Shamanism in Ayyavazhi

At present certain people who are considered to be posed by the divine power use to perform shamanism in many Ayyavazhi worship centers.

A quote in Arul Nool reads, "For imparting knowledge and making things clear, I kept those who practice divination in the temples."

Desika Vinayaham Pillai, the popular poet from Travancore, in his book Mammakkal Vali Manmiyam, alludes to the existence of practice of such 'kanakku' at Ayyavazhi centres of worship.

Many texts from Akilathirattu and Arul Nool are believed to point to his giving out instructions to people from a state of such ecstatic religiosity.

For example, a text in Akilathirattu says that he "danced in a circle", saying, "today a word of instructions ha scome upon me", and then, from the state, exhorted the people to undertake a tavam.

Lord Vaikundar seems to have enacted a 'symbolic ritual drama’ whereby he sought to tell the people that he had unified the powerful deities of the surrounding area unto himself.

Akilathirattu narrates very elaborately the grand manner in which ekanai kalyanam was conducted for Vaikundar with some popular deities of the surrounding area such as Kumari Pakavati, Parvati, Mantaikkattal, Leksmi, Valli, Teivanai and Pumatantai.

[citation needed] Akilathirattu says that when this marriage took place, The Santror realised that all the curses incurred by them had been absolved henceforth, and the end of Kaliyukam and the dawn of tarmayukam became imminent.

But in many of the worship centres the 'posed' person use to stand and dance, similar to the possessive activities found in some of the tribal belief systems.