He rose from
illusion
to cleanse the earth
to cleanse the earth
BALAKRISHNA HOSANGADI
throws light on the little known folklore ritual of Aatikalanja, celebrated
recently in a few coastal areas of Karnataka
The ritual Aatikalanja has just gone
by. But very little is known about this ritual beyond a few coastal regions of
Karnataka, where it is celebrated with great fervour.
Aati is a calender month of the Tuluvas. Aati or Ashadha is described as a dark month when heavy rains lash the earth and food grains are sparse. In the olden days the period meant only pain and no gain for those residing in the rural Tulunadu.
Aati is also considered to be a month that passes very slowly. Various rituals are performed during this period. Aati amvaasye, Agelu Arpane, Aati kulluni, Atida parba, Aati pidaayi paaduni are some of them.
With heavy rains and scorching sun, the month experiences a very contradictory climatic condition. “Aatida dombugu aneda berila pudavu,” meaning “sunrays of Aati can burn and break the back of elephant,” is a familiar saying in Tulu folklore.
At this time appears Aatikalanja, a folk god of the Tuluvas, who cures ailments and makes the land a happier place to live. With gaggara (anklet) in his legs, red-white striped skirt covered with tender coconut tree leaves around his belly, red and white lines painted all over his body, and a rotating umbrella made of palm leaves in hand, Aatikalanja emerges in the courtyards, flaunting a black moustache. The materials Aati kalanja uses -- leaves of coconut, arecanut and palm trees -- make him a natural God, a God of very tulu soil.
The ritual of Aatikalanja is performed by the Nalike community. A teenager, dressed as Aatikalanja, with thembare (small drum) and paad-dana (folk songs connected to the origin and influence of Aatikalanja) singer goes from house to house, and dances with the rotating palm umbrella in his hand. For this he receives rice or some food grain from each house.
According to a paad-dana, Kalanja arrives to chase Goddess Mari to the east. He is said to cure the ailments of dogs from ashes and of cats from milk. If there is a disease to the humankind, it will run away to the east along with the Mari, upon the orders of the Kalanja.
The story narrated in Tulu paad-dana gives day to day life history of the downtrodden, the difficulties of the Dalits who work in paddy fields, mountainous regions or forests. Even though Kalanja himself is in a pathetic condition, he comes to help the society. He receives very little but gives a lot more. The vision of Kalanja is very deep.
Legend has it that Kalanja, a mystic person, grew up in illusion (Maaya). A red moustache and saffron beard was his older identity. He had come to Tulunadu on an artificial horse. Again, these were the features of Aatikalanja on the northern side of Chandragiri, a river flowing in Kasaragod, which demarcates the Malayalam-speaking region from the Tulu-Kannada region.
Southern Aatikalanja
Aatikaalanja is also performed in the southern part of River Chandragiri. The Kalanja here is slightly different from the northern one. Here, the Kalanja wears a red crown on his head, a karnakundala (ring) in the ear, kavacha (armour) on his chest, and carries an arrow and an umbrella. He appears in Aati to chase the Mari, but here the ritual incorporates local motiff.
Here Kalanja is also seen as Arjuna, who in the disguise of Kalanja, wanders from house to house, and village to village. But people of Tulunadu believe that Kalanja is not Arjuna but a Bhootha or some kind of supernatural person.
Aati is a calender month of the Tuluvas. Aati or Ashadha is described as a dark month when heavy rains lash the earth and food grains are sparse. In the olden days the period meant only pain and no gain for those residing in the rural Tulunadu.
Aati is also considered to be a month that passes very slowly. Various rituals are performed during this period. Aati amvaasye, Agelu Arpane, Aati kulluni, Atida parba, Aati pidaayi paaduni are some of them.
With heavy rains and scorching sun, the month experiences a very contradictory climatic condition. “Aatida dombugu aneda berila pudavu,” meaning “sunrays of Aati can burn and break the back of elephant,” is a familiar saying in Tulu folklore.
At this time appears Aatikalanja, a folk god of the Tuluvas, who cures ailments and makes the land a happier place to live. With gaggara (anklet) in his legs, red-white striped skirt covered with tender coconut tree leaves around his belly, red and white lines painted all over his body, and a rotating umbrella made of palm leaves in hand, Aatikalanja emerges in the courtyards, flaunting a black moustache. The materials Aati kalanja uses -- leaves of coconut, arecanut and palm trees -- make him a natural God, a God of very tulu soil.
The ritual of Aatikalanja is performed by the Nalike community. A teenager, dressed as Aatikalanja, with thembare (small drum) and paad-dana (folk songs connected to the origin and influence of Aatikalanja) singer goes from house to house, and dances with the rotating palm umbrella in his hand. For this he receives rice or some food grain from each house.
According to a paad-dana, Kalanja arrives to chase Goddess Mari to the east. He is said to cure the ailments of dogs from ashes and of cats from milk. If there is a disease to the humankind, it will run away to the east along with the Mari, upon the orders of the Kalanja.
The story narrated in Tulu paad-dana gives day to day life history of the downtrodden, the difficulties of the Dalits who work in paddy fields, mountainous regions or forests. Even though Kalanja himself is in a pathetic condition, he comes to help the society. He receives very little but gives a lot more. The vision of Kalanja is very deep.
Legend has it that Kalanja, a mystic person, grew up in illusion (Maaya). A red moustache and saffron beard was his older identity. He had come to Tulunadu on an artificial horse. Again, these were the features of Aatikalanja on the northern side of Chandragiri, a river flowing in Kasaragod, which demarcates the Malayalam-speaking region from the Tulu-Kannada region.
Southern Aatikalanja
Aatikaalanja is also performed in the southern part of River Chandragiri. The Kalanja here is slightly different from the northern one. Here, the Kalanja wears a red crown on his head, a karnakundala (ring) in the ear, kavacha (armour) on his chest, and carries an arrow and an umbrella. He appears in Aati to chase the Mari, but here the ritual incorporates local motiff.
Here Kalanja is also seen as Arjuna, who in the disguise of Kalanja, wanders from house to house, and village to village. But people of Tulunadu believe that Kalanja is not Arjuna but a Bhootha or some kind of supernatural person.
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