Hundreds of devotees waited eagerly for their turn to dip their hands in oil. This oil was not just placed in a bowl. Instead, it was boiling in a pan, placed atop a burning stove. People of all age groups including children, youngsters, and elderly ones participated in the event to carry out this ritual. In what looked like a miracle, their hands were not scalded. There was not even a slight mark of injury. We are not talking about a scene from any film. This happened in reality. The tradition is followed every year by Ayappa devotees in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district.
It is pertinent to note that the Kenda service is performed on the last day of Mandal puja by the devotees of Ayyappa Swami. Ayyappa Maladharis, who are completely devoted and engaged in the worship of the lord, carry out this ritual every year. This year, more than 50 Maladharis along with hundreds of devotees participated in the ritual, where they expressed devotional ecstasy by extracting the vada and rice from the boiling oil with their bare hands.
Interestingly, the ritual has been performed for several decades and what comes as the most shocking revelation is that despite dipping their hands in boiling oil, devotees never experience even a slight injury. Every year, about 10 litres of oil is kept on a boil. Before anyone starts dipping their hands in, the swami of the temple prepares mirchi or food items like vada and rice in boiling oil or water with bare hands. The devotees are allowed to start extracting vada, rice, or other food items from the same. Sometimes, boiling oil or water is also splashed on the faces of a few devotees while women are blessed with some drops on their hands. Much to everyone’s surprise, no one experiences any signs of burns.
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