The Oonjal Paattu

The Ainootru Chettiars were an ancient community of affluent merchants who dealt with gold and precious stones. They were financiers of several rulers of Tamilnadu, which is located on the east coast of India. There is an interesting story on why the community is called Ainootruvar, which means the Five-hundreds. Several hundred years ago, the merchants had resided in the port city of Poompuhar, also known as Kaveripattinam. Ancient Tamil poetry is replete with references to large ships manned by foreigners and filled with merchandise, entering the port of Poompuhar. When Poompuhar was flooded by the sea and destroyed, 500 of these merchants escaped and settled in the Kongu region. The Kongu region roughly consisted of present-day Coimbatore, Erode and Salem districts. From then on, they were called the Ainootru Chettiar (Five-hundred Merchants) or simply the Ainootruvar. The Oonjal Paattu is sung at every Ainootru Chettiar wedding. The Oonjal or Swing Ceremony is held after all the other wedding ceremonies are over. The couple get seated on a swing decorated with a garland of fragrant jasmine, sampanki, saamanthi and rose flowers. The bride and the groom are smeared with sandalwood paste scented with rosewater. They rest their feet on a three-footed low wooden stool called mukkali and chew on paan. The Oonjal Paattu consists of ten short verses. After an exotic description of the swing and the bride and the groom comes an account of the great persons born in the community who form part of the galaxy of the sixty-three Saivite saints (Arupatthu Moonru Naayanmaar). One of them is a poetess called Karaikkal Ammaiyar who devoted a major part of her life in singing the glories of Lord Siva. Another one is Pattinathar who penned hundreds of poems on wisdom and renunciation. Iyarpakai Naayanaar, Moorthi Naayanaar, Amarneethi Naayanaar and Kalikamba Naayanaar are the other Naayanmaars who belonged to the community of Ainootru Chettiar. The purpose of the ceremony is to gently remind the newly weds of the glory of the community and to enjoin them to lead a life befitting it. They are wished a long life characterized by good health, wealth, and happiness. The songs also remind the newly weds to be charitable. The songs end with a blessing to the families of the couple and the guests.

- Kuzhali