Domestic Cattle played an integral role in the celebration of the Pongal festival, during the past. Agricultural communities depended on their cattle for the chores in the farms. These Cattle were reared not only for milk but also for ploughing and transport.
In this age of technology, where most people believe the future is assured through application of “techno-science”, these Cattle are reduced to mere milking equipments. With the depletion of these livestock, the folklore of celebrating them after the harvest season is also renounced.However, there are a few places in Pollachi where this (of celebrating the Cattle) Pongal tradition is still carried out. One such place is the Maatiya Koundan temple in the village of Kaliyapuram, 20 kms South of Pollachi.
Story behind the temple – K.B. Vetrivel
In the earlier days, there was a chief shepherd, who herded the cattle in the grazing fields. He was called the “pandithar”. The pandithar was known to have had good knowledge about the local herbs, their medicinal properties and also served as a veterinarian.
One such chief-in-charge was “Maataiya Gounder’. It is believed that this “pandithar” could cure any disease that plagued a Cattle. This temple built near the Uppaar River, 3 kms from Kaliyapuram, is dedicated to him. The farmers, who come here for worship, pray to him by buying a cattle doll made in clay.
The temple opens for public worship only on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 7 am to 3 pm. However, the temple is open for 24×7 worship during the first three days of Pongal. Farmers from surrounding villages flock to this temple with their bulls / cows and their decorated bullock carts. Visiting the temple during Pongal is a rich experience where one can witness some of the ancient rural traditions, still kept alive.
