Without ‘Vanara Sadya’, the Onam celebrations would be incomplete for the natives of Edailakkadu near Trikaripur. And they serve healthy yet tasty food to the monkeys of Nagakavu there on every Thiruvonam.
This year was no different. The sadya was arranged like a normal Onasadya, but rice, fruits and vegetables were served on the banana leaves. The delicacies were served by the members of Balavedi after Manikyam Amma served the rice. And the monkeys of all sizes jumped on to the tables for their sadya swinging and running from the trees. The monkeys living in the dark woods of the kaavu came for the ‘Vanara Sadya’ organised by the Balavedi of Navodaya Library. It was Manikyam Amma’s grandmother who kicked off the feast. It is a celebration for the locals here and the custom has become an essential part of their Onam celebrations.
According to Manikyam Amma, who has been serving the sadya for the monkeys for many years, there are 35 monkeys now. “There were only 20 monkeys here in 1990, but the locals now give them healthy food which helped them survive and increase in numbers.” The dishes included beetroot, jackfruit, carrots, cucumber, bananas, guava, tomatoes and rice. Even water was served in paper cups for the ‘vanarasena’ of Edayilakkadu.
According to the representatives of Navodaya Library, studies have shown that the reproduction of the monkeys was affected by the fried food and bakery items containing salt offered to them. That is why Balavedi came forward to provide the monkeys healthy food.
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