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

Earlier this year I visited Nashik for work, and in the little time that I had, I decided to visit the Kala Ram Mandir, known for its black stone sculptures of Ram, Krishna and Sita. This area is famously known as Panchavati, the spot where Sita was abducted from, as described in the Ramayana. Nearby one can find the Sita-gumha—the caves where Sita lived during her stay here. In fact the root of the name Nashik lies in the ‘nose’ (nasika, in Sanskrit) of Surpanakha, which was cut off by Lakshmana.

But what I found most remarkable was what a local person pointed out to me: the river Godavari, which originates about 20 km away at Trimbakeshwar and flows west to east, twists slightly to the south at this point, making it a favourite place for casting away the bones of the dead and even conducting funeral ceremonies (shraddha). Ram is said to have performed his father’s funeral rites here. This twisting of a river is what makes a portion of a river sacred and transforms it into a pilgrim spot. Varanasi or Kashi, for example, is located at the spot where the Ganga that normally flows south, for a short distance, flows north.

It was in the late 18th century that Sardar Odhekar had a dream that led him to find the statues of Ram, Lakshman and Sita on the riverbed of the Godavati at the spot that we now call Ram Kund. He had this magnificent temple built. The temple is made of black stone, and is rather stark, when compared to the Trimbakehswara Shiva temple. There are a few carvings here: a makara to mark the drains, elephants to mark the four directions, with one of the elephants bearing a human, said to represent the artisans who died while building the temple, an enterprise that took nearly 12 years. The corridor along the outer periphery wall is lined with Islamic arches, reminding us of the close ties between Marathas and Mughals and Deccani Sultans in that period. But what is most remarkable is the story of human sacrifice (nara-bali) linked to the temple that I heard at dinner that evening.

The temple for Kala Ram was being built; the construction underway for many years seemed to never get over. There were numerous accidents and delays to the job. Finally, the astrologers and oracles were consulted. They advised, smaller temples of Hanuman and Ganesha and Dattatreya had to be built within the temple complex. And a human sacrifice was demanded! The idea terrified the locals. It was an obsolete practice. And blood sacrifice in a Vaishnavite shrine? Who would agree to it? To their surprise a member of the Nath-panth agreed. The name of this Nath-jogi is in all probability Ganesha-nath.

Who are the Naths? They are a band of wandering celibate mendicants who follow the guru tradition, and have their own unique mythology. The group traces its origins to Dattatreya, the first guru, the son of Atri and Anasuya, who is said to be the embodiment of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Their most famous leader, traced to 10th century AD, though believed to be even older, is Matsyendrath and his student Gorakhnath, who overshadowed his master. Typically, the Naths speak of nine leaders. Kanif-nath, Gahini-nath, Jalendra-nath, Chaurangi-nath and Bhartri-nath are among them and so are the famous 13th century poet-saint Gyaneshwara, or Gyana-nath, and his elder brother, Nivritti-nath. The Naths are nomadic and are identified as ‘split-ear’ (kan-patha) jogis, who wear a special type of earring made of rhinoceros skin. They carry pincers (chimta), fire (dhuni), dress in saffron or ochre, smear themselves with ash, and bedeck themselves with strings of the rudraksha seed. They chant, ‘Alakh Niranjan!’ referring to the nirguna form of the divine, and whenever they meet other members of the Nath-panth, they say, ‘Adesh!’ which declares their belief that the jiva, atma and param-atma are the same. Some identify themselves as Shaivites, tracing the roots to Lakulesh-nath of the Pashupata sect. Others identify themselves as Vaishnavites, with the nine naths being identified as avatars of nava-Narayana.

Ganesh-Nath’s head was cut and buried in the chowk before the temple which is now called Naga chowk, though it really means Nath chowk. His body was buried within the temple walls and a small shrine to the Nath jogi was erected there. We can still see it near the entrance. Every 12 years, when kumbha-mela is held in Nashik, over a thousand members of the Nath order take residence in the Kala Ram Mandir. It is handed over to them for a month, out of gratitude for the sacrifice of one of their own which made the temple possible. In this month a hearth, akhanda dhuni, is maintained and all jogis from around India, from various akharas and mathas, present themselves and declare their identity, in keeping with the old tradition of keeping muster and to inform others that their master’s lineage is still thriving. Not much is known about the Nath-panth. There are very few books about their history, traditions, stories, symbols and rituals. There is an air of mystery around them and orally transmitted stories such as these make them seem exotic and enigmatic.

