Most of the myths associate goddess Renuka, mother of Parshuram suggest her role as a fertility goddess and is often symbolized in the form of a pot or ghata. However, Mala and Madiga communities of South Andhra see goddess Renuka in a different light and identify a peculiar kind of mushroom as her symbol. Whenever these mushrooms erupt over the soil they take it as a sign of the arrival of goddess Renuka, and celebrate it by singing the praises of her as a warrior goddess. These songs are sung by professional singers of the pambalavandlu community.

Renuka was the daughter of a mountain king (Shiva) and his wife Jamilika ( Parvati). She was married to sage Jamadgni who was known for his short tempered nature. Together they had a son by the name of Parshuram. Once a group of rakshasas attacked the mountain king and he ran and hid in a cave refusing to come out. When Renuka came to know of this she went to her husband Jamadagni, balancing seven pots containing rice and water on her head, to ask his permission to enter into the battlefield to kill the rakshasa. But Vishnu wanted to test her devotion towards her husband. He along with Narada, approached her in the form of a beggar while she was on her way to meet Jamadagni and begged for alms. Taking pity on the hungry beggars Renuka shared some grain and water with them. When Jamadagni came to know that part of his food was first shared with strangers he burned with anger and ordered his son Parshurama to behead his mother. Parshurama dutifully fulfilled his father’s command. But soon repented and chopped off his own hand in remorse for killing his own mother.

Who can forget the classic scene from Bollywood film Jane bhi do yaro when actor Om Puri enters the stage dressed as Bheema wearing aviator sunglasses and a mace across his shoulder, frantically pacing the stage? What unfolds then on is a theater of the absurd.

While depicting the epics , the folk theater utilizes exaggeration as a strategy and a technique to evoke contemporary themes. Stories that were never part of the written texts, were appended through impromptu performances in these folk theaters, to highlight any given contemporary issue. Popular mythologies thus used the contested space between the traditional and the colonial worldviews to change the landscape of Indian mythological narratives. The following episode noted in a folk performance from North Karnataka highlights the predicament of transgendered individuals .

(Click to listen to audio version of the story)

There are many narratives about Sita’s birth. Valmiki states that Janaka, king of Videha, is the foster father of Sita since he found her while ploughing the field. Appellations like Bhumija, Dharanisuta, Parthivi , suggest that Sita is the daughter of mother-earth and ‘not born from the womb’- ayonija. The question who is Sita’s biological father is mired in mystery.

However some folk narratives suggest Ravana fathered Sita, with his wife Mandodari. A folksong from the Dalit bards of Karnataka describe Ravana as father as well as ‘mother’ of Sita.

Not very long ago, there lived a Brahmin named Subramanyam Iyer in a small town called Thirukadaiyur in Tamil Nadu. His town had a famous Shiva temple where the presiding deity was Lord Amrithaghateswar and his consort, Goddess Abhirami (an avatar of Parvati).

Subramanyam was a regular visitor to the temple. He was deeply devoted to Goddess Abhirami. So intense was his faith that he saw the goddess in every woman and much to the discomfort and annoyance of the women in his town, he chased them around and showered them with flowers before prostrating at their feet at every given opportunity. Naturally then the women reacted in horror and anger and the town dismissed him as a lunatic.

 The mighty Bhima was passing through the jungle at Hemagiri one day when he heard a commotion. ‘The Jungle is usually a quiet and peaceful place!’ he said to himself. ‘I wonder what is going on here!’ he remarked before drawing himself closer to take a look. As he approached, he heard the trees having an argument.

‘What is the matter?’ Bhima asked one of the trees. ‘Why this ruckus?’

‘It’s a long story Bhima!’ said one of the trees.

‘Tell me the problem,’ said Bhima. ‘Perhaps I can help.’

‘You see,’ began the tree, ‘People have a king and government. There is someone to govern them, defend them and protect them. We trees have no king nor government. We need a king.’ The tree continued. ‘Hmmm…that’s interesting,’ mumbled Bhima. ‘So, what is the problem?’

‘But who ought to be made king? And how do we select a government?’ the tree asked. ‘Well…I can help you solve that problem!’ remarked Bhima. ‘But how? asked the trees in unison.

