The start of the time when the sun enters into Sidereal Aries, also called Ashwini nakshatra—is celebrated as Vishu. According to traditions, what one sees when one first opens one’s eyes on Vishu morning is an indication of the year to come. Thus on Vishu, an effort is made to open one’s eyes before an auspicious image—the Vishukkani.The Malayalam word “kani” means “that which is seen first,” so “Vishukkani” translates to “that which is seen first on Vishu.”
Arranged in the family puja room the night before by the matriarchal head in the family, the Vishukkani is a panorama of auspicious items, including images of Lord Vishnu, flowers, fruits and vegetables, clothes and gold coins, turmeric-rice, placed in a special bowl called an uruli, which is traditionally made of panchaloham, an aggregate of five metals – five great elements—earth, water, fire, air and space.
A well-starched cloth is then pleated fan-like and inserted into a highly polished brass kindi, the val-kannadi, a special type of mirror with an extremely long and thin handle, often decorated with gold, is also inserted into the kindi, which is then placed in the uruli on top of the rice. 2 halve of split coconut, used as deepams, are also kept in the uruli.The wicks are made from pieces of starched cloth that are folded into bulbs at the base and dipped in the coconut oil anchoring the wicks in place. The lighting of the deepam welcomes God into our lives and is also symbolic of spiritual knowledge—the remover of the darkness of ignorance.
The Vishukkani will be laden with gold-colored fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, jackfruit, golden cucumber, etc. Also a spiritual book, such as the Bhagavad-Gita, should be made part of the arrangement as an instrument used for attaining the eternal, non-perishable wisdom of the Rishis—as well as a symbol of that knowledge itself.
Vishukkani points to a year of abundance—both spiritually and materially. Food, light, money, knowledge—all should fill our life. Taking in the Vishukkaniwe should pray that the vision remains with us throughout the year. It is not enough that the joy we take from viewing the Vishukkani comes only to our eyes. It must reflect in our thoughts and in our actions.
By:Archa Dave
