Thiruvananthapuram | Thousands of toddlers were initiated into the world of letters in temples across Kerala where the 'Vidyarambham' ritual was held on the auspicious Vijayadasami day on Thursday, marking the culmination of the nine-day-long annual Navratri festival.
While some children -- usually aged two to three years -- cried or smiled during the ritual, others were silent and curious as scholars, writers, teachers, priests and other prominent figures in society made them write their first letters of learning starting with the mantra -- 'Hari Sree Ganapathaye Namaha' -- at temples and cultural centres across the state.
Vijayadasami is observed as the day of 'Vidyarambham', the beginning of learning, in the southern state.
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar initiated many children into the world of letters at the Raj Bhavan here where elaborate arrangements for the ceremony were made.
"Kerala has a rich tradition of celebrating #Vijayadasami by initiating kids into the world of letters. Raj Bhavan also followed this tradition with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar himself performing the #vidyarambham today," the Raj Bhavan said in a Facebook post.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan inducted children into the world of letters at his home in Paravur in Ernakulam district.
Chandy Oommen, son of late Kerala CM and Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, was also seen inducting children into the world of letters at a temple here.
State Health Minister Veena George also introduced children into the world of letters at her residence.
Parents flocked to temples with their tiny tots from the wee hours to take part in the ceremony, as part of which the children are helped to write "HariSree" on platters filled with rice or it is scribbled on a child's tongue with a golden ring.
While many toddlers went through the process silently, curious as to what was going on, or cooperated with the ritual with a smile, several of them were seen crying out in protest.
'Vidyarambham' was held across the state with famed temples like Panachikkadu Saraswathi Temple in Kottayam and Dakshina Mookambika Temple in North Paravur seeing a huge turnout from the early hours of the day.
Temples, especially those dedicated to Saraswathi, the goddess of learning and art witnessed a heavy rush.
Well-known shrines like Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple and Guruvayur Sree Krishna Swamy Temple also saw a heavy rush of devotees.
