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Farmers, washermen walk in mud with cattle, donkeys
Performing a strange but ancient ritual, farmers and washermen took out a procession along with their cattle and donkeys treading a muddy path all around the Goddess
- Ancient ritual is being practised by people for generations together with enthusiasm
- Message of the ritual is humankind progressed only with the domestication of animals
Kurnool: Performing a strange but ancient ritual, farmers and washermen took out a procession along with their cattle and donkeys treading a muddy path all around the Goddess Chowdeswari temple at Kallur village in Panyam constituency on Wednesday and Thursday. While the farmers held the procession on Ugadi day, the washermen did it on the next day of the Telugu New Year practicing a ritual.
The ritual is being practised by people for generations together. The people of Kurnool city celebrate the ritual with a lot of enthusiasm. They went round the temple in clay with their animals to fulfil their vows to the deity in their characteristic style. The ritual is unique to the city. The event held with participants taking part in it with merry. The message of the ritual is humankind progressed only with the domestication of animals. A clay track was laid all around the Chowdeswari temple.
On Thursday, washermen circumambulated the temple with donkeys often getting stuck in the clay. While some of the participants decorated the donkeys, some others tied them to their carts and took part in the event.
The procession is no inferior to Ganesh immersion procession. Walking in the clay is a difficult task. With people drawing loud cheers, the donkeys get terrified. Noticing the plight of the animals and their owners in walking through the clay, the enthusiastic people yelled. Thousands gathered at the temple to witness the event.
The ritual is a form of fulfiling their vows to the deity. Both farmers and washermen depend on rain for their livelihood. The Chowdeswari temple priest, Gopalaswamy, said that the ritual of going round the temple in clay dates back to at least 150 years.
D Harikishan
