It should have been the busiest time of the year for the men of Vilayilveedu family of Melaranoor, Karamana, given that Onam is just a few weeks away. When they should have ideally been hard at work handcrafting hundreds of onavillu (a.k.a. pallivillu), to be consecrated at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple on Thiruvonam day, this year the family of traditional craftsmen, who have for centuries had the sole preserve of making the ceremonial bows, find their livelihood at the crossroad and might just have to bow out for good.
“This Onam we are crafting only 12 onavillus – two each of the six pictorial depictions that we traditionally make, namely villus of Ananthashayanam, Dasavatharam, SreeRama Pattabhishekam, and Sreekrishna Leela, related to the Lord Vishnu mythology and also Sree Sastha and Mahaganapathi, all of which we hope to offer to the respective deities, as tradition dictates, before dawn on Thiruvonam. Even that hangs in the balance as we have yet to receive the official confirmation of the ceremonial offering or any orders from the temple authorities,” says R.B.K. Achari.
He is the present custodian of the craft and the “chosen one” to ceremoniously hand over the finished bows to temple authorities.
The other main craftsmen of the family, collectively known as ‘Onavillu Kudumbam,’ are his brothers/cousins Sudarshanan, Umesh Kumar, Sulabhan, and Ravindran Achari and also Ananthapadmanabhan, his son and a student of class five, who, we learn, is a deft painter like his father and uncles.
“We were each initiated into the craft at a young age and now all of us have given up our regular jobs as bankers, carpenters and so on, to concentrate on making villus. It may not be as remunerative as other professions but it’s our birthright. There are Mathilakam records that state that the ceremonial offering of the villus started during the renovation of the temple circa 1502 AD. Our forefathers are Panchakarmis from Thanjavur, the very architects of the temple. We can trace the immediate family’s association with the villu dedication to at least five generations, beginning with a palm leaf record dated 1868 in the name of our forefather, Ananthapadmanabhan Achari of Thamalam Pudhuveedu,” says Sulabhan, 40, a former cine artiste, who got his “calling” a few years before.
“It’s a calling because it requires a single-minded dedication that not many, not even those who grew up with the craft, can sustain. For example, whilst making the villus, each craftsman has to maintain a rigorous 41-day penance of rituals and prayers prior to the consecration,” he explains.
At present the wood for the bows is being primed in a room in the old ancestral house where villus (but, of course) have pride of place. The family has patented onavillus and the art of making them but with a little prodding they open up about the process.
“We use the wood of only devaganam trees, mainly yellow kadam and mahogany, for their easy availability. Each villu has certain specifications – 4 1/2 feet length for the Ananthashayanam villu, which features Lord Vishnu in yoga nidra position, for example. Each is carved like a boat with tapered ends so that it resembles the shape of Kerala,” explains Sulabhan.
The wood is first painted yellow on both sides and then red on one side and only then are the fables painted in miniature using (mostly) red, white, black, yellow, green, blue and orange.
“Traditionally white sand, red sand charcoal, turmeric powder and leaf extracts were mixed with the sap of erukku tree to make the colours. Nowadays, we use natural dyes, the same as ones used for kalamezhuthu. It’s very important to get the eyes in the paintings right so this intricate part of the work is done by my brother Sudarshanan, who is also a well-known temple sculptor. It takes approximately two days to make one villu,” adds Achari. Red tassels, made by the convicts of the Central Jail at Poojappura, nearby, give the villus a finishing touch.
Traditionally, the onavillus are first offered to the family deity on Uthradam day and then they are taken to the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple on foot (in ancient times it was via horse-drawn carriage) and displayed at the Natakasala before being offered to the deity. Finally, after three days in situ in the temple, they are distributed to devotees, who would have ordered for them months in advance.
Last year the craftsmen made 1500 villus.
“There is an ever-growing demand for the villus at the temple. Despite pressure from several quarters, we want to stick to tradition and don’t believe in compromising the craft for the sake of commercialisation and mass production,” says Achari, feelingly.
“Right now, the livelihood of five families is at stake. However, we are determined to keep our legacy alive, starting with a book on the craft, which is in the works,” he adds.