Is the story true? A good mythologist will never bother to answer this question. For what matters truly is what locals believe to be true: subjective truth, which is myth, always true for the insider, and false for the outsider, proof notwithstanding.

Story collected by: Devdutt Pattanaik
Location: Maharashtra

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

The dark monstrous creature had swallowed all the moisture from the atmosphere. Every drop of water he sucked from the air, his formless body,  that swell like a dragon- serpent, twirling and twisting against the bright sky. Asura- Vritra – had captured the heavens.

People on the earth began to die, as draught like conditions prevailed over earth. As people suffered for want of water, Asura- Vritra’s pleasure grew no bounds. He hissed in joy and rolled in the sky with malicious laughter resounding thunder. He would spew mist and shower hails to frighten the people, who ran helter-skelter with fear . Further, he would create chaos by suddenly darkening the sky by hiding the Sun behind his monstrous dark body. Asura Vritra was out to destroy the world.

Frightened and scared of Asura Vritra, people began to pray to Gods but none could help. Asura- Vritra was far more powerful than the Gods. Finally, Gods approached Indra- the bravest of all the King, to save the people from ultimate death and destruction.

Indra, son of Dyava and Prithvi, was bravest and a fearless warrior of his time. He ruled over the mid region or Atmospheric region. He rode on a chariot of four horses specially designed by Rhubhus, that moved faster than lightning. Indra was a tall man, with a muscular body, with four arms and golden coloured hair. But many believed he was also a shape shifter. His long flowing beard would often ruffle in breeze as he zoomed past in his chariot. He was addicted to drinking Soma- the elixir that gave him the strength to fight wars. But his greatest strength was his magical weapon – a thunderbolt made of hardest material called Vajra .

Accepting the God’s plea to save the earth, Indra challenged the Asura Vritra in battle. As they engaged in a battle – the whole universe trembled. Asura Vritra attacked Indra by crackling thunders and snorting mist. In return Indra threw his thunderbolt at Asura, lightening the whole sky. The battle went on for days. People on earth watched the battle with awe and fear. Finally Indra smote Asura Vritra in a fatal strike with his bolt that pierced him in his back.

Asrura Vritra cried out in a final thunder, as waters came gushing out his body and fell on the earth. Water from sky soon started flowing in streams and rivers. People on earth rejoiced with glee. They bowed before Indra . Indra had saved the mankind from extinction by rescuing the waters from Asura-Vritra. Men praised him and Gods crowned him as the King of the Gods. He was called “Vritrahan”- the killer of Vrita”

This is how ancient seers from Vedic period described the phenomena of ‘ rain ‘ in Rigveda. It is one of the most recounted tales and an important myth from Veda. Lot of rituals are constructed around this tale. A belief- still believed around India that God send us rains.

Story collected by : Vidya Kamat

Source: RV. I.32.5

Location : Pan India

This is a temple tale from Madurai which explains how Minakshi the supreme goddess of Madurai fell in love with Lord Shiva.
The King of Madurai was childless and was distraught worrying about his successor to the throne. After much deliberation his priests advised him to perform one hundred horse sacrifices (asvamedha-s ) to gain highest spiritual merit or punya which would enable him attain a son as heir to the throne.
When he had completed successfully the ninety ninth sacrifice, Indra the Lord of heavens got alarmed. As he knew the hundredth sacrifice would dislodge him from his position of ruler of heavens, Indra appeared before the King and told him to perform instead the sacrifice of putra kameshti to obtain a son. The King took the advice and offered the sacrifice as per the rules, but to the amazement of all, a girl with a three breasts was born.
The King was troubled as he wondered how a girl with three breasts would carry on his legacy and rule the land? . Just then, a voice from the heaven advised him“ Oh pious King do not worry. Bring her up like a son. Teach her all the skills that are expected of a prince. When she meets the appropriate suitor, her third breast would disappear.”
Reassured by divine voice, the king named her Minakshi as she had the most beautiful eyes, like a pair of fish (mina= fish. aska= eyes). He brought her up like a son and taught her all the skills of a warrior. When the king died she ascended to the thrown. Minakshi- the princess was a fierce warrior and enemies feared her valor . No king could match her brevity and skills in war. Soon she set out to conquer the world.
In no time her army reached Kailasa and confronted the armies of Shiva. Shiva’s army were no match to Minakshi’s troops and began to loose the battle. Finally Shiva took to the battle field. A fierce battle broke out and Minakshi and Shiva came face to face. The moment she saw Shiva, she was transfixed and fell in love with the man before her. As the heavenly voice had predicted her third breast disappeared and Minakshi was overcome with modesty, innocence and shyness. The king’s advisor who had accompanied Minakshi immediately recognized that the prediction had come true. He approached Minakshi and said “Princess ! This man is your bridegroom” and explained to her the story of her birth.
Princess took Shiva to Madurai and married him in a grand ceremony. There Shiva reigned as Cuntarapantiya and ruled the land.

