The Karkidakam month is the last month of the Malayalam calendar. The monsoon is at its peak in this month, and during olden days majority of the people in Kerala depended on agriculture. Due to heavy rain, the Karkidakam month is referred as ‘panja masam’ or the month of scarcity.
With the paddy fields flooded, there used to be no work and the economy used to come to a standstill. People used to solely depend on what grains they had stored during the previous harvest season. There used to be such heavy rains that it was even hard to go outside the house or village and earn a living. To ward off nature’s fury people used to read the Ramayana. As per Malayalam Panchangam, new ventures and auspicious functions are not held during this month.
The Amavasya day in the Karkidakam month is dedicated to dead ancestors and Hindus perform special pujas at the seashore and on riverbeds on this day.
A pilgrimage to the four temples dedicated to Lord Ram and his brothers is undertaken in the Ramayana Masam. This is known as the Nalambalam Darshanam.
Marunnu Kanji, another name for the traditional Karkidaka Kanji. The word literally means Medicinal porridge/rice soup, and rightly so. The dish not only becomes a source of food but because of its beneficial impacts on the body, it is also considered to be a medicine. Karkidaka Kanji and Karkidaka Chikitsa are two integral parts of Karkidakam to have a healthy body during the monsoon seasons. The Kanji helps in the rejuvenation of the body to fight disease and boost immunity.
