This is a story about Holika, an Asura and how her end was plotted with the help of the gods.

Holika’s death is celebrated as Holi. Her image is burnt to symbolise the end of her existence all over the country even today. In the same way in the southern State of Tamilnadu, they burn an image of Cupid or Kama. It is called the Kaman Pandigai or Kamavilas or Kama dahanam. An image of Kama and his consort Rati is painted and worshipped. The image of Kama is then burnt on the same day and hour as that of Holika.

Like Trees, Birds too have a strong association with Mythology in India. This endearing story of Bhima and the Blue-Throat, a beautiful little brown bird with a brilliant blue-coloured throat, describes how the bird got its unique blue patch.

Bhima lay down on the forest floor after a tiring day and a hearty meal. The joyous season of spring was breaking through the cold of the winter. Flowers bloomed. Birds chirped. Brooks babbled.

The story of Swaminathan and Swami Malai from the Tamil Kanda Puranam challenges one of the accepted relationship hierarchies of Hindu mythology, albeit in a manner that is typical to the region. Usually the father-son relationship is one of obedience – be it Rama and Dasarath, Yayati and Puru and Bheeshman and Shantanu – in Hindu Indian mythology. This story however has a twist.

Swami Malai is a small hillock near Kumbakonam, a small town in Tamil Nadu. The temple at Swami Malai is one of the six important temples associated with the cult of Murugan. This story forms the sthala purana of the temple.

Many aeons ago, during the twilight that intervened between the Dwapara and Kāli Yugas, all men and women including barbarians and other workers of sin obtained entrance to heaven by visiting the celebrated shrine of Someswara (Somnath in Gujarat). Sacrifices, ascetic practices, charitable gifts, and all the other prescribed ordinances ceased and men thronged only to the temple of Siva. The old and young, those skilled in the Vedas and those ignorant of them, ascended to heaven, until at length it became crowded to excess.

Indra and other Gods, scared and afflicted as they were overcome by men and were nearly expelled from heaven invoked Siva. “O Sankara! By your favour now heaven is crowded with men and we are almost expelled from it. These mortals wander wherever and however they please each exclaiming himself/herself as “am the greatest, am the greatest”. Yama, the lord of Dharma and keeper of their good and evil deeds looks astonished. The seven hells were intended for these mortal wanderers of heaven but by your grace, having visited your shrine their all sins remitted and they attained most excellent life!”

In early times, people were looking for guidance on how best to lead their lives and decided to seek the advice of none other than Lord Shiva in the matter. Consequently, a delegation was sent to Lord Shiva and they arrived to seek his help. Shiva was however very busy at that time and hence sent his mount Nandi, the bull, to answer the delegation. ‘Tell the people,’ says Shiva to Nandi, ‘Din mein ek baar khao, teen baar nahao’ (Eat once and bathe thrice daily).

Following his master’s instructions, Nandi proceeds towards the delegation. Afraid he will forget, he keeps repeating the instructions to himself, chanting them like a mantra.

‘Din mein, Ek Baar Khao, Teen Baar Nahao’ he repeats loudly.

‘Ek Baar Khao, Teen Baar Nahao’ he mutters as he trudges along. ‘Ek Baar Khao, Teen Baar Nahao, Ek Baar …, Teen Baar …,’ he goes on till he reaches the delegation, not realizing he has muddled up the crucial part of the instruction. ‘Listen Very Carefully Everybody!’ Nandi says to the people gathered. ‘Shiva has asked me to give you these instructions so you may lead a proper life!’ Nandi announces. ‘Din mein Ek Baar Nhao, Teen Baar Khao’ (Bathe once and eat thrice daily) he proclaims with contentment before sending the delegation off.

Delighted at having received instructions from Lord Shiva, the delegation returns home and dutifully follows the advice. Gradually, others adopt this way of living as they believe it had the divine sanction of the lord. People begin eating thrice a day and bathing once daily. This became a routine for people living everywhere. Eventually, due to this lifestyle, there is a severe shortage of food. Another delegation then visits Lord Shiva to ask him how to resolve the new problem they were facing. This time, Shiva listens to them patiently and realizes that Nandi was the cause of the problem.

