Take an extra long bath, put on your prettiest mundum neriyathum, look forward to some Kaikottakali and smile brightly– Mahabali is coming home, and we don’t want him to know we are forlorn without him.
What’s that you say? You have no idea what I’m talking about? Fret not, almost no one ever does. The tale of Onam and Kerala’s most beloved King is available for your edification, below.
The story goes that the beautiful state of Kerala was once ruled by an Asura (demon) king, Mahabali. The King was greatly respected in his kingdom and was considered to be wise, judicious and extremely generous. It is said that Kerala witnessed its golden era in the reign of King Mahabali. Everybody was happy in the kingdom, there was no discrimination on the basis of caste or class. Rich and poor were equally treated. 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 in the reign of King Mahabali and everybody was happy and content.
It may be noted Mahabali was the son of Veerochana and grandson of Prahlad, the devout son of demon King Hiranyakashyap. Mahabali had a son called Bana, who became a legendary king in his own right and became popular as Banraj in central Assam. Mahabali belonged to the Asura (demon) dynasty but was an ardent worshiper of Lord Vishnu. His bravery and strength of character earned him the title of “Mahabali Chakravathy” or Mahabali – the King of Kings.
Looking at the growing popularity and fame of King Mahabali, 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 dilemma.
It was said Mahabali was very generous and charitable. Whenever anybody approached him for help or requested for anything he always granted. To test the King, Lord Vishnu disguised himself as a dwarf and a poor Brahmin called Vamana. He came to the Kingdom of Mahabali, just after Mahabali performed his morning prayers and was preparing to grant boons to Brahmins.
Disguised as Vamana, Vishnu said he was a poor Brahmin and asked for a piece of land. The generous King said, he could have as much land as he wanted. The Brahmin said that he just wanted as much land as could be covered by his three steps. The King was surprised to hear but agreed.
A learned adviser of the King, Shukracharya sensed that Vamana was not an ordinary person and warned the King against making the promise. But, the generous King replied that it would be a sin for a King to back on his words and asked the Brahmin to take the land. The King could not imagine that the dwarf Brahmin was Lord Vishnu himself.
Just as King Mahabali agreed to grant the land, Vamana began to expand and eventually increased himself to the size of cosmic proportions. With his first step the Brahmin boy covered the whole of earth and with the other step he covered the whole of the skies. He then asked King Mahabali where is the space for him to keep his third foot.
The King realised that he was no ordinary Brahmin and his third step will destroy the earth. Mahabali with folded hands bowed before Vamana and asked him to place his last step on his head so that he could keep the promise. The Brahmin placed his foot on the head of the King, which pushed him to patala, the nether world. There the King requested the Brahmin to reveal his true identity. Lord Vishnu then appeared before the King in his person. The Lord told the King that he came to test him and the King won the test. King Mahabali was pleased to see his lord. Lord Vishnu also granted a boon to the King.
The King was so much attached with his Kingdom and people that he requested that he be allowed to visit Kerala once in a year. Lord Vishnu was moved by the Kings nobility and was pleased to grant the wish. He also blessed the King and said even after losing all his worldly possessions, the King would always be loved by Lord Vishnu and his people.
It is the day of the visit of King Mahabali to Kerala that is celebrated as Onam every year. The festival is celebrated as a tribute to the sacrifice of King Mahabali. Every year people make elaborate preparations to welcome their King whom they affectionately call Onathappan. They wish to please the spirit of their King by depicting that his people are happy and wish him well. [link]
I love that story. Whenever I hear or read it, I am thrilled that I was born a Malayalee. Since I’ve never seen a “proper” Onam, I’m thinking about going to Kerala next year (first visit since ’89!), to witness the fabulosity up-close– who’s in? Everyone should see Vellamkali once during their life, right? Chingam 2008: meetup in Alleppey, a.k.a. The “Venice” of the East, y’all! ๐
happy onan to you too. i dont think ive ever seen this holiday.
Happy Onam Anna. We celebrated Onam by drawing kolams at our front door and decorating with flowers. No sadya though. Thanks for sharing the tale behind Onam. I knew it was about the return of Mahabali but did not know the whole story.
Can’t resist…
Puli, you know I heart you ๐
hmm….im sure the holiday isnt all THAT interesting.
Nice picture.
Happy Onam Anna.
Think snake boat races.
Why you gotta hate? Don’t be dissin’ my peeps, mang! You started it, with your typo. ๐
ANNA and all mallus out there,
Wish you a very Happy Onam .
