The Hindu : Karnataka News : Efforts to appease rain gods

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Thursday, Jul 12, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Efforts to appease rain gods

S. Prasad

A strange practice of vacating village for a day to propitiate gods

FOR GOOD RAIN: Villagers of Ekalnathampudur cooking food on the Thenpennaiar River bed, near Krishnagiri, on Wednesday

Krishnagiri: It is a prayer with a difference. During drought it is common for villagers to resort to special prayers to appease the rain gods. But villagers of Ekkalnatham Pudur near Krishnagiri adhere to a strange practice of vacating the entire village for a day to appease the rain gods.

With natures vagaries having its toll year after year faith has overtaken villagers who are now turning to the rain gods to shower their blessings. Villagers pointed out that a similar ritual was performed before 14 years when the village was under the grip of an acute water scarcity. The ritual is performed whenever the monsoon is delayed. According to the panchayat president Chinnapaiyan villagers vacate the village by 9 a.m. and congregate in the Thenpennaiar River bed across the panchayat. All the children and women in the village took part in the ritual. The Panchayat had declared a local holiday for schools in Ekkalnatham panchayat. Special prayers on the Riverbed would precede the ritual. Villagers cooked pongal and porridge and offered sacrifices during the evening to mark the end of the ritual. Villagers mobilized more than 250 men to guard the village as it was emptied for the ritual. The men were deployed at the borders of the village to prevent the entry of outsiders.

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