Welcome to the final day of the 14-day jaathre mahotsav of Goddess Maramma at Rammanahalli, a village with around 15,000 population about 8 km from Mysore City.
On the final day of this jaathre, which is held once in two years, men of all ages dress up as women and play with sticks around the Maramma temple. Not just that, although the village deity, Maramma, is a woman, the fairer sex are not only mere spectators, but are also barred from participating in the rituals. “This ritual has been in practice for more than 100 years and we do not want to break this tradition,” said Mahadeva, a villager.
While it is not mandatory for all the men to take part, yet a large number come dressed as women and thoroughly enjoy it. In the past, the men used to stick to traditional clothes and turn up in sarees, but now the dress sense among them has improved. They wear salwar-kameez, skirts, mini skirts, jeans pants and what not. Of late, the youth imitate their favourite heroine of Bollywood and Sandalwood.
As a part of the ritual, they form two lines in front of Maramma Temple and play with the bamboo sticks for more than two hours.
Vairamudi aka Surya, a resident of this village told Deccan Herald that there is a strong belief that if men dress as women and pray to the deity, their wishes will be fulfiled.
Apart from this, there are also many conditions during this 14-day festival in the village. No villager is allowed to cook or eat non-vegetarian food, seasoning (voggarane) of food or frying of chilli is a strict no-no. In case of a death in the village, the ritual on that particular day is cancelled because of ‘Sutaka.’
Also, no one is allowed to wear slippers inside the village. Those who violate these rules are fined by the village elders.
DH News Service
