Aranmula Mirror

Aranmula a temple town and a flourishing river port from times immemorialwas also a trade post. It was a centre of arts and crafts. One of the ritual cum handicraft items, a metal mirror called Aranmula Kannadi, is still remaining as a classic case of the bygone era. The metal mirror is more widely known as a curio and handicraft item, but was mainly used in the place of an idol in Goddess temples of Kerala. It was customary to worship mirror, sword, deer horn etc. in Kerala. The mirror is worshipped which has a deeper theory that god is within oneself.

What is jokingly called in vernacular Malayalam as Kannadi Allatha Kannadi, or (glass) mirror that is no (glass) mirror, it is considered auspicious and form part of Ashtamangalyam a spread of items considered sacred and used for marriages.. It is a coveted possession for the discerning. The mirror is made from an alloy of copper, tin etc. and made from molds made of clay. A best kept secret of the master crafts men here whose families alone make the mirror.

Highly time consuming to make it is also not attempted by many. The shops selling the mirror, costing from Rs. 1000/, for a tiny one, upwards, are around the temple in Aranmula. The artisan families who live here keep the traditional foundries in their homesteads. They are believed to be from Thirunelveli in Tamilnadu. They were brought here by olden day kings for the temple work as folk history tells. The main temple idol has decorations based on the technology and also had a mirror inside as some sources tells.

However the separation of Kerala and Tamilnadu relatively recent it must have been part of the native technology as metallurgy, mainly used in sword making before the advent of the gun in British times, was well developed in the region. The Kalari, martial arts, culture here was famous and remains in pockets. The black smith families were perhaps later confined to such decorative skills as can be inferred. The nearby kingdoms like Pandalam also have links to the royal Pandya lineage is worth mentioning here.

Worshiping mirror is not unique to Kerala and is also reported from other places like China, folk myths and legends talk about this custom. Some modern day Hindu denominations also worship the mirror, as a symbol of the divine within. There are also magic properties associated with the mirror in the folklore of many cultures. In the cultural melting pot of Kerala it is interesting to think of the past when the Pampa river banks were anchoring points for pilgrims and traders. Many of whom have made the region there home.

Till few decades back, with the river having enough water for ferries to pass up and down, there used to be boats with masts passing by as old timers tell. It is said that the existing market at Kozhencherry was shifted there when the then temple community feared about the pollution threat. Only in recent times did the river become a pathetic sight, with deforestation in the upper hills, sand mining and spread of monoculture crops where rain forests stood in the watersheds.

Presently used more as a curio item but still used as an idol in many Goddess temples, the metal made, metal framed, mirror is a scientific wonder as it reflects better than glass. There are mentions of the Val Kanadi in ancient scriptures, these can also be seen in sculptures, which points to its antiquity. The master craftsmen are now trying to get exclusive rights based on geographical exclusiveness for the product with the support of various government departments, they are also selling these online.