At a time when communal harmony is under threat, Hindus in two villages in Thanjavur district show the path of peace by their celebrating an ‘Allah Thiruvizha’. Surprisingly, the villages wholly inhabited by Hindus have been celebrating the festival for over 300 years now. This year the festival was celebrated with piety at Kasavalanadu Pudur and Ko. Vallundampattu villages on Saturday night, on the eve of Muharram.
Relatives and friends of the residents of these two villagers are invited for the AllahThiruvizha by the locals.
The villagers play perfect hosts at the festival and feast that follows throughout the night.
The Allah Thiruvizha is celebrated at the kabarsthan of an unknown saint or a commoner on the outskirts of the Ko. Vallundampattu village. Though no Muslim family lives in the two villages, people professing the dictum of Prophet Mohammed visit the kabarsthan on the eve of Muharram and offer ‘dua’. Thereafter, the villagers take out a ‘palm’ like figure made of unknown metal on a decorated ‘karagam’ round the two villages all through the night.
At the village streets, households offer ‘paanagam’ (water mixed with jaggery, dry ginger, cardamom) prepared in new earthen pot to the ‘karagam’ besides offering the regular Hindu religious articles such as flattened rice flakes (aval), agarbathi, karpooram, coconut and banana on plates and plantain leaves. By the time, the ‘karagam’ returnd to the kabarsthan, the dawn breaks.
Then, many villagers undertake the ordeal of fire walk, as fulfilment of vow or as thanksgiving gesture, at the special ‘kundam’ before the ‘Allah Kovil’ which is the kabarsthan.
“We have been celebrating the Allah Thiruvizha for more than five, six generations now. Perhaps for over 300 years it has been our ritual in the villages. We launch the festival preparations 10 days ahead of Muharram when we commence our ritualistic fasting (vrtham). Then we ready a brand new green flag for Allah and the Allah flag is respected by all villagers who happen to pass the kabarsthan,” observe former panchayat president Desingu Rajan of Ko. Vallundampattu and Ravichandran of Kasavalanadu. “We have even formed a separate funeral route skirting the Allah Kovil”, they add.
Other villagers claim that the ‘palm’ emblem was found from a village tank nearby a few centuries back and since then, the villagers have kept the small icon at the kabarsthan.
“We celebrate several festivals but ‘Allah Thiruvizha’ is the only occasion we all come together and celebrate it as a community feast. For us ‘Allah Samy’ is the binding factor”, the villagers say.