THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For years, members of Vilayil Veedu have been carrying on a tradition - that of creating ‘onavillu’, the ceremonious bow offered to Sree Padmanabha Swamy during Onam days. But never before have they encountered such interest and demand for the bows from the part of devotees, thanks to the global attention Lord Padmanabha enjoys now. While it was less than 800 onavillus that were made on demand last year, this time the number has gone beyond 1,000. But the family has informed the Temple Trust that they would not be able to make more than a thousand bows at any rate, considering the time and devotion each bow requires. ‘’Earlier, only Trivandrum-ites used to call for onavillu, but this time even foreigners approached us to know about the ceremonious bow and to learn how it is related to the Lord. People outside Thiruvananthapuram have also booked for the bow. It is unprecedented. The development is significant considering that it is the only custom in the temple where something is made outside and offered to the Lord,’’ says Bhadraratnam R B K Achari, who heads the making of ‘onavillu’ in the family. The members of Vilayil Veedu, including Kshetrashilpi Sudarshan, Umeshkumar, Nagendran Achari and Sulabhan, follow strict penance and discipline during the making of onavillu. The bow is made of the wood of jackfruit tree, because jackfruit is known to emanate positive energy. All the idols in the temple are included in the paintings in the bow, which makes it special for a devotee of the Lord. The portrait of the Swamy is that in ‘yoga nidra’, yet portraying the ‘veera shayanam’. Notices announcing the booking of the ceremonious bows have been kept at the entrances of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple for some weeks now. The family has been getting numerous queries regarding the bows since then.
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