‘You are responsible for this!’ Shiva admonishes Nandi. ‘Therefore, you will go and help these people grow the food they need!’ he curses the Bull. And from that time on, the Bull has been helping people grow their food. Domesticated for the purpose of agriculture, the Bull pays an eternal price for Nandi muddling things up!

Story told by: Dhiraj Vyas, current resident of Vile Parle in Mumbai. Mr Vyas is from Keshod in Junagad district of Saurashtra, Gujarat and says he has heard this story as a child.

Story collected by: Mallika Iyer

Location: Gujarat

Image source and credit: Trustees of British Museum

Why would a god turn his back to his devotees and show his hind side? I asked the man who was talking to me from other side of telephone.

“It is really hard to answer this question on the telephone”. Mumbled the man, who had introduced me as the Pujari of the shrine. “Why don’t you come here and attend the annual jatra and all your questions would be answered.”

Armed with an invitation I decided to travel 400 kms from Mumbai in deep interiors of Maharashtra. The god in question is called Darling ( pronounced as the-r-ling), an avatar of lord Shiva.* What intrigued me was I had never heard of god being worshipped by his hind side — “dhunganacha dev“** ( the arse god) as one villager lovingly described him.  Located 60 km from Pandharpur, this sleepy hamlet of Chal, in Maharashtra comes alive on full moon of Chaitra ( Chaitra Pournima) to celebrate the wedding of lord Darling with his wife Mitabai . The Jatra festivities lasts for three days.

As we proceeded towards the shrine in pitch darkness on a mud road– few glittering lights in distance and blaring  noises of loudspeaker was the only visible signs of a temple activity. When we approached the temple we could see people had started arriving in groups.

The belief is- once the three-day celebrations are over, shrine is cleaned and locked. No humans beings, that includes the Pujari of the temple should stay or stray around the shrine. Else, bhutas , who come visiting the lord devour living beings that come in their way. A large water pitcher and a basket full of puran polis( a local preparation of sweet roti) are left for the bhutas( spirits) who then take over the premise after devotees leave.

After the wedding celebrations were over I gathered few village elders to solve the mystery of god Darling’s posture. The answers were as intriguing and confusing as the question itself.

According to Datta Dnyandev Lokre a village elder – “ A rich man from the village had two wives.  Both women bore children at the same time. But younger wife got jealous and came to lord Darling and asked the god to ‘ take away’ the child of other wife. Darling was very pained by the request but he had to oblige her request since he never declines vows made to him. He took away the child but to show his displeasure he turned his back to his devotees.”

In another version of the legend, narrated by Shivaji Waghmode, a village head– “Once upon a time a local king Jethoba, ruled over Chal . There lived a daitya*** in his kingdom. Daitya would harass his subjects and would devour them time-to-time. Jethoba could not get rid of daitya as he was very powerful.  Jethoba, a devotee of Shiva did penance for 12 yrs. Finally, Shiva was pleased by his devotion and he asked Jethoba to ask for a boon. Jethoba narrated the woes of his subjects and terror the daitya has caused in his kingdom. He pleaded Shiva to get rid of daitya and bring peace in his kingdom. Shiva came to Chal riding on his horse. A fierce battle broke between Shiva and the daitya. At one point Shiva entered a dari (meaning abyss in Marathi) and disappeared . As Daitya followed him , Shiva attacked the daitya and killed him. To celebrated the invisible form of Shiva hiding in the abyss, locals venerate him only by his hind part that remained visible but rest of his body disappeared in the mountains. He is called by the name Dariling from then on”.

One of the office bearer’s of the shrine committee had the following version. When Mughals conquered this region locals enclosed the shrine by brick and mortar so that Muslims would not desecrate it. After many years when Muslim rulers were defeated and left the region villagers decided to open the shrine. But they had forgotten which was the front gate and the hind gate of the shrine. They opened the shrine from opposite end. And first thing they found or saw of the deity was the hind side. They have worshipped the god in that form since then.

