Astrology / Vedic Jyotish  
Nangol Houses of Travancore

Centuries old Shree Padmanabha Swami temple in the heart of Tiruvananthapuram city majestically proclaims its ancestry. This solid edifice, stands amidst the three star hotels and multi-storied structures, challenging the passage of time. The seven star buildings, with the facade of a glorious past found in Chalai Bazar, Manacaud and Perunthanni, is another attractive sight. They were built contemporaneously with the temple, but the design can be attributed a much older date.

The name seven stars attributed to these buildings, might give a mild shock to many people. This low roofed structure built in timber is unique in many respects. Oriented towards the east, all these buildings follow the same interior designs. The verandah facing the east has a pathayam made of wood, a granary storing paddy seeds, which will be opened only on the tenth of the month of Medam, when the sun is at its zenith. Apart from this, it served as a seat and bed of the head of the family, and is known as udampara. Next to this is thekkepura and the valiyapura. These chambers are meant to be used for only tidy purposes. In the thekkepura a wooden box with four tiny legs is used to keep clothes and valuables. Rice paddy is stored in the valiyapura. Behind these puras is the chityapura, meant for feeding departed souls or ancestors. Behind valiyapura and thekkepura is a cell to keep paddy and later coconuts. This cell called nilavara with an entrance from chityapura was cancelled by covering, when there was no paddy or coconuts to store. Crossing from the landing (Irayam) to the northern side of the house, you enter through the door to an inner quadrangle called thottikkakam which is a  quadrilateral verandah around a court yard within the house.

These seven starred mansions are surrounded by outhouses such as a kitchen in the northeast, an uralppura in the northwest, the gosalai in the south east and kalappura in the south west. The uralppura is the place for pounding grain and the kalappura is the threshing floor. 

With the increase in the number of stars, mandirs improve their status. Tiruvananthapuram had to content with three star mandirs when other metros had five starred ones. Let us however take solace from the fact that we had always had seven star mandirs and even claim that those who lived in these mandirs were the upper crust of the society. If today’s five star buildings need aerodromes and wide high ways by their side, the old seven stars wanted only footpaths by the paddy ranges.

Diwans (chief ministers) of Travancore like Veluthampi (Thalakkulam), Raja Kesavadas (Kunnathoor), Nanoo Pillai (West Neyyoor), Valiya Padathalavan Eravikutti Pillai (Keralapuram) hailed from houses of this pattern and their household estates can be seen in Nanchinadu, known as the granary of the erstwhile Travancore. The House of Ananda Bose, (the founder of the Nirmithi Kendra) at Kottayam, is one such. East facing and rising sun-oriented houses with rooms having identical nomenclature are there in Tiruvanantapuram, Kottarakkara, Nedumangad, Kovalam, Kallada. Names like thottikkakam, chityapura are striking indeed. All these unique attributes made such houses a subject of study. 

While the houses in Tiruvanantapuram look like boats sea /lake wrecked, the houses in Palliadi, Muthalakurichi etc., in Kanyakumari district are by the side of the erstwhile paddy fields, which had been taken over by plantations and coconut groves. Even now, in Kollangode one can see elevated poomukham of houses facing such paddy fields. The house of “Minnal Parama Sivan Nair”, a former senior Police Officer of Travancore is one such. The arrival of roads and other allied facilities contributed to population density. After the matrilineal system was abolished when paddy based agriculture holdings fragmented, paddy rice holdings became coconut gardens. This style has become popular, and more households can be expected to face the threat of extinction.

Padippura and Poomugham are built with the increase in the family earnings, and a symbol of show off. The increase in the number of family members necessitated the construction of more additional attachments named vadakkathinu vadakkathu and arappurakku arappura. At this stage, the tarawad becomes more than a fifty member household. We have seen that the thaiveedu is a combination of thekkepura, valiyapura, chityapura nilavara, four faced thottippuram and the four sub-houses in the four corners. A small household can live in this suite comfortably. 

