The importance of Karkidaka Vavubali

Karkidaka, the last month of Malayalam calendar which falls in July- August, has some religious significance for Hindus. Karkidaka Vavu Bali, also called Bali, is the sac- rificial ritual performed in memory of the departed souls of ancestors. On the day of Vavu or Amavasi (no moon day) people belonging to the Hindu religion gather on the river- banks and beaches to offer bali. Varkala Papanasam beach is also one of the major religious destinations on the day. People believe that the de- parted souls attain `moksha (liberar- tion) if the ritualistic homage is performed on Karkidaka Vavu.

Thousands of people throng the beach on that day offering ritual poo- jas with darbha (a type of grass), pavithram – the ring made of sacred grass, sesame seeds and herbs like cheroola. Other ingredients of the pooja – cooked rice, water, etc. will also be placed on a banana leaf be- fore commencing the ritual. Priests from the ancient Janardhana temple help people perform the ritual. Hindu customs give much impor- tance to the rituals that are to be per- formed after the death. In Malayalam these rituals are commonly denoted as shesha kriya (shesham means 'after' and kriya denotes 'rituals').

According to the Hindu custom, if a member of the family dies, the younger ones of the family have to perform bali (also called Pithru Tharpanam) to liberate the soul from the shackles of this wordly attach- ments and to help the soul achieve eternal peace. The bali carried out on Karkidaka Vavu day is called Vavubali which is of great impor- tance.

The regular custom is to perform the ritual on the basis of the calcula- tions on the star of the day the family member has died. However, Karki- daka Vavu bali is performed regard- less of these calculations. The rites are conducted as per the Hindu cus- tom and performed in beaches and waterways. Hindus in Kerala never fail to perform this ritual on the day of Karkidaka Vavu.