the story of Vishu's Konna Poo

dear friends

Vishu is malayalee's New Year festival which falls on 14th april ( this month it is next sunday ) my father used to tell me a story of Vishu which I want to share with you. Today my father is no more, I want to remember this story and just pay my tribute to him.

during vishu yellow flowers called Konna Poo is offered to lord krishna while keeping vishu kani. These flowers have a story behind it.

In a small gramam in kerala, there was a small temple of sri krishna. the zamindar of the village had employed a poor thirumeni ( priest ) to do the pooja in the temple every morning n evening. The thirumeni used to daily come to the temple with his son of about 3 years old. while the father used to perform his duties inside the temple, the son used to play in the premises of the temple. In the afternoon the father to sleep in the verandah of the temple and the boy used to play nearby. With his half closed eye he used to watch his son enjoying in playing. the fact was that kutty krishnan used to come outof the temple and play with the little boy and so the boy was enjoyng and playing. the boy used to play as if he is playing with group of boys, laughing, screaming, running. This practice followed everyday. Once on the previous day of Vishu, the father cleaned the temple premises, cleaned the inside of the temple. he got exhausted and slept outside the temple in the verandah. he told his son to play nearby not to go far off. the boy was playing near his father, on that afternoon kutty krishnan gave his waist belt which was full of golden bells to the boy as the Vishu Kayneetum. the boy was very happy to receive, he was holding the waist belt and gazing at it. at that time the zamindar arrived at the temple and he saw the golden waistbelt of Krishna in the hands of the boy. he immediately raised an alarm, called all villagers and declared that the father and son are robbers. he seized the waist belt from the boys hand. the father started crying and pleading that they have not stolen anything. at that time kutty krishnan was watching it got very angry.he flung the waist belt from the zamindars hand, it went and fell on a konna tree which was next to the temple, the golden bells of the waist belt became soft yellow flowers. these flowers are called as konna poo which are even today offered to lord krishna in the vishu kani because it pleases lord krishna and reminds of his love for the small boy who was very dear to him.

wishing all my friends a happy Vishu, Happy gudi padwa and happy ram navmi in advance,