A unique ritual among Kolam tribes ahead of sowing

Recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, they hold the ceremony of ‘new sowing’ by worshiping children

Telugu farmers plough their fields after an annual festival called Eruvaka. They bathe and worship their ploughs and oxen before sowing new crops. The custom is different among the tribals and rural farmers of Telangana. Lambadis hold a nine-day celebration called Teez during which girls and boys are taught to sow and grow new crops – wheat. Whereas, the other tribals of the State worship their oxen during a special occasion called Pora or Polala Amavasya. They also conduct a ceremony of new sowing or ploughing. The Kolams, recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, hold the ceremony of new sowing. The festival is celebrated by newlywed couples of every Kolam hamlet. They call it mugtaram, from muhurtam meaning ‘beginning’.

The couple will decide a day during this period and invite 5 boys and girls – 2 boys and 1 girl from the houses of their surname and a boy and a girl from another surname. The children wear clean clothes and visit the house of the couple who receive them inside a special place between four poles draped with new or clean four times. One side of the place is segregated for the goddess Dhanlaxmi. They will draw five boxes of rangoli with three colours – red, yellow and pink – before the goddess. Then they break a coconut and light lamp and dhoop.
Thereafter, the children will be made to stand in a line before the goddess and the couple will apply turmeric / chandan paste under the children’s lower jaws. They then draw two boxes of rangoli on each foot of the five children.

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They lay modugu (bastard teak) leaf plates (satras) and keep Rs 5 coin or Rs 10 note under the plates. The children are served 5 times bonam (meals), gaarelu (vadas), atlu (dosas), chutney and oil. After the children eat, the couple will carefully bury the plates in a pit in their courtyard. Similarly, they wash the palms of the children in a big bowl and pour the water into the pit. They take this care symbolically not to let their crop fall prey to animals, the representatives of which in the house are cattle, hens, dogs, cats and rats.

Thereafter, they honour the children by covering their arms with new white towels. Then the newly married man hugs every child by saying ‘Ram Ram’ while his wife prostrates over their feet. The couple then worships Dhanlaxmi with folded hands in front of the lamp placed on a millet heap in a copper plate. They take it from the children and place it in Deyyaala Moola (Deity Corner) of their house. The new wife swings the edge of her saree two times over the lamp and comes out of the house along with her husband.
Then the couple will serve bonam (meals) to the parents of the husband. Thereafter, bonam is served to the villagers.

The next morning, they go to their field where they believe their forefathers (mundel) and deities like Jaithur reside. Generally, the Kolam families have a hut in their crop fields. If it is burnt for any reason, then it will be rebuilt by doing the same ceremony as it is done in the house inviting five children.

Normally, the couple will apply sendur (sindur) to a stone which is regarded as the protector of the crops. They break a coconut before the god or sacrifice a hen/cock. In the case of reconstructing the burnt hut, they sacrifice one or two pigs and serve a feast to the villagers. Then they begin to plough and sow millets and other crops.

Thus the ceremony mugtaram reveals three main things: the newlywed couple practices how respectfully and carefully they should sow and reap crops; tribal children are treated on a par with the deities and considered representatives of their forefathers; and their belief system to protect their crops from calamities in the name of deities which includes celebration-cum-feast. Thus the newly-wed couple learning to sow, save and share crops appears to be an ideal beginning.

 

– With inputs photos from Athram Mothiram, Wankidi, KB Asifabad District.

Dr Dyavanapalli Satyanarayana

(Scholar specialising in Telangana history and culture)