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| The 'Athirathram' ritual being performed in Panjal near Thrissur in April, 2011. Photo: By Special Arrangement |
4,000 year old fire ritual conducted in the remote village in Kerala in April this year has a positive impact on the atmosphere, soil and other environment effects, according to scientists who are now ready with their findings.
The
“Athirathram” ritual held on April 4— 15 at Panjal village in Thrissur
district was the focus of a detailed study by a team of scientists led
by Prof V P N Nampoori, former director of the International School of
Photonics, Cochin University of Science and Technology.
The
scientists had focused on the fire ritual’s scientific dimensions and
impact on the atmosphere, soil and its micro—organisms and other
potential environmental effects.
The yagna seems to
have accelerated the process of seed germination and also the microbial
presence in air, water and soil in and around the region of the fire
ritual is vastly diminished, according to a statement released by the
Varthathe Trust, who organised the ritual.
The team
had planted three types of seeds — cowpea, green gram and Bengal gram —
on all four sides of the ritual venue at varying distances. They found
that the growth was better in case of pots kept closer to the fire
altar.
This effect, the study says, was more
pronounced in the case of Bengal gram with growth about 2,000 times
faster than in other places.
According to Nampoori,
sound is a vibration and continuous positive vibrations through
chanting, accelerates the process of germination.
“The
findings would not only help dispel superstitious notions associated
with Vedic rituals but also help in continuation of such tradition for
the betterment of nature and the environment,” says Nampoori.
He
added that further research on the phenomenon were on which could prove
that some bio—amplifier generated in the atmosphere because of the
ritual, had a selective effect on Bengal gram.
The
study focused on counting bacterial colonies at three locations — within
the yagnashala, 500 metres and 1.5 kilometres from the yagnasala.
Microbial analysis made before, during and four days after the yagna
revealed that the air in the vicinity of the yagnashala was pure and had
very low count of microbe colonies.
The research
team also found that microbial activities in the soil and water around
the yagnashala were remarkably less compared to normal ground.
The
“Athirathram” ritual which literally means “building up of the
fireplace and performed overnight” and usually held to propagate
universal peace and harmony, was first documented 35 years ago by
US—based Indologist Frits Staal.
Staal, currently
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and South and Southeast Asian Studies
at the University of California, Berkeley had in 1975 organised and
recorded the ritual in detail with the help of grants and donations from
the Universities of Havard, Berkely and Finland”s Helsinki University.
The
research team conducted tests near the fire altars of the 1918 and 1956
Athirathram, still preserved in the backyards of Namboothiri homes,
reveal that the bricks continue to be free of microbial presence.
“It’s
an indication that the effect of the ritual is long—lasting. Studies
are on to find out if other positive changes on the atmosphere are
transitional or permanent,” say researchers.
An
analysis conducted on the dimensions of temperature from the flames of
the pravargya by Prof A K Saxena, head of photonics division, Indian
Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, found that the fire ball that
formed during the ritual had a particular wavelength with an unusually
high intensity similar to what is observed in typical laser beams at
about 3,870 degree centigrade.
It may be possible to
have stimulated emission at this wavelength (700 nm) and gain from
plasma recombination. It needs to be studied further, he says.
The
members of the team of scientists’ team at the Panjal Athirathram 2011
included experts from various disciplines and included Dr Rajalakshmy
Subrahmanian (Cusat), Dr Parvathi Menon (M G College,
Thiruvanathapuram), Dr Maya R Nair (Pattambi Government College), Prof
Saxena ( Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore) and Prof. Rao
(Andhra University).
The scientific team members were
supported by Zarina (Research Scholar, CUSAT), Ramkumar
(Biotechnologist), Asulabha (Biotechnologist) and a number of
postgraduate, graduate and school students.
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article2103881.ece
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