Chooral Muriyal: An Inhuman Ritual

Chooral Muriyal - A human sacrifice in the name of a ritual. This is not a tradition of new origin as it is being practiced since two and a half century, during the time of 'KUMBA BHARANI' festival at Chettikulangara temple, Alappuzha, Kerela . This festival is also known as Kumbh Mela of the south . The ritual of Chooral Muriyala is a part of the popularly known ritual of 'KUTHIYOTTAM' , which involves adopting a male child of the age of 8 to 10 years by a rich individual, generally from an unprivileged family in return for money and then that child is offered as a 'Bali' or sarcrifice to 'Bhadrakali', the diety who is worshipped in this festival. On the final day of the festival, the skin on either side of the child's midrib is pierced and a golden strand is inserted in it by a master and then the children are marched to the temple. On reaching the temple, the strings are taken out by the elders from the bleeding fissures and are offered to the temple and this marks the end of the 'Kuthiyottam' ceremony.

Actually this ritual involves the sacrifice of one's own child but this never happens in reality. As a result of which the children belonging to poverty stricken families are being targeted and they are mostly traded by their parents for money . Due to this ritual the condition of the children becomes vulnerable as the ritual signifies a 'human sacrifice' to God and once a child is sacrificed, he is considered dead for the society or say the child is secluded and is considered as bad symbol for the society.

The state commission for the protection of child rights in 2016, had imposed a ban on such an inhuman ritual for violating the juvenile justice act and also because of the physical pain suffered by the children . Even this year also the Kerela high court had ruled that, if anyone by violating the orders perform such a ritual, he would be held guilty of a non bailable offence. But still there are many orthodox people in our society, who by defying the orders , perform such rituals with the view of fulfillment of their desires. Such a ritual must be abolished as no individual in name of worship or god can infringe the human rights of another and it is earth-shaking for people to understand that spilling a child's blood can never be a way to impress the God/Diety.