Karnataka: Marriage of dolls, donkeys and frogs for manna from heaven

Hubballi: Close on the heels of homas conducted by the state government, several villages in North Karnataka are witnessing religious activities to appease the rain god though the region has received some pre-monsoon showers.

Farmers are seeking divine intervention after cleaning and leveling their fields for sowing operations as several districts have received less than 10 per cent of the normal rainfall in June. Gadag, Haveri and Dharwad districts are worst affected as the ground water level has receded considerably owing to recurring drought since the last few years. Therefore, they are performing several rituals including marriage of donkeys and frogs apart from pinning hopes on the timely arrival of the monsoon as predicted by the Met department. People of Bevur village in Bagalkot taluk have performed marriage of dolls as the scarcity of rainfall even after the first week of June has left them anxious. The villagers have decorated the two dolls with new clothes and flowers. Hundreds of people  had taken part in the wedding and a priest has solemnized the ceremony by chanting prayers according to Hindu rituals.

The rental price of donkeys increases during these days as the wedding of the animals is a common scene everywhere in rural areas to appease the rain god. “We conduct marriage of dolls every year in the event of failure of the monsoon as we believe that the rain god will bless us and protect farmers. We celebrate the event with grandeur and distribute marriage invitations to everyone in adjacent villages on this occasion. We incur more than Rs 40,000 for the rituals as we have to make arrangements for food  for the guests", said Bevur Gram Panchayat member Eshappa Junjawadagi.

The people of every household offer a pot of water to the Goddess for five Tuesdays before taking up sowing operations to invoke the rain god. They have also performed a popular tradition called 'Udi Tumbuvadu' by offering saree, coconut, betelnut and leaf to the Goddess. The villagers believe that this will rid them of diseases and will also bring prosperity to the village. There is a tradition among the rural folk to stop cooking for a few days and perform pooja to the village tanks.