Malappuram: After the Thirunavaya Kumbhamela, Malappuram district is set to witness the return of another age-old religious ritual, with a Somayagam planned for April 2027.

The seven-day-long ritual will be held at the Sreekurumba Bhagavathi Temple in Sobhapparambu near Tanur and is being organised by the Vaidika Vijara Samithi Charitable Trust.

Mahamandaleswar of the Juna Akhada, Swami Anandavanam Bharathi, who played a key role in the recently held Mahamagham Kumbhamela at Thirunavaya, has been named the chief patron of the organising committee.

According to Sumesh Pullattu, chairman of the organising committee, the Somayagam is being planned as a large-scale event, with organisers expecting more than three lakh devotees to attend over the seven-day period.

"Vaidika Vijara Samithi has been engaged in Vedic classes and discussions for the past twenty years. It has been our long-standing wish to conduct a Somayagam, as we believe the ritual is beneficial for humanity. We will meet spiritual leaders from across the country in the coming days before finalising the dates. We expect at least 50,000 devotees to visit the venue every day during the ritual," Sumesh said.

The ritual is scheduled to take place within weeks of the second edition of the Thirunavaya Kumbhamela. However, the organisers clarified that the Somayagam has no direct connection with the Kumbhamela. 

"The proposal to conduct a Somayagam in Tanur has been under the Samithi's consideration for the past two years. Since the Mahamagham event at Thirunavaya was a major success, we decided to invite Anandavanam Bharathi as our chief patron for his guidance and support," he added.

Somayagam, also known as Somayajna, is an ancient Vedic ritual performed according to the Yajurveda. It centres on the worship of Agni (fire) and the offering of Soma, a sacred ritual substance, to various deities. The ritual requires a team of trained Vedic priests (ritviks) and involves constructing elaborate fire altars (yajna vedi), continuous Vedic chanting, offerings, and symbolic ceremonies. While Soma originally referred to a sacred plant or juice used in Vedic times, modern Somayagams use a substitute plant, as the original is believed to be extinct or unidentified.

Malappuram district had witnessed Agnishtomam in 2013, when the ritual was held at Shukapuram village near Edappal. 

Meanwhile, several organisations, including the Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham, had criticised the revival of ancient rituals such as Yagas and Athirathram, arguing that they glorify an unequal social order. Similar criticism was raised during the Mahamagham event at Thirunavaya, with some sections of society alleging that the revival of age-old rituals under the banner of "Kumbhamela" was part of a broader reassertion of Hindu identity politics. Despite the criticism, the event saw massive participation, with lakhs of devotees attending.