I’m sad that summer is ending but happy that the “festival season ” is around the corner…
So the king passed the test and got sent to hell? Someone make an lsat/mcat/gmat joke…
Onam was the one big holiday I did get to see when I was in TRV. I recall lots of lights and groovy paper lanterns, and those flower mandalas on floors everywhere, including a huge corporate-sponsored one at the Nila building in Technopark.
Happy Oman to all the Mullas out there =)
imn ot saying its not intersting. im just saying, it probably doesnt involve umm…errr…never mind.
oh…this is the one with snake boat races. ive heard of this….
I don’t want to sound like the Grinch who stole Onam, so first of all – Happy Onam!!
It is quite amusing to see how a populace’s present day biases, maladies and region-centrism are extrapolated into the past using religious discourse.
In a communist-ruled state, it would be utopia for the “rich and poor to be treated alike“. People suffering from an utterly corrupt bureaucracy in the present would rightly long for Mahabali’s rule that was “free from corruption”. People unable to resolve the contradiction between failed communist states all over the world with the empty leftist sloganeering would not be able to resolve the contradition in the same paragraph – Rich and poor treated alike…there was no poverty in the kingdom. I mean, how can you not have poverty when there were poor people?!!
The story is well know all over India, especially among Vaishnavas. This is the only case where region centrism has crept in. “The story goes that the beautiful state of Kerala was once ruled by an Asura (demon) king, Mahabali“. Come on folks, the name Kerala itself was coined somewhere between 500AD and 1000AD when Malayalam broke from Tamil. The “state of kerala” is sixty years old. The story is thousands, perhaps tens of thousands years old (depending on whose version of history you want to believe).
Sorry for the digression. Can’t resist commenting on contradictions when I see one. Even when the contradictions result in colorful festivals, foods and dresses.
M. Nam
is this the biggest holiday in kerela?
do christians in kerela celebrate this given that it involves vishnu?
Hi all, reader for a few months, first post though. Happy Onam, wish I was back in palakkad..wasnt bad though, made some neychor and Mutton stew.
Yes. Which is why it is especially hurtful when Hindu people disrespect Christianity or think of us as “less than Indian”. Onam is for Malayalees, not followers of X religion.
do christians in kerela celebrate this given that it involves vishnu?
Yes, celebrated by Hindus, christians and muslims. Just not in theory, it really is.
happy onam, ANNA (et al.)!
that’s a lovely pookkalam. i would love to be in kerala for onam – it reminds me a lot of pongal/sankranti, because of the harvest, i suppose. is onam celebrated differently depending on religion – i mean do muslims, hindus, christians etc have slightly varying practises?
Happy Onam! Last year at this time, I was picking flower petals from my grandmother’s garden in Kerala and making my flower designs for my amama’s house – what a good time! I felt like I was 7 again doing my bit for the household. And I love the story as well. My grandmother sang the song for Onam, which tells the story of King Mahabali – I wish that I had recorded it. Anna, hope you get to go to Kerala for Onam next year!
this sounds like the hallelujah chorus. i think that uses the words “king of kings, forever, and ever hallelujah, hallelujah!” etc…
I think it’s way cool that the best ruler ever was an asura.
Demons rule!
hmm…how do christians reconcile the story involving vishnu and their belief in no other god but…
do they say that this is “cultural” and not “Religious”, or is there an alternative christian version of the story?
this reminds me of a mosque in ajmer where the muslim congregation cant go inside to pray untill the hindu priest opens the door.
MoorNam, I wonder if it’s safe to delve so deeply in to word choice, in this specific instance, since the quote I grabbed may not have been written by someone for whom English was a first or best language. When my Mother writes in English, she sometimes sounds just like that…hell, when some of us write in English, we’re not 100% conscious of redundant words, contradictions et al.
Beyond that, Onam was always told to me as if it were some extra awesome fairytale, “Once upon a time, in a land, far far away, there lived a Princess…”-etc. Fisking the “poor”/”poverty” contradiction feels like dissecting that line from every Disney tale.
Yes. Which is why it is especially hurtful when Hindu people disrespect Christianity or think of us as “less than Indian”. Onam is for Malayalees, not followers of X religion.
Anna, Have you experienced this in kerala? From my experience, Hindus are more willing to respect any other religion.
is that how the story is usually told?
that happens on fre@kin SM.
when i have kids, i want to teach them history in this way starting from a very early age. that way, when they get to school they will know a lot of $hit.
Happy Onam to one and all!
Speaking of snake boat races, that was one of the first potayto/potahto culture shock incidents I experienced when new to the US. I was explaining some common Indian festivals to a friend of mine here, and when describing Onam I said that there were snake boat races. First she didn’t hear “boat” (I used to talk fast those days) and she thought there would be some snakes racing each other to the finish line like some Indian version of greyhound races or something. After a dandy session of talking at cross-purposes, I got across that “no no, this is a snake BOAT race”, at which point she went totally wide-eyed. Too late I realized that she was imagining some sort of Harvard-Yale Regatta for snake participants. “No, no, the BOAT is snake-SHAPED!”. Phew!
