The Kerala (the Indian Malabar Spice Coast) festival of Onam hits its high point on September 16th. According to myth King Mahabali ruled and the songs acclaim that during his rule, “everybody was happy and everybody was equal”. There was no discrimination on the basis of caste. There was neither crime, nor corruption. People did not even lock their doors, as there were no thieves in that kingdom. There was no poverty, sorrow or disease
Looking at the growing popularity and fame of King Mahabali, the Gods became extremely concerned and jealous. They felt threatened about their own supremacy and began to think of a strategy to get rid of the king. The Gods sent Vishnu in the guise of a Brahmin boy/dwarf (Vaamana) who requests charity. "You need not give me anything great. It is enough if you give me that extend of land covered by three footsteps of mine". The generous Dalit king granted the wish. The shrewd Vaamana became huge as a giant immediately and with his mega foot measured the whole earth and the sky and asked the poor Dalit king where the next foot had to be measured. Mahabali understood that he was tricked and cheated so the Dalit king offered his head, which was the only space available. Huge Vishnu pressed his mega foot on his head and pressed him to `Paatal’ (the underground). From that time onwards Vishnu offered him a "parole", for good behaviour, once in every year to see his people in this region. This concession can be viewed as a psychological maneuvering that would effectively prevent the vengeance and potential upsurge by the down-trodden sections of the society against the ruling classes. And that is Onam festival!
It is a myth of how most of the adivasi lands and forests were taken over by the upper castes and the conquest of Aryans over the indigenous Dravidian peoples. It is a story of wanton treachery and shameless land-grab as we call it today. As far as Dalits and adivasis are concerned, Onam is a Black Day, the day their king was murdered, a day of mourning. But for the upper castes, it’s a happy day, a day to celebrate, the day their power was entrenched. With the murder of the most powerful king in the land, they had nothing left to fear. Having killed the king, they brought the natives, the tribes, into the lowest level of their caste system. They intoduced slavery.
When Maveli ruled the land,
All the people were equal.
And people were joyful and merry;
They were all free from harm.
There was neither anxiety nor sickness,
Deaths of children were unheard of,
There were no lies,
There was neither theft nor deceit,
And no one was false in speech either.
Measures and weights were right;
No one cheated or wronged his neighbor.
When Maveli ruled the land,
All the people formed one casteless races
Looking at the growing popularity and fame of King Mahabali, the Gods became extremely concerned and jealous. They felt threatened about their own supremacy and began to think of a strategy to get rid of the king. The Gods sent Vishnu in the guise of a Brahmin boy/dwarf (Vaamana) who requests charity. "You need not give me anything great. It is enough if you give me that extend of land covered by three footsteps of mine". The generous Dalit king granted the wish. The shrewd Vaamana became huge as a giant immediately and with his mega foot measured the whole earth and the sky and asked the poor Dalit king where the next foot had to be measured. Mahabali understood that he was tricked and cheated so the Dalit king offered his head, which was the only space available. Huge Vishnu pressed his mega foot on his head and pressed him to `Paatal’ (the underground). From that time onwards Vishnu offered him a "parole", for good behaviour, once in every year to see his people in this region. This concession can be viewed as a psychological maneuvering that would effectively prevent the vengeance and potential upsurge by the down-trodden sections of the society against the ruling classes. And that is Onam festival!
It is a myth of how most of the adivasi lands and forests were taken over by the upper castes and the conquest of Aryans over the indigenous Dravidian peoples. It is a story of wanton treachery and shameless land-grab as we call it today. As far as Dalits and adivasis are concerned, Onam is a Black Day, the day their king was murdered, a day of mourning. But for the upper castes, it’s a happy day, a day to celebrate, the day their power was entrenched. With the murder of the most powerful king in the land, they had nothing left to fear. Having killed the king, they brought the natives, the tribes, into the lowest level of their caste system. They intoduced slavery.
When Maveli ruled the land,
All the people were equal.
And people were joyful and merry;
They were all free from harm.
There was neither anxiety nor sickness,
Deaths of children were unheard of,
There were no lies,
There was neither theft nor deceit,
And no one was false in speech either.
Measures and weights were right;
No one cheated or wronged his neighbor.
When Maveli ruled the land,
All the people formed one casteless races
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