Athirathram ritual to conclude at Mattathurkunnu tomorrow

Monday, April2, 2012: Athirathram, a 12-day Vedic ritual being held at Mattathurkunnu near Kodakara, will conclude on Tuesday. The ‘yagashala’ for the Athirathram will be ceremonially set on fire to mark the conclusion of the event.
Yesterday, the rituals began at 2am and it will continue without break until the yagasala is offered to Agni on Tuesday.
Cine artiste KPAC Lalitha, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution KV Thomas, Union Minister for Power Sushil Kumar Shinde and Minister of State for Power KC Venugopal also visited yagasala yesterday.
The Athirathram is considered the ultimate sacrifice of the Yajaman who commits his entire life to fulfilling such a ritual. At the end of the Athirathram, the Yajaman carries the fire from the venue to his house, and there the flame will be kept alive. He is expected to perform daily rituals.