Story collected by : Vidya Kamat
Text source: Tamil Temple Myths, by David Dean Shulman, Princeton University, 1980
Location: Tamil Nadu
Image Details: Goddess Minakshi .
“Painting of the goddess Minaksi. She is depicted crowned, two-armed and with a green parrot perching on her right hand. An impression of perspective is provided by a lightly sketched in foreground. On-laid European paper watermark shows an armorial design and the letters ‘W T’.”
Artist : unknown
Image Source: Wikipedia

The incident of Shabari in the epic Rāmāyana which I have chosen to illustrate here occurs during the course of the 14 years of Rama’s exile to the forest. Shabari, a tribal, Bhil woman, has been a devotee of Rāma over a number of years. In her heart, Rāma is constantly present and her most ardent desire is to meet him someday in person. Now, she is old, her hair is all white, but her devotion to Rāma is as young as ever.

One day, she hears that Rāma is likely to pass through the village where she lives. And this excites her no end. She can neither eat, drink nor sleep. Her mind is effused with the thought that she will finally see the delight of her soul, her beloved Rāma. She turns into a bundle of eager anticipation. Suddenly it strikes her that when Rāma truly does come, what in the world will she offer him? She would certainly want to welcome him with some offering, but what? She neither has wealth nor possessions and nothing that would be worthy of being offered to, Rāma. Just then her eyes fall on the ripe, juicy berries hanging on the tree before her and she is inspired! She runs to the trees and begins plucking the fruit. But, what if they are sour, her mind whispers. What if appearances are deceptive and they turn out to be rotten from the inside? That would never do! And she begins to bite into and taste each berry. She throws the ones not fit to be offered and keeps aside the ones which are as sweet and pure as nectar. Now she is at peace—she can now be sure that when Rāma partakes of her offering he will receive the best there is!

And Rāma comes. She offers him the half-bitten and from our point of view, infected and soiled berries. It does not take long for Rāma to see through these half-eaten berries straight to the intention of Shabari. He realises the essence of her offering: Shabari’s total absorption in her devotion to himself. And he begins to savour them, one by one, with great relish. Laxmana is shocked. He is outraged with Shabari’s effrontery and then to witness Rāma enjoying the fruits with such relish!. Rāma then enlightens him, makes him see the ‘bhāva’, the sentiment behind Shabari’s action and clears Laxmana’s confusion.

Comment: The intention of the poet seer behind this little episode is to create an appropriate body, or form through words, sound, rhythm and meter; a form which is capable of carrying the intended content and reaching it to the depths of the listener. The content, if we summarize it, is the nature of the devotion which pervades Shabari’s state of being, the oneness in body, mind and spirit which she has been able to achieve with Rāma. She no longer sees her own self and that of Rāma as separate, they have overlapped. No discrimination or distinction remains, no boundaries divide into I and You. And because this has happened, the only way for her to be absolutely sure of the worthiness of her offering is to taste the fruits herself. The nature of the content is the nature of love, one of the manifestations of love.

Location: Pan India
Story collected by: Bharti Kapadia
Story told by: Grandmother
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Devotee Sabari offering fruits to Lord Rama (Statues at Simhachalam, Andhra Pradesh)

Near Madurai in Tamil Nadu, at the foothills of a mountain called Samanar Malai by the people who live there is a village called Nagamalai. The mountain is called thus because it houses many Jain caves and Samanar means Jain in Tamil. At the top of the mountain was a temple of Ayyanar Karuppannachami.

When the British ruled India, so the story goes, there was an army general who would regularly visit the famous Meenakshi temple of Madurai and insult the goddess. (There is no record of what he did that but there is unanimity in the belief that he did insult her.) This was unbearable for Karuppannachami. So every time the general made his way to the temple, he would knock him off his horse. Disturbed at this, the general consulted an astrologer who told him that this was being done by none other than Karuppanna Chami of Samanar Malai.

On the astrologer’s advice, the general whose name has been lost to history, brought Karuppannachami from the mountain and consecrated him near the Ayyanar temple in Nagamalai. No sooner than he did this, the problem disappeared. And a grateful general donated large amounts of land to the people who helped him do that.