‘I will try pushing the trees one by one,’ Bhima suggested. ‘The tree that is able to withstand my force surely deserves to be King!’ he remarked. The trees thought that was a splendid idea and encouraged Bhima to begin his selection process immediately. Bhima pushed against one species of each tree to test its might. From Neem to Umbar and Kadamba to Palash, they all groaned and bent under Bhima’s strength, some of them falling over.

But three trees stood tall after having been put through Bhima’s stress test. They were the Tamarind, the Banyan and the Peepal. ‘What now?’ cried the trees. ‘We don’t have a winner! Surely, we can’t have three kings!’

‘Well…let’s go to Lord Brahma and ask him to solve this problem for us!’ suggested Bhima. The trees agreed and sent word to the Creator beseeching him to solve the puzzle. Lord Brahma considered the problem and came up with a unique solution. ‘I appoint Tamarind the King!’ Brahma proclaimed. The trees were puzzled and didn’t understand why Brahma had selected the Tamarind.

‘I appoint Banyan the Minister!’ said Brahma and this time laid bare his rationale. ‘For a king must have a resourceful minister. With its vast network of aerial roots, the Banyan can obtain information from every nook and corner of the earth. That is what a good minister is required to do!’

The trees swayed their branches in agreement. They knew the Banyan would make a wise and effective minister. ‘And I appoint Peepal as a Guard!’ announced Brahma. ‘Whenever the wind blows or a storm approaches, the Peepal shall stand guard and alert the others!’ Satisfied that they too now had an able government in place, the trees thanked Lord Brahma and Bhima for their able assistance. And hence it is that to this day, the leaves of the Peepal tree rustle loudly in the breeze, in deference to the wishes of the Creator.

This is one of the many legends and myths associated with the Peepal Tree. This story comes from a Muria tribal legend. The Murias are a tribe from the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.

Story Collected by: Mallika Iyer

Source : Brahma’s Hair; On the Mythology of Indian Plants, Maneka Gandhi with Yasmin Singh

Location: Chhattisgarh

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

The motif of immaculate conception is prominently associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. However in many tribal myths in India one finds a similar motif wherein their supreme god is conceived through immaculate conception.

Mythologies across the world often subscribe to such births as supernatural births often to justify godhood to their heroes. Here is such a tale from the Dhangar community belonging to Solapur district in rural Maharashtra. Dhangars are primarily pastoral people who tend livestock and are classified as a nomadic tribe.

There are five tribes in Wayanad. Long ago, each had its own culture, traditions and language. Then outsiders entered and slowly corrupted the tribal folk. The tribals began to brew liquor and work as wage labour. They became impoverished. Their self-respect and discipline vanished. Their children were selling liquor and drugs. They became ashamed of their background, their culture, of themselves. There is a legend which tells their story. 

There once was a prosperous era named Maveli, when everyone was equal. There were no lords and no slaves. King Mavelimantru ruled then. Three outsiders entered and killed Mavelimantru. They grabbed the land and broke up the tribes. They split the people into castes.

The lower castes became the slaves of the outsiders who now considered themselves as lords. The lords were known by different names such as Gounders, Chettiars, Nairs and Nambiars. The tribal slaves were forced to clear the thick and dense rainforests, cut the hill slopes to make paddy fields and grow crops for the masters. 

The l ords appointed a goddess named Mali * to watch over the activities of the tribal slaves. Mali’s watchful eyes followed the tribals everywhere. They lost their freedom altogether. Somehow, Melocharan (the first father) and Keeyaruthi (the first mother) managed to escape from the clutches of the lord. The legend describes them as ‘brother and sister above the hip, man and woman below the hip.’ They reached Pakkathapan where the goddess Mali caught up with them and cursed them with slavery both in life and after life as well. Melocharan was sent to work in the forest and Keeyaruthi in the kitchen.

One day Melocharan persuaded Keeyaruthi to come with him into the forest. But Keeyaruthi could not adjust with life in the forest. She became affected by the spell of modernity. She no longer wanted to drink from the natural springs but wanted water from the silver pond of Pakkathapan. They went to the silver pond. 