There is a thekkathu, a sacred place for worship of family deity, at the south of the main house, usually with no idol. If at all there, it will be of Durga, inclined to southwest. The look of the goddess’ idol is at isana konu. In other places Easwara Kala Bhoothathan. In some house, the objects of worship constitutes a pair of wooden sandals or a rod. Thekkathu of houses having kalari is known as Elankam.

Why such houses are called seven starred? It is an accidental tale.

The Birthday of rice

From the surface soil where it grows, to the granary (pathayam, a large wooden chest for storing paddy and the grains), the rice is worshipped and formed a necessary ingredient in many a rituals. The talappoli festival held all over Durga temples in Kerala, is an important one. Many virgins and married women, line up in clean white garments, circumambulate the Durga temple with ululas in chorus and offer their worship. They carry rice (paddy), flowers, neerajana in a plate called thalam. This thalam is the lion seat of Durga, and the poli is rice. 

“Maid, born on Makam (asterism), comes out from the granary”. To understand the meaning of this well-known rhyme in these places, one should bear in mind the fact that the Makam asterism in the second Malayalam month of Kanni is the birthday of rice. Those who celebrated this festival on the Makam asterism during August-September, every year, carry it as a sweet memory.

On this day, seven grains of rice are collected from the pathway, fallen from the sheaf of harvested rice, carried on head from the fields and taken to the well for a ceremonial bath. Two grains are then thrown away at these two places. Remaining grains washed in water after applying turmeric paste. After adorning these five grains with sacred ashes, sandal paste, kumkum, it is seated with respect, on a pure cloth kept on a sacred platter (talam). After offering flowers on the lighted lamp on this talam the same is taken to the thekkepura in the accompaniment of ululu in chorus by the household women. The air in the room will then be purified by burning incenses.

On the sacred birthday of rice, no one will till or plough the land, boil paddy or trade in rice. Rice soaked in milk (palchor) is the favorite of the goddess. On full moon day this is an important offering for the Devi temples. A feast cooked at home with jaggery, rice, coconut, turmeric and a pinch of salt was a payasam cooked in the domestic kitchen by the household women in a state of purity. This celebration in southern Travancore has assumed an importance given to Onam elsewhere. The paddy grain enjoyed a complete rest on that day. 

It is in the makam asterism that the procession of Saraswathi from Padmanabhapuram palace to Thiruvananthapuram begins. The Navaratri festival starts on makam day with puja of yoke and rice grains and culminates in vidyarambham. In other Dravidian localities this ritual is practiced in a slightly different style.

It is difficult to confirm the date of origin of this ritual. It could be a traditional matter only. Yet, let us examine, if there is any basis for the practice of choosing five or seven grains as well as the importance of the makam asterism, the day chosen for the celebration of the birthday. 

Of the twenty-seven stars in the Hindu calendar makam asterism is the tenth and is a cluster of five stars in the shape of a yoke (sapti). This asterism is a sickle to the westerners. Makam and Kanni are thus symbols of rice cultivation. If the five rice grains taken for worship represent the yoke, the number seven represent the constellation popularly known as the plough star.

The eastern quarter is maghavathi, Lord Indra is maghavan that is the worshipped one, and Indrani is magahani. Mahamaghavela is a grand yaga. Mahamagham or mamankom or makhamagam was a festival conducted once in twelve years. Makam also has become less of a favourite with people.

Makam was invested with royal aura since it was in the ayanothara position while the utharayana ends and dakshinayana starts. The Mahavishu position has shifted from Medam to Meenam, just as the position has shifted from karkidakom to mithunam.

The saka era (AD 78) starts from the time of the Satavahana (saka) that was 2526 years after Yudhisthira’s reign ended. The Saptarshis were in makam asterism, and continued in that position for hundred years. In kaliyuga they are in the chitthira star. Now we will find more about the makam asterism.

Continued on Page 2

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