Following a unique tradition

Ayyakonda, is a different village in Kurnool district where the villagers follow a unique tradition. The village is located 80 kilometers away from Kurnool main town and 20 kilometers from Yemmiganur town. The village has a peculiar custom of burying the dead bodies in front of their houses. Ayyakonda also known as I Konda located in Gonegandla mandal.

The villagers follow a tradition of offering the first meal to the graves and later consume. This is an everyday custom every family member would follow without fail. This custom is being followed since 200 years ago and it is in practice till date. The entire village consists of 200 families and all of them belong to one community "Mala Dasari". It is surprising to note that no one in the village would sleep on the cot that is knitted with coir rope.

The people would bury their departed just in front of their houses and raise a tomb over it. Not only that, the tomb is a worship place for them. Not a single day passes without offering meals to the tombs in front of their houses. There are three temples like Nalla Reddy gudi, Chintalamuni gudi and Gangamma gudi.

Mala Dasari Chinna Rangaswamy told The Hans India that the village is a homogenous dwelling place for the Mala Dasari community for generations. Marriages are conducted among the village members, no outside alliance is allowed, he said. He further said that some time back two Valmiki Boya community people came here and started living. But mysteriously they suffered from unknown diseases and left the village. It is the village for Mala Dasaries as we are under the protection, Chintalamuni and Nallareddy, added Rangasway.

Another villager, Mala Dasari Shankaramma has said that they prefer to sleep only on the floor of the house. The Use of cots is shunned by the villagers. She briefed that the village was under coercion by one land lord of nearby village Nalla Reddy. When Nalla Reddy was not given a cot as a dowry at the time of his marriage, he passed an oral ordinance to all the villagers not to sleep on cots, said Mala Dasari Shankaramma.

She further said that, and down the ages the custom is being followed. Even pregnant women have to sleep on the floor and deliver babies, said Shankaramma, adding, she said of late, some people are using piped cots but would never sleep on the coconut coir knitted ropes cot. She further said that even the school students would be offered lunch after it was first offered to the presiding gods. Almost all the villagers are basically farmers and agriculture labourers. The village is located on the hill top.