By Devaraj B Hirehalli
30 Mar 2010 04:44:00 AM IST
Ujjini dalits turn Brahmins for 15 days
TUMKUR: Six dalits from Ujjini village in Kunigal, will be Brahmins
for an entire week marking the celebrations of the annual fair of
goddess Chowdeshwari.
Marking the second day of the Hindu calendar, the day after the Ugadi
festival, six male dalits will be chosen to be Brahmins for 15 days.
They will have to wear the 'janivaara' (sacred thread) during the ritual.
The dalits made to reside in the temple for those 15 days, should play
their role rightfully by abstaining from nonvegetarian food, during
the annual event.
Interestingly, most of the residents in this village predominantly eat
non-vegetarian food.
All the meat eaters are forbidden from consuming meat during these 15 days.
The six dalits will remove their janivaara on the fullmoon day, on
March 30, Tuesday.
This is not a simple affair.
The dalits who wear the sacred thread after at the ritual, will remove
the same only after they walk on live charcoal, which the Brahmins
call the 'Agni kunda'.
According to a belief, the dalits have been playing their part of
being a Brahmin to purify themselves off the sins they borne of their
forefathers.
The story behind this custom reads out that a dalit man married a
Brahmin girl, Hebbaramma.
After the couple had five children, the wife discovers that her
husband is a dalit, jumps into fire and kills herself.
Ever since, the dalits of Ujjini have been donning the role of the
'mythical' husband and children of Hebbaramma, and unfold the untold
story by being brahimns for 15 days. This year, Vade Lingaiah is one
among the group.
Celebrating the annual fair, the dalits are to worship Hebbaramma.
Brahmins will worship goddess Chowdeshwari, Vaishnavas the Anjaneya,
Lingayaths worship the twelfth century revolutionary Basavanna and the
Muslims will worship Babaiah.
There is no Muslim in the village. Five Hindu couples will play the
role of transitory Muslim couples to worship Babaiah, during the fair.
------------------------------------
----
INFORMATION OVERLOAD?
Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to ZESTMedia-digest@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/
PARTICIPATE:-
On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com
TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:-
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to ZESTCaste-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/
Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ZESTCaste-digest@yahoogroups.com
ZESTCaste-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ZESTCaste-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
No comments:
Post a Comment