But the most probable explanation seems to come from a woman devotee who told me this version. “There was a jatra of this deity. After jatra got over everyone left the premise as mentioned in the tradition of the shrine. Unfortunately one poor farmer women forgot her child in the temple premise, as she left the shrine is great hurry. Everyone left the premise and the priest left the shrine locking its door behind. God Darling was waiting for Bhutas to enter in when he heard the baby cry. He knew if Bhutas were to see this baby they would not hesitate to devour it. God quickly grabbed the baby and turned his back, hiding him from the gaze of bhutaganas. Next day the child was found in market place. When temple pujari doors were opened the temple shrine after bhutas had left, he found that their god has turned his back to them.

This tale coincides with the belief that lord Darling is the protector of children. It is believed that Darling responds to the call of people when they prey for progeny. And if their vow is fulfilled they bring their young ones in this temple. A ritual is conducted next day of the Jatra- where the main pujari of the shrine throws these young wards from the temple rooftop – into the hands of anxious parents waiting to grab them. Devotees believe that this ritual strengthens their faith in the god who ‘safely’ delivers their children to them.

* I was told that god Darling- an avatara of Shiva originates from Ujjain, that is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. Originally the sect belongs to three brothers all known as Darling dev. The elder brother settled at Chal , middle brother stayed at Ambegaon and the younger brother lived in Tarapur village .

** When I discussed the term ‘dhunganacha dev’ with the pujari , he refused to acknowledge such a term and said it would be derogatory to use such description for the god. I also noticed there was an attempt to rewrite the original history of the shrine, which was originally worshipped by hatkar and dhanagar class (shepherd caste).

***In Hinduism, the Daityas are a clan or race of Asura as are the Danavas. Daityas were the children of Diti and the sage Kashyapa. They were a race of giants who fought against the Devas because they were jealous of their Deva half-brothers. The female Daityas are described as wearing jewelry the size of boulders.

Story Collected By Vidya Kamat

Stories told by :Sudhaker Dnyandev Lokre, Shivaji Waghmode, Ratnaker Gaikewad, Ushabai Farad

Location : Chal, Maharashtra.

Image details: Image of lord Darling at Chal.

Image copyright: Vidya Kamat

At the tip of Indian subcontinent, where three mighty oceans – The Indian Ocean, Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal meet, lies the shrine of the virgin goddess or Kanyakumari . There are many legends that explain why the goddess has remained a virgin and here is one.

Banasura the asura, meditated upon Brahma for years. Pleased with his devotion, Brahma granted him a boon. Banasura asked that he be killed by no man in this universe, only a woman could bring about his end. The boon having been bestowed pleased Banasura no end and he promptly reported it to his preceptor Shukra. To his surprise Shukra reprimanded Banasura saying, “You fool! You should have asked for death only at the hands of a virgin. Virgins are rare on earth. Go back to Brahma and perform rigorous tapas and ask him to modify the boon. Be specific that only a virgin can kill you”.

Confused Banasura asked Shukra, “But why do you say virgins are rare?” Shukra replied, “This world constitutes of Shiva and Shakti. Neither can exist without each other and therefore, virgins are rare.” Convinced by the logic of the argument, Bana sought Brahma’s blessings one more time and was duly rewarded. With his newly acquired power, Banasura conquered the three worlds and started harassing sages and devas. Frustrated, the devas approached Vishnu, who suggested that they go to Parashakti, the mother goddess. It was in her power to solve their problems he said and so the sages began performing the required sacrifices to Parashakti.

Pleased, the goddess appeared before them in the form of a young girl. After listening to their problems she promised them deliverance from the demon. At the right time she would eliminate Banasura and restore peace on earth, she said. True to her word, she donned the form of a beautiful maiden and went to the southern-most edge of the world where she lay in wait for Banasura. In this form she came to be known as Kanyakumari, the virgin girl.

