News Karnataka
Tuesday, February 11 2025
Mysuru

Youth splash cowdung in unique celebration at Gumatapura

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NewsKarnataka-Chamarajanagar

Chamarajanagar: The people residing in Gumatapura village that comes under Talavadi gram panchayat of Tamil Nadu celebrated a unique traditional practice of splashing cowdung over each other.

The practice has come down from generations together which they celebrate on the following day of Balipadyami every year during Deepavali.  Accordingly, it was held in the same spirit this year too.

The youth of the village splashed the cowdung over each other,while a few of them rolled on the mounds of cowdung.  The youth of different communities partake in this unique celebration to foster community bond in the society.  Thousands of people from nearby villages also arrived to witness the celebrations.

A youngster while seated on a donkey was taken in procession through the main streets.  The youth was named as informer, by sticking moustaches and beard made out of dry grass and taken in a procession from the lake of village till the Bireswar temple.  He was abused with vulgar words.  He removed the moustaches and beard and placed on the heap of cow dung and offered puja to the temple deity Bireswar, when the splashing of cow dung began among each other.

Earlier, the people of the village carried cowdung from their homes and poured near the temple.  The children offered puja with the oil that they brought from their homes.  They worshiped deity Karappa in the temple nearby.

The youth played by splashing cowdung over each other, while a few rolled in the mound.  An effigy of a man was set ablaze in a nearby hill after this unique celebration.  All those youth who participated in splashing of cowdung bathed in the lake and returned home.

Background of celebration:

A laborer was employed in the household of a landlord in Gumatapura village.  He passed away all of a sudden, while his belongings were dumped in the mound of cowdung in his household.  The days passed when the landlord was passing through the spot in his bullock-cart, the belongings stuck its wheel.  The landlord notices blood tickling from Shiv Ling nearby.  The landlord had a dream that night, while the god instructed him to build a temple to get relief and to celebrate this unique celebration every year during Deepavali festival.  The landlord built a temple for deity Beerappa and the celebration goes on every year, says the village elder.    

Its significant that 6 British tourists who arrived at the location, captured the shots of splashing cowdung among each other, a youngster mounted on a donkey etc.

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