Before bringing down Karuppannachami from the mountain, the Brahmins used to worship at the Ayyanar temple but afterwards the task was entrusted to the Velars. These people had to come through thick forest to reach this temple from their village Vilacheri and they believed that while walking to the temple from their villages and back, Karuppaannachami accompanied them in the form of a bear for their protection. The Velars gratefully named their children “Samanar Malai Karadi (The bear of the Jain mountain).
The village of Nagamalai however had other problems too. It along with its neighboring village of Keezh kuil kudi lay in a barren area. Famine forced its people to go to other villages for jobs. Two residents of these villages went to Karumathur and worked as priests at the Moonu Sami temple. After the famine when they were about to return , The gods Virumappa Chami and Kasi Mayan of Karumathur asked them to take one fist of mud from their temples to their villages. They took the mud and consecrated temples for these Gods near Karuppannachami of their village. They also consecrated Kazhuvanathan, Karuppayi Amman , Irulappan , Changili Karuppannachami etc as security gods.

Contributor’s bio.
P.R. Ramachander is a retired scientist. Apart from biometrics , he is interested in astrology, translating ancient scriptures to English, Hindu culture, and Story telling.

The mystery of death is one of the deepest mysteries that concern the human mind. This is especially true when parents have to mourn the death of their children. When a young life is snatched away brutally in an act of war the questions of death seemed more pertinent and real. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas experienced a similar dilemma when they lost young Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, who was killed brutally by enemy soldiers. Watching the battered body of Abhimanyu, the eldest of Pandava brothers Dharmaraja Yudhishthira could not contain his sorrow and pain and went into a state of deep shock. To console him Vyasa told him the following tale that explained how death is inevitable truth of this existence.
In the beginning of creation, Brahma created the universe. But the universe kept growing and never ceased to end. Frustrated and dejected Brahma got angry and wrath came out his body in the form of fire. The fire spread quickly and started consuming whatever came its way destroying Brahma’s creation. When the fire became uncontainable Rudra approached Brahma and asked him to restrain his wrath, otherwise the universe would be destroyed in no time. Brahma paid heed and began to absorb the fire back into his body. As the fire began to re-enter Brahma’s body a young woman was born from his limbs. She was dark in colour, with yellow eyes and blood red mouth. Her tongue popped out. Brahma named her “Mrutyu”(death) and told her that she would be the cause of death and destruction in this universe. This woman was not at all happy with the task given to her and she began to weep.
As the tears rolled down her cheeks Brahma gathered them in his palms. He tried to console her but still insisted that she should conduct her duty of destruction. Unhappy but bound by Brahma’s orders; Mrutyu went to Dhenuka Ashram and began to perform severe penance. Brahma appeared before her and asked her the reason for her harsh penance. Mrutyu reiterated her request: she did not want to be the cause of pain and sorrow to people on earth. Brahma finally agreed to set her free from the cruel task, but told her, ‘Tears I gathered from your eyes will turn into diseases and will weaken people and eventually kill them. But O’ Mrutyu! You should not hold yourself responsible for their death. Because Death is a necessity.’
Thus death was born.

Story collected by: Vidya Kamat
Textual source: Drona Parvan Adhyaya 53 & 54 also see
Dange, S. A., Legends in the Mahabharata, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi,1969.
Location: Pan India, Tales from Mahabharata