Have any of you had the experience that when you’re describing, say, Diwali, and you say “fireworks” someone says “Oh, like the Fourth of July!”, then you say “eat good food” and they say “Oh, like Thanksgiving” and then you say “visit relatives” and they say “Oh, like Christmas” and finally everyone runs out of words to describe anything?
You know what? I wanted to put up something sweet, for both the Malayalee readers and lurkers as well as those who may be interested in what Onam is about, since to me, that is the best aspect of SM– the opportunity to teach and learn, express and listen.
I did not write this so that I could get interrogated about my personal life or my beliefs. I have received emails asking me about my hypocrisy in celebrating Onam, since I am “such a devout Christian” and all. It’s not right. I’m not saying that everyone who emailed me was rude, but it does feel like an intrustion or a bit of an attack and it’s bullshit.
What I love about Kerala is the sharing which occurs between religions, whether it’s Christians celebrating HINDU holidays or Hindus deciding to decorate their home for Christams. That sort of mutual respect is what the world needs more of, more than asking someone why they do something, as if this is some fucking debate tournament and you’re trying to impeach me. I get to celebrate whatever I want and I don’t have to explain that or justify it.
If ANYONE has tried to show, via this space, that Christians aren’t what many of you assume us to be, it’s me. I believe in tolerance and respect. I have never, ever, fucking said that I think Hindus are going to hell. I don’t judge or question others, I sure as hell don’t appreciate it when a few Hindu people try and judge me. I, least of any, deserve this shit.
You want an easy answer? IT’S CULTURAL, NOT RELIGIOUS.
You want a difficult answer? Once again, my participation in this website has resulted in tears. Thanks, everyone!
it was even more warped out when i had to describe dewali to my classmates in report form especially since we never really celebrated it.
sorry. i wasnt trying to criticize u. i am only trying to understand how this stuff works. please dont feel bad at my questions. i did not try to imply that you think someone is going to hell, etc. i wasnt asking for justification. i was just trying to learn more about how this holiday works. i have no exposure to it. again. sorry i made you feel bad.
A N N A, You haven’t been back since ’89?? You poor baby!
I’m an ABD, but I get so homesick that I start watching my grandmother’s Z TV shows after about 2 – 3 years of not going back. And I’ll even say yes to such anglicized Indian food as Heritage India crap.
That’s totally what I was picturing. Heh.
No, my friend. Never in Kerala or with Hindu Malayalees.
I have, however, experienced this on SM, as recently as this morning/last night, especially on the MT thread, which is the entire reason why I refused to comment on it, past a point. I don’t know what is in the air these days, but there are more and more hurtful comments about Christians and our dreaded “Abrahamic” religions on SM recently. There are not one, but TWO founding bloggers of SM who are Christian. At least out of courtesy from knowing that, you’d think people would be all, “huh…I’d be kind of a douche if I said something unreasonable about Christianity when Anna mods the site”, but no, of course not.
I pour my everything in to this website, I don’t deserve to be hurt because of it, and I knew that would be the end result of the MT thread, even though Abhi set up his post as a thoughtful comparison of religions, which ultimately showed what I believe so dearly– we have far more in common than we sometimes wish to admit to.
i hope i didnt make you feel like you were being drilled and interrogated. im actually fascinated by this kind of thing, so was asking a bunch of questions. please dont take my questions as some kind of angry attack.
On second thoughts, how come no TV channel has made this into a reality show? I mean, Fox has already done things like “Man vs Beast”, ABC made a fortune from “Funniest Home Videos” of dogs trying to sing (until Youtube put them out of business with their piano-playing cats), NBC and CBS with their Fear Factor and Survivor about which the less said the better. Snakes trying to row boats and race each other seems tame by comparison, while still being as wince-inducing as cockroach racing.
Yikes, sorry. I posted the last comment before reading the others. A N N A, I’m truly sorry that you’ve been hassled for your religious beliefs. I think part of the problem might be that those of us living in the US see a very dominant/intrusive/dogmatic/fundie side of Christianity (especially in its reach into policy that affects all of us), so there’s a very different attitude towards it than in India. It’s hard to remember that Christians (and many other religious people) have been the minority in India, and had to face many of the same issues we resent in other places.
