. It is held that the place is blessed by the presence of Lord Subramanya Himself hence the annual festival is held on Karthika. Until a few years back, the Gurusthanam was a laterite platform with teak wood at its centre and almost resembled a lotus. About a decade previously, the wood got destroyed and the platform was cemented.
Nowadays, the practice is that prior to any ritual at the Ganapathy shrine, priests perform puja at the Gurusthanam. The elderly living in the area narrate an incident... “About 75 years back, an astrologer was called to determine which deity should be worshipped there. While he was performing rites, an ant bit him strongly on a leg. The astrologer realised the strength of Urumbachan,” says 78-year-old P. Krishnan who teaches art to children at the Ganapathy temple.
Turning the pages of the Brahma Vaivarta Purana reveals that Lord Vishnu – in the form of a small boy – arrived at the palace of Lord Indra who was leading a luxurious existence. The child pointed to a group of ants moving in a line and spoke words of wisdom to Indra who realised that time ought not to be wasted in pomp, values of spirituality should be inculcated and simplicity adopted.