He who is invited but not really invited!
[A slightly shorter version of this article authored by yours truly has been published in Deccan Herald Spectrum on 24 November 2023. The publication also holds the rights of this article. You can read the published article here. Photos by Shashikanth Shetty.]
Legends from Indian scriptures have translated into the most culturally enriching rituals that are still followed in rural parts of the country. Deepavali, the festival of lights is a compendium of such rituals celebrated rather meaningfully in different parts of the country, especially so in the Tulu speaking region of Karnataka named Tulunadu. The agrarian population has upheld a number of age-old traditions that are well connected to the geographic and seasonal nuances of the land. The practices, thus, can be categorized as both cultural and folk.
The ritual of calling out to Lord Baleendra with a reasonating ‘kooo’ is one such fascinating practice. The story of King Baleendra is the one connected to the lore of Lord Vishnu’s ten avatars. Baleendra, an asura (demon) king ruled over an empire located amidst the seven seas named Jamboo Dweepa (which included Tulunadu) as a benevolent ruler. Even though he belonged to the asura clan, he was a just ruler; but yearned for more power. According to Tulu folklore, Lord Vishnu took the form of Vaamana or a Brahmin in order to stop him from performing a Yajna that would have earned him invincible power. The familiar story of Vaamana’s three giant steps sending Baleendra to the underworld (paatala) is the foundation of this ritual as well.
Baleendra, while being cast away into the underworld, wished to see his subjects at least once a year and was granted that wish. It is thus that the ritual of inviting him to visit Tulunadu during Deepavali is practiced. (He is invited to Kerala during Onam.) However, there’s a catch. The asura king is invited to visit his subjects through a recitation that includes phrases such as – “arrive here when a stone bull bellows, when a fruit grows atop a black rock and a flower blooms atop a white rock, when an old lady turns a bride” and so on. The recitation concludes with “and when all this happens, come to Tulunadu on a boat that has a hole in it.” The impossible anecdotes are recited rhythmically and followed by a hooting sound made by everyone at the location. The sound ‘koo’ is a regional way of calling out to someone at a distance and it has been borrowed for the ritual.
Funnily enough, the anecdotes used to invite Baleendra shall never be true, which means he shall never really visit the land, and most certainly not on a boat with a hole in it. The natives of the land don’t want Baleendra to visit in real because he is still an asura, and was cast away by Vaamana for a reason. Why, then, is the ritual performed at all?
Calling out to Baleendra during Balipadyami of Deepavali is part of a harvest ritual in Tulunadu. Deepavali arrives at a time when the agrarian cycle is almost complete for the year and the fresh harvest is stacked up at homes and granaries. The native populace practices a series of rituals to express gratitude towards all the forces of nature that facilitated a good harvest during the year. It starts with calling out to Baleendra, the original Lord of the land who is still overlooking Tulunadu from his place of exile. He is remembered and revered with specially made lamps lit on open fields, with people surrounded around it, calling to him with a loud ‘kooo’ in unison. Second, the ancestors of the land are revered with a simple sweet made of beaten rice and a ritual named ‘agel balasuna’. Third, the earth herself is revered with lamps lit on open field and ritualistic herbs placed around them. Subsequently, the cattle and agricultural equipment are also offered worship. These rituals distinguish Deepavali celebrations in Tulunadu and every agricultural family still follows them religiously.
Shrikanth Shetty, an expert in Tulu heritage says “The ritual of calling out to Baleendra is comically beautiful. Even though it is not really an invitation, it is still a form of reverence that conveys to him that he is still remembered and thanked, alongside all the forces of nature that sustain life in Tulunadu. The practices are extremely well connected to nature.” On Balipadyami, men and women traipse into harvested fields with lanterns in hand and celebrate Deepavali under the new moon, calling out to the Lord of the land who shall never really arrive. It is a commendable ritual that marks the celebration of Deepavali and bonds the people of Tulunadu.
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