One day Shiva (in the form Suchindaram) happened to pass by and noticed her and the austere life that she was living. He instantaneously fell in love with her and expressed his wish to marry her. The goddess agreed and the marriage was fixed for an auspicious hour by midnight. Now Sage Narad heard the news and was alarmed because he realized that if the marriage took place then Kanyakumari would no longer remain a virgin and she would not be able to kill Banasura. He decided to take matters in his hands and went to Kanyakumari and told her that perhaps it was not Shiva who wanted to marry her, but Banasura in disguise. To verify his true identity, he told her that she should ask Shiva to bring three items that could not be obtained anywhere in the world: a coconut without eyes, a mango without a seed, and a betel leaf without veins. Kanyakumari did as asked but Shiva easily fulfilled her demands and the marriage was back on schedule.

A worried Narad decided to trick Shiva (Suchindaram) instead. As Shiva embarked on the journey to the bride’s home with his wedding party, Narada assumed the form of a cock and prematurely announced the arrival of dawn. Shiva-Suchindaram was distraught as he assumed that he had missed the auspicious hour. He turned back leaving an anxious Kanyakumari waiting for her groom in bridal clothes. When the sun came up and her groom had not arrived, the goddess threw a tantrum, kicking all the utensils and food items that were part of the marriage ceremony. In anger she cursed them to turn into pebbles and shells of the sea. And even today, you can find sand grains that resemble rice grains on the beaches of Kanyakumari. Heartbroken, the goddess vowed that she would remain a virgin till the day Shiva came to her as her groom.

News of the beauty of the goddess and her severe austerities soon reached Banasura. He sought her hand in marriage but she refused him. The demon decided to take her by force leading to a fierce battle between the two. In the end Banasura was killed by her discus. A dying Banasura asked for forgiveness and repented his adharmic actions and the goddess, in an act of compassion, proclaimed that the waters of the ocean would wash away all his sins.

Story collected by: Vidya kamat
Text Source: Tamil Temple Myths by David Dean Shulman
Location: Tamil Nadu

In a small village near Ujjire, Mangalore, there lived not more than a hundred families; all god-fearing, hardworking and simple people. Set between small hills and a few rivulets, the village was picturesque and a haven for the people who lived there. The village had a small temple that was looked after by a priest who was held in high esteem by the villagers. He was a pious man and would never eat until he had performed all the rituals twice daily, early morning before sunrise and after sunset.

One such day, just before the sunrise, a sadhu with a kamandalu (a small brass pot) filled with water from the Ganges, walked into this temple. The priest was pleased to see him and invited him to his house so that he could share a meal with his family. The sadhu accepted his invitation, but on one condition. He would not eat until he had prayed and performed all the attendant rituals in front of “lingam” with the sacred water that he had been carrying. Now the temple did not have a Shiva Lingam, but only a small figurine of a deity known to the villagers as the “the Protector of the Village”.

The priest was at a loss. He wept in front of the temple god and vowed to go without food until the sadhu’s wishes were fulfilled. Three days went by but the priest refused to get up for even a sip of water. The third day, just before sunrise, the priest opened his eyes to see a bright light emanating from the temple within which was a lingam. The sadhu was finally appeased and also highly impressed with the priest’s devotion. He blessed the priest and said that he would visit him every year to partake of the feast offered to the lingam.

Since then the village has been named “Dharmasthal” and every day at noon, the priest sets aside a portion of food prepared for the deity and the lingam after all his morning rituals. The practice continues till date and the food, it is said, disappears without fail, every day. None can explain this but some have said that a huge bird, resembling an eagle, visits this hill every noon to eat the offered food.

The devotees however strongly feel that the sadhu who visited the priest was Lord Shiva and that he is the one who comes every day, to keep his promise. And it is this faith that draws thousands of devotees here regularly. And, as per the high priest’s wishes (known as Hegde), free meals are offered to everybody who visits this place.

STORY COLLECTED BY: Anjali S. Pai Panandiker
STORY TOLD BY: Meera Balse
LOCATION: Karnataka
Artist . E. A. Rodrigues. From The complete pantheon comprising principal deities worshiped by the Natives of British India throughout Hindoostan
Image Source: wikipedia