| Published on 29-09-2006 In General |
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| Sanskritisation in Kanyakumari |
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Written by
Bagawathi Kolappan |
Nothing encapsulates more effectively the process of sanskritisation than "Maadan Mootcham", a Tamil short story by noted writer Jayamohan. The protagonist is Appi, an oracle and a priest in the temple of Sudalai Maadan, a folk deity, god of the graveyard.
Sudalai Maadan, also finds a reference in Saivite literature (Sudalai Podi poosiya ye yullam kavar kalvan). In the folk tradition, the deities converse with the oracle and send across messages to the devotees. (In the Vaishnavite tradition, Thirukatchi Nambi, the teacher of Sri Ramanuja was said to have communicated regularly with Lord Varadharaja of Kancheepuram).
Appi is more of a friend to Sudalai Maadan than a priest. In their conversations they will share their joys and sorrows. Sudalai Maadan relished meat and arrack. Appi is poor and cannot afford to provide arrack and fried chicken on a regular basis. So he hits upon a plan. Sudalai Maadan could spread some disease which, in turn, would make the villages come begging for mercy. They would of course offer arrack and chicken to propitiate him.
Such a unique relationship between Appi and Sudalai Madaan abruptly ends after some Namboothiris (Brahmin priests) are brought in to perform Kumbabishekam for the temple (just a thatched roof). As part of the elaborate rituals, the Namboothirirs prepare mouth-watering pall payasam, a sweet drink made of milk.
Sudalai Maadan, being an irredeemable carnivourous god, feels like throwing up at the sight of paal payasam. Appi is looking helplessly as the Namboothrirs peform vedic rituals, totally alien to the folk tradition. An angry Sudalai Maadan picks up his aruval (sickle) and tries to pounce on the Namboothiris, only to realise the he is unable to move a bit. Poor Maadan is now totally under the control of the powerful Vedic chants.
One must be in Kanyakumari district to see for himself Maadan Mootcham in reality. Sanskritisation is going on at a feverish pace in almost every village, especially in the trading Nadar community. The temples of folk deities are fast changing and replicas of sanskritised temples with traditional gopuram and vimanam over the sanctum and sanctorum are coming up everywhere.
"This is totally against folk tradition. Women deities like Mutharamman and Santhana Maraiamman have temples, yes, but they will not fall into the category of the regular temples that we see for the "bigger" Hindu gods. Actually these temples would look like the humble dwellings you see in our villages. As far as Sudalai Maadan is concerned, he never had a roof over his head," explains Prof A.K.Perumal, an authority on folk culture.
The sanskritisation process started in the Kanyakumari district in the early 1980s when the Hindu Nadars started asserting their religion, thanks to the RSS and its saffron offshoots.
Hindu Awakening conferences organised by Rama Gopalan heading the Hindu Munnani (Hindu Front) accelerated the process. The Sangh Parivar first introduced vilakku pooja (worship with lamps) in Amman temples and involved women in temple affairs. That clicked. Today there is hardly any temple for a folk deity down the rural side that is not conducting Vilakku pooja on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The vilakku pooja coupled with the Hindu-Christian communal clashes in 1980s gradually changed the outlook of the Hindus, especially Nadars. They started imitating the brahminical way of life. Adi Sankara's Bhaja Govindam and Suprabhatham wafting from the loud speakers of these temples fill the air, mornings and evenings.
Another aspect of sanskritisation is the act of dispensing with animal sacrifice. "Animal sacrifice was common in all Mutharamman temples. But today it has been stopped. It is still being practised only in Sudalai Maadan temples" points out A.K. Perumal.
Agrees Tamil writer Ponneelan. "When I was a boy a minimum of 50 goats would be sacrificed in my village. This has been stopped completely." The Mutharamman temple in Ponneelan's village Manikatti Pottal, has been demolished and a big temple modeled as per the Vedic prescriptions has been constructed.
The images of the village deities are also changing. "We used the paste of lime and sand to make these idols. Now granite idols are installed so that abishekams (bathing the idol in water, milk or sandal-paste) can be performed on them," points out A.K. Perumal.
Just as the idols are 'upgraded', as it were, the outlook of the devotees too is fast changing. "I cannot think of my lunch without fish. But my wife is not preparing non-vegetarian dishes on Tuesdays and Sundays," complains Ponneelan.
This sanskritisation process has also led to tension between Hindu Nadars and Christian Nadars. Only in Kanyakumari district could one see Hindus and Christians in the same families. They used to inter-marry, but that practice seems to be dying slowly.
"Both sides are very particular about their religion, though there are marriages of convenience. I married a Christian girl, because I was not able to find an employed girl in the Hindu Nadar community. Not every one is following my example," explained Dr Chandrasekar.
Whether this process is socially healthy, whether a monolithic culture, implying the deadening of many vibrant traditions, would not leave the society so much the poorer are questions that call for a serious debate.
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