Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Here, a big catch for all

MADURAI: The Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Tirumalai Nayak Mahal, Gandhi museum, Alagarkoil, Jain caves and Alanganallur ‘jallikattu’ are some of the places and events synonymous with Madurai. But very few know that this ancient city has many more attractions.

One such event is the annual fishing festival at Keezha Kallandiri, situated around 10 km north of the city. It was held with much fanfare on Saturday morning. Hundreds of men, women and even children plunged into Ragini Kanmoi (a water body) amid thunderous music. They vied with one another hunting for fishes.

It has been a practice in the village since time immemorial to permit people irrespective of their caste, creed and place of residence to fish in the water tank primarily used for irrigation. The day and time are decided by heads of five families who hold hereditary rights over the temple in consultation with other villagers.

“The water body, spread over 17 hectares, is dried to the maximum before conducting the festival. Otherwise, it will be difficult to catch fish. Announcements are made by beating ‘thandora’ (tom-tom) in the markets. People from nearby districts also come here to display their fishing skills,” says V. Pitchai, one of the organisers.

Like many other festivities in this part of the State, the fishing festival too is associated with religion. The Ragini Kanmoi is a part of ‘Ainthu (five) Kovil,’ a temple for local deity Ayyanar worshipped by residents of Keezha Kallandiri, Mela Kallandiri, A. Muthupatti, Thoppulampatti and Amachiapuram villages.

Five persons who enjoy hereditary rights over the temple go on a procession across the village carrying a colourful umbrella before reaching the temple situated on the bunds of the water tank. They then participate in a special ‘puja’ (prayer). One of them receives the ‘Muthal Mariyadhai’ (first respects) from the temple priest.

On Saturday, scores of people, including professional fishermen, novices and even first-timers waited with bated breath for the hereditary trustees to complete the puja and wave a white piece of cloth to mark the beginning of the festival. And when it happened, they lost no time in taking a plunge into the tank with their fishing gear.

S. Pandi of Chintharasanpatti and P. Saravanan of Sundarajanpatti, who had hired fishing nets to participate in the festival, had a good catch with their biggest fish weighing nearly 2.5 kilogram. While many youngsters from Kottampatti were geared with self-woven baskets, local women relied on nothing but their hands and polythene bags. “Today, you can find every woman here cooking fish. The entire village will smell of fish. Only outsiders sell the catch for a price. The locals use it for domestic consumption because it is considered sacred. Devotees put the fingerlings into the tank in fulfilment of vows made to the deity,” says S. M. Solamalai, the temple priest.

According to a legend, fishes in the water tank turned into snakes when the fishing rights were given to a private person. “It was considered to be a bad omen. Since then, this tank alone is opened up for the general public,” he adds. Fishing rights of other water bodies in and around the village continue to be leased out.

The festivity takes place under the supervision of a team of policemen. Nurses from a nearby primary health centre are also present to treat those who are bitten by water snakes and suffer injuries caused by fish thorns.

The festival also has a chequered past as an aged person died a few years ago while trying to fish in the melee.

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