A long time ago, man, tiger, and god/spirit came into existence through a miraculous union between the already existing first woman and the clouds of the sky. All life on earth which includes beings in the animal kingdom, humans and spirits, originated from this union.
In the very beginning, there was a lone woman. She was the first woman and was called Dziiliamosiiro, which roughly means the “purest water” or ‘crystal clear water’. One day, at a place called Makriifii or Makhel, which is the present Mao Naga country, she was sleeping under a Banyan tree with her legs spread wide open. Suddenly, a column of white clouds descended and enveloped Dziiliamosiiro. There was conjugal relationship between the white cloud and Dziiliamosiiro as she slept. Some droplets fell from this white cloud into her genitals, and she became pregnant.
It led to her conceiving and giving birth to three children, namely Okhe (which literally means ‘tiger’ representing the whole of animal kingdom), Orah (literally meaning ‘god’ or spirit, representing the entire supernatural world) and Omei (literally meaning ‘mankind’), in that order, with Okhe as the eldest and Omei the youngest.
The mother taught her three sons. By the time the three children became adults; their mother Dziiliamosiiro was quite old and sick. So, the three brothers took turns to look after their ailing mother. When Tiger looked after her, he used to touch the mother’s body to identify the fleshy, good body parts which he would eat after her death. The mother would then become more ill with anxiety, and her worry intensified. During the turn of God/Spirit, Dziiliamosiiro would become more feverish and develop acute headaches when the other brothers went to till the fields. The mother relaxed and felt at ease, only when Man looked after her, because he tended to his mother with great care and concern. For, with his capacity for emotion, Man loved his mother the most and the woman constantly longed for Man to nurse her.
Before their mother’s death, there was a dispute between the brothers as to who should inherit her land. When the quarrels became more frequent and threatened to result in violence, the mother decided that something had to be done. So she devised a contest. She created a ball-shaped grass bale at a distance and told the three brothers to race for it. The one who touched the round grass bale first would inherit the mothers’ land. Man being the youngest and a good person, Dziiliamosiiro secretly instructed him that he should make a bow and arrow, and shoot at the grass bale, as she knew that he could not compete in strength with the other two. Man, following his mother’s instructions, succeeded in reaching the grass target first by firing the arrow and thus inherited his mother’s land.
Dziiliamosiiro then instructed the unhappy Tiger and God/Spirit to go to the thick jungles and to the far south (Kashiipii), respectively, after she died. Providentially, Dziiliamosiiro breathed her last on the day when Man was looking after her. Man quickly buried Dziiliamosiiro’s dead body under the hearth of the kitchen, as advised by his mother, before Tiger and God/Spirit came back from the field.
When they came back, Tiger demanded that Man show him where their mother was buried. Man refused, and Tiger began scraping off the mud wherever he suspected the body had been hidden, but was unable to find it. Together they all wept for their lost mother. Then, they sat down to discuss what they would do now, as their mother was no more. They came to the conclusion that they should all go to the respective places as had been directed by their mother.
But, when the time came for their departure, God and Tiger were hesitant to leave. They continued to remain at home with Man. They began quarrelling once again for the native home. Finally they decided to have another contest. The one who first saw the rising sun would dwell in the native land. The following day, they sat in a line watching for the first sign of the rising sun. Tiger and God were looking intently to the east, while Man was looking to the west. Man saw the sunlight drape the snow clad peaks of the mountains before anyone could see the sun rise. Thus, Man won the contest.
God reluctantly went away. Tiger though supposed to leave as well, remained at home with Man. But Man wanted to get rid of Tiger. One day, he asked Tiger what scared him the most. Tiger answered that fire and thunder’s sound were the most fearsome. Man tied a bamboo cup and a piece of a torn mat on Tiger’s tail, while he was fast asleep. He then brought a buffalo horn near Tiger’s ear and blew it with his might. On hearing the deafening sound Tiger woke up and ran out. The cup and torn mat tied to the tail made a huge racket as Tiger ran here and there, scared. Finally, Tiger ran away to the jungle.
Thus, the three brothers parted ways forever and Man, the youngest son, became Dziiliamosiiro’s inheritor, as she had wished. But, Man still recalls his relationship with his brothers and worships nature through rituals. (This story has other versions too which you can read here)
STORY COLLECTED BY: Deepam Chatterjee
LOCATION: Manipur
TEXT SOURCE:
1. The Myths of Naga Origin By R.B. Thohe Pou
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Naga
3. The Mao Naga Tribe of Manipur: A Demographic Anthropological Study By Lorho Mary Maheo
4. The origin of Tiger, Spirit and Humankind: A Mao Naga Myth by Dr. X.P. Mao
5. THE ANGAMI NAGAS With Some Notes on Neighbouring Tribes J. P. Hutton
6. Folktales of India, edited by Brenda E. F. Beck, Peter J. Claus, Praphulladatta Goswami, Jawaharlal Handoo
7. http://www.iwgia.org/iwgia_files_publications_files/naga
8. The Kingship System of the Mao Naga by Chachei
9. TRADITION AND TRANSITION OF MAO NAGA: A STUDY ON THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT by Komuha Jajuo and Tarun Bikash Sukai
10. Various oral narratives, songs, lectures and seminar proceedings

