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sm78
30 November 2011, 01:23 AM
I don't have any strong opinions on quirky rituals and customs in general, but they do justice to India's reputation in this field. You can say very little if the people are willing to roll on left-overs of others. Just a quirky bit of information.


http://www.deccanherald.com/content/208013/ban-made-snana-kukke-lifted.html

Ban on ‘made snana’ at Kukke liftedSubramanya (DK dist), Nov 28, DHNS
The district administration on Monday lifted the ban imposed on the controversial ‘made snana’ ritual, which involves devotees rolling over the food left over by Brahmins - in the belief that it would rid them of various ailments - at the Kukke Subramanya temple as part of the three-day Champashashti Jatrotsava.

The ban was lifted following protests by members of the Malekudiya community, who threatened not to construct the chariot for the Jatrotsava, if they are not allowed to undertake the ‘made snana’ ritual. More than 600 devotees later took part in the ritual.

The temple management had earlier banned the ritual, on the direction of the government, following opposition to the age-old practice. It had appealed to the devotees, through the media, not to undertake the ritual.

Sundar Bhat, the Puttur Assistant Commissioner and the temple administrative officer, held discussions with the devotees and later with the Deputy Commissioner, who directed that status quo be maintained.

Meanwhile, rumours spread that Brahmins would not be served food on the outer portion of the temple.

The devotees assembled at the office of the administrative officer and insisted that Brahmins should be served food there so that the ritual could be undertaken.

The devotees called up Religious Endowments Minister V S Acharya and appealed to him not to stop the practice unilaterally. Finally, the decision to maintain status quo was arrived at.

The administrative officer later announced that the practice would not be banned unilaterally and would take place as usual this year.

A solution would be found to end the controversy through ‘Ashtamangala Prashne,’ to be undertaken in future for the development of the pilgrimage centre, he said.

Eastern Mind
30 November 2011, 06:34 PM
Vannakkam: "Strange" is just subjective. I didn't fine this idea strange at all, but being a bit of a Murugan bhaktar, I'm more familiar with rolling as penance anyway. Rolling over food, walking on fire, kavadi ... walking for miles to a temple, fasting, etc. None of these come off as strange as eating the flesh of another creature, to me. Like I said, it's subjective.

Still, someone might find fascination with some of these articles. Obviously someone did, as it got published.

Aum Namasivaya

saidevo
30 November 2011, 07:42 PM
namaste.

Reliious rituals that seem strange and superstitious to commen sense are common across all the peoples in the world, as these links indicate:
http://listverse.com/2007/08/12/top-10-bizarre-traditions/
http://www.vagabondish.com/8-bizarre-rituals-world/
http://www.cracked.com/article_16502_the-5-creepiest-death-rituals-from-around-world.html

Although I personally don't have belief in rituals like the 'made snana', during my school days I have seen some devotees undertake it at our village in TamizhnADu, usually as a penance for some serious disease that was cured or for relief from a serious disease.

The occasion was the samArAdhana--honourary dinner, hosted at a private temple to the people of the village, where some devotees (who included brahmins) chose to roll over the left overs in the leaves, after the initial meal sessions that were hosted exclusively to brahmins.

I don't know if the devotees got their diseases cured, but the practice has long stopped in our village, chiefly as the next generation of brahmins abandoned their agrahArams--brahmin colonies, and moved over to urban areas for worldly employments.

sm78
30 November 2011, 10:25 PM
Vannakkam: "Strange" is just subjective. I didn't fine this idea strange at all, but being a bit of a Murugan bhaktar, I'm more familiar with rolling as penance anyway. Rolling over food, walking on fire, kavadi ... walking for miles to a temple, fasting, etc. None of these come off as strange as eating the flesh of another creature, to me. Like I said, it's subjective.

Still, someone might find fascination with some of these articles. Obviously someone did, as it got published.

Aum Namasivaya

It was not rolling over food per se, but rolling over left-over of brahmins by lower cast people that is rolling the eye balls. It is this I don't find particularly appealing and strange. Rolling, walking over fire, kavadi are essential south indian shaiva cultural aspects which also have spiritual dimension - that is not strange at all for me. But rolling over some one else's left over because he is a caste or two "higher" cannot be good. I could have called it simply caste oppression, but it was the "lower" caste people who demanded this to be restored (there has been some violence also). That I found strange. It is like slaves demanding to be flogged. That they have been made to be believed that getting abused by "higher" caste people is going to cure their problems is no excuse to support such traditions.