The water eluded her and she had to climb down the steps to reach it. Lower and lower she went till she reached the bottom, when the water rose suddenly and she was drowned. Melocharan could only grab her hair. In despair, he flung it on the ground. It became a grass called Maanippullu. 

Story collected by by John Thekkayam

Source (page 11): http://multiworldindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/baby-and-Sherly.pd

Location : Kerala

Image source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/a-king-and-his-tribe-how-the-mannans-of-kerala-are-struggling-to-preserve-age-old-tradition-4633351/

( image is only for illustration purpose )

Boom Boom Maattukkaarar* -is a nomadic tribe from the northern district of Tamil Nadu. Dressed in colourful clothes and singing praises of Lord Rama on their urumi maelam, a musical instrument , they beg for food in the name of the sacred bull they bring along wherever they go. They believe that once upon a time they were wealthy landowners who led a comfortable lives by farming their land. But Lord Rama put a curse on them, and from then on they have become wanderers, and beggars for life.

The sad tale of how it all came to be goes like this.

It seems, once upon a time the forefathers of Poovidaiyaans – (Boom Boom Maattukkaarar ) lived a peaceful settled life, by farming their land. But things turned sour when Lord Rama came to them as yaasakan ( beggar) and asked for food, and the Poovidaiyaans not knowing his real identity refused to offer any food to the hungry man.

The beggar did not budge and insisted on receiving some food as alms as he was very hungry. The Poovidaiyaans became adamant and refused to offer him food. The stand off in the form of arguments and counter arguments went on for a while. Finally, the beggar requested them to give him a portion of the grain from the coming harvest to save him from hunger and starvation.

The Poovidaiyaans promised him that they would give him half their yield, every harvest season. The beggar accepted the deal. As he was about to leave, Poovidaiyaans asked him whether he would prefer the mael mahasul ( upper part of the yield) or the keel mahasul ( lower part of the yield). The beggar said he preferred mael mahasul, the top part. The deal was sealed. And the beggar left promising to come next season to collect his share of grain when the harvest is ready for reaping.

That season, Poovidaiyaans cultivated their land and grew ground nuts. As promised, the beggar came to them during reaping season, to collect the assured portion of grain. Poovidaiyaans gave him the bundle of groundnut stems and leaves, telling him that it is the mael mahasul he had opted for. The beggar accepted the leaves with disappointment and looked on while Poovidaiyaans gleefully gathered the nuts. Poovidaiyaans rejoiced and congratulated themselves on their cleverness. When the beggar was about to leave, Poovidaiyaans again asked the same question- “ Which part of the crop you would like to have the coming season?”. The beggar thought for a while and said keel mahasul, the bottom part.

The next season Poovidaiyaans planted paddy. When the beggar arrived to collect his share, they kept the grain and gave him bottom part, the paddy straws and was cheated again by land holding Poovidaiyaans. The beggar became furious on the repeated humiliation and revealed his true identity. Only then did the Poovidaiyaans realize that the beggar was none other then Lord Rama.

Rama then cursed them to be nomads and suffer from hunger and starvation like he did. He gave them the suraikkudukkai ( bottle gourd) as their begging bowl. He also gave them a bull named after him and warned them that they should not cultivate the land ever again. That is how these rich land owners became penniless nomads.

Ever since, generations of Poovidaiyaans have been begging for food from door to door, singing the praises of lord Rama, accompanied by the sacred bull.

*Boom Boom Mattukaran or Adiyan or Poo Idayar are a group of nomadic tribal people found primarily in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the southern part of India. Historically they have made a living by traveling from place to place with a decorated bull, entertaining and fortune telling using what is generally termed a Boom Boom Ox. They are believed to have originated from Andhra Pradesh state and speak in Tamil intermixed with Telugu. Their traditional livelihood is no longer sustainable and they survive on begging and physical labour. ( Source Wikipedia)

————————————————————-

Story collected by : Vidya Kamat

Text Source: “ The Curse and Absolution: A study on the Role of Origin Myths among Nomads, with special reference to Boom Boom Maattukkaarar community”, by A. Dhananjayan

Indian Folklore research Journal – Vol 4, No 7, December 2007, pp 51-63

Location: Tamil Nadu

Image credit and copyright https://www.flickr.com/photos/lkamala/164082524