Please know that you’ve definitely helped me see a nicer side of Christianity and eased some of my ingrained knee-jerk responses. Intolerance towards anyone is wrong, and if we mean what we say about equality, respect, believing in diversity, etc., it has to be true for everyone.
oh, ANNA, the naysayers are not worth the tears (yours, at least)! i was going to say that onam also reminded me of pongal in its cultural, rather than religious, aspect – i think it’s great that onam is the biggest festival of the year for all keralites.
aadarshini – z tv, really? j/k (sort of). i do that sometimes, too – even if the substance is crap, it’s nice to hear a familiar language or cultural element (with limits, of course). when i was taking hindi in college, there was a gap of one year and my hindi teacher recommended that i watch serials and even gave me the name of a specific one. little did i know, it was a huge, sappy soap opera, but since i was intent on bettering my hindi, i bought about 10 tapes and forced myself to watch. i think my IQ suffered, but the hindi skills definitely improved (and i also picked up a lot about hindu mythology and north indian culture).
coconut oil – did you mean that hindus are generally more tolerant of other religions than people of other faiths are?
hmm…wikipedia claims that onam is a “harvest festival”
I second that. Aadarshini, I think your comments are right on. Those of us who feel or have felt oppressed by the way some people practice Christianity in the US often have a knee-jerk reaction against it… I went through a militant religion-hating atheist phase at 17. Then I made friends in college with an Indian-American (half Mallu actually) converted Catholic and got a whole different spin on what religious belief can do for people. ANNA, your comments and posts do that for me as well, and though I’m an atheist I think it’s you and people like you who’ve made me look deeper and get past my own prejudices. I’m willing to bet there are others on here who feel the same way. We just might not be as vocal as some of the other folks.
[my-two-cents]
Here’s my part of the story and some additions to the tale.
Mahabali didn’t rule over Kerala but his kingdom extended from the Vindhyas to down south, i.e He ruled the southern part of India with his capital at where we have present Kerala. Thus all literature on the great king revolves around the area, and not the remaining of his kingdom. The reason the devas wanted to get him out of the way was not due to the fact that they were J(which might also be a reason), but because they feared that Bali’s rising popularity may tempt people into ‘asuraism'(caniBALIsm). Hence they prayed to the Lord for the safety of mankind.
This is what I heard as a kid, and is my granny’s version.
[/my-two-cents]
I think part of the problem might be that those of us living in the US see a very dominant/intrusive/dogmatic/fundie side of Christianity
It especially doesnt help when the spokesperson for the religion (as far as catholicism is concerened) makes statements like these:
“The peoples of Asia need Jesus Christ and his gospel. Asia is thirsting for the living water that Jesus alone can give” [link]
Kavalai padathae, kozhandai. I love that you want to know more and I didn’t mean to lash out at you. I’m just hurt that some people want to use me as proxy for their negativity towards Christians, when I try and show sincere respect to everyone; I write as many Sikhism-related posts as Amardeep and Ennis do.
I cry when I’m frustrated. Can’t help it, just who I am. Sometimes, doing this is exhausting and and a wee bit hazardous to my well-being. It sucks when you give something your all, and you get blind-sided for it.
I work with a group of Mallus here. They’re mostly Hindu, with 2 Muslims (but oddly, no Christians in the mix…weirdly unrepresented, but it’s a smallish sample-size, so not a totally atypical representation). Anyway, they got a kick out of my “Happy Onam” today, and we had a nice talk about what an inclusive holiday it is.
Not just tolerant, I have seen many Hindu homes in kerala (even here in US) where their pooja rooms share pictures of Hindu Gods as well Jesus. I will not claim this is true all over India or all malayalees, but mostly.
For calling Anna a hypocrit for celebrating Onam is really ignorance. Onam is celebrated by all equally in kerala and does not depend on religion. Myself being from an orthodox christian family, celebrated Onam in our family without fail.
Happy Onam everyone! I learned something new today with regards to Onam…pretty cool. =)
Aadarshini said:
I suffer from this as well and I’m not proud of it. I grew up in a conservative American town where I was judged by a lot of well-intentioned Christians (they were simply telling me what they were taught) and as a result I developed a very erroneous knee jerk defensiveness when it came to Christianity.
It’s not right though, and I’m slowly learning to open my eyes to those who think beyond the borders of the extremists I came across growing up.
Anna, I hope that I have not offended you with any of my comments. I must mention that most of my schooling in India was in Christian schools, so any snarky comments I may make is as much self-deprecatory humor as my jokes about (for instance) TamBrahmness or anything else that is/has been a large part of my life. I do apologize if I have caused offense to you or anyone else.
Speaking of self-deprecatory humor:
Big deal. People in Madras also did not lock their doors when I was little. The thieves used to steal the locks as well.