Mysuru: Knotty' Kodava ritual stuns all

Mysuru: It had all the trappings of a Kodava  wedding, followed by a procession of the many brides and bridegrooms and a big fat Kodava wedding lunch to wrap things up.

Only this was no real wedding and neither were the brides or bridegrooms what they appeared to be. The brides were actually boys dressed up and the bridegrooms were girls,  many younger than 10, playing the role, all in traditional Kodava costume.

The mass “wedding”  was  part of a ritual held in Birunaani village of Virajpet taluk in Kodagu district  by devotees of the Puththa Bhagavathi temple on Tuesday.  The ceremony saw mothers tying the mangalsuthras around the necks of the “brides”   as part of the “Pommangala” ritual which is held  here every year.

Many who have prayed for their children to be married or even for children of their own, should they be  childless,  participate in Pommangala once their wishes are fulfilled.

Unlike other temples, the Puththa Bhagavathi temple faces east. It is said that Goddess Bhagavathi could not find an ideal place to settle in and was all set to go to Kerala when she was stopped by Goddess Chamundeswari.  And so, the story goes, the temple at Birunaani was built facing east.