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of heaven, Shiva wanted to build a magnificent palace for himself and Parvati. He approached Vishvakarma, the god who is worshipped in many parts of the country as the divine architect, divine carpenter and the god of all arts and crafts.
Shiva knew that there was none except Vishvakarma who could do the job. He had built Indra’s grand palace, Vijayanta; the Pushpak Ratha (chariot) for Kubera and the idol of Lord Jagannath in Puri. He had introduced the science of mechanics and architecture to the gods and had created something of renown in every yuga — in Sat Yuga he built Swarga, in Treta Yuga he built Lanka and in Dwapar Yuga he built Dwarka, the residence of Krishna. He is also believed to have given all gods their names and their ornaments. His name means omnificent – one whose powers of creation are unlimited. In the Rig Veda, Vishvakarma is also known as Tvastar where the marriage of his daughter (Saranyu) to the sun god Surya is described. (RV10.17). He is also said to have sacrificed himself to himself in the Sarvamedha Yagna which was performed for the evolution of the visible world.
At Shiva’s request, Vishvakarma set to work on a palace fit for the divine couple. He spent a lot of time planning and conceptualizing the structure. After all it had to be large; it had to be full of grand structures, planned streets and gardens and; it had to be home to the most exquisite crafts. Vishvakarma used the most lustrous metals and materials at his disposal and he built a palace in a city and a city in a palace and called it Lanka.
Shiva was ecstatic and invited his disciple Ravana to perform the inaugural ceremony. Ravana readily agreed and pleased with his devotee’s actions, Shiva asked him to name the gift he would like to have in return. Smitten by the dazzle of Lanka, Ravana asked for the city as his gift. And thus he came to inhabit the palace that was once meant for Shiva.
Vishvakarma is also said to have given the gods their weapons. The story goes thus: He had a daughter named Sanjna/Saranyu whom he gave in marriage to the Sun god Surya. Sanjna was unable to bear the harsh rays of Surya and appealed to her father for help. Vishvakarma decided to reduce the dazzle of Surya and put him on his lathe machine and cut off his brilliance by one eighth. Fragments of the sun’s rays fell on earth and out of the fiery bits, Vishvakarma created the Sudarshan Chakra for Vishnu, the Trident for Shiva, Kubera’s weapons and Kartikeya’s Lance. Vishvakarma also created Indra’s weapon Vajra (thunderbolt) out of the bones of Dadhichi. Apart from Sanjna Vishvakarma fathered Nala the monkey who possessed some of his father’s skills and built a bridge by floating stones on the sea for Rama and his troops.
In Bengal, Vishvakarma Puja is celebrated on the 17 September every year. The occasion heralds the arrival of the festive season in Bengal, commencing with Durga Puja followed by Lakshmi Puja and Kali Puja /Diwali. As the presiding deity of all crafts, Vishvakarma is worshipped by engineers, architects, ironsmiths and all artisans and craftsmen. Tools used to ply a trade, machines and implements and other things that are used to build, create or produce a good are worshipped on this day. In Kolkata you can see cars adorned with marigold garlands as owners propitiate the engines that power their vehicles. The idol of Vishvakarma is modelled with four hands in each of which he carries a book, a noose, a water-pot and tools. However the deity is said to have faces hands and feet in all directions with which he created the heaven and the earth.
Vishvakarma Puja coincides with “ranna puja” or cooking festival in Bengal which is widely celebrated in the villages and peri-urban areas. On the day preceding the Puja, the kitchen is scrupulously cleaned up, the clay oven is built anew, and new earthen pots are purchased in which multifarious dishes are cooked including different variety of sweets. While the cleaning is done throughout the day by the womenfolk, the cooking is done through the night after fasting during the day. The cooking must be done after a bath. The next morning the oven is not to be lit. The clay oven is worshipped and Puja is offered to the Snake Goddess Manasa. The food cooked during the previous night is offered in Puja. Neighbours and relatives are invited to have the food which must be served cold.
There is a rationale behind the scrupulous cleaning of the kitchen and the clay oven. The monsoon months cause extensive flooding in the villages with water entering the mud houses and snakes sometimes slithering into the houses and coiling up near the warm oven. The cleaning up of the kitchen thus forms an important activity for the safety of the house and therein lies the significance of trying to propitiate Ma Manasa. On the day of the Puja the people in West Bengal also participate in a kite flying festival. Until some years back the kite flying was held on a grand scale with folks of all age groups participating in competitions in different parts of the city. The celebrations have been much scaled down over the years with high rises having taken the place of rooftops of single / double storied buildings and life getting busier and difficult for people.

STORY COLLECTED BY: Sumitra Sen
TEXT SOURCE: Indian Mythology by Veronica Ions, Pouranik Avidhan by Sudhir Chandra Sarkar, Rig Veda
STORY TOLD BY: Inputs for this story came from Sita, Anjali and several others who have worked in my house in Kolkata over the last 39 years