Bengaluru:
A 3-hour drive from Bengaluru, also referred to as India’s Silicon Valley, a non-descript village hosts a particular ritual to please the rain gods. In Kari-Keyatanahalli, a part of Hassan district, the locals maintain the ritual for 9 days believing it brings rain and saves their crops.
The ninth day assumes significance. On at the present time, the villagers would costume up two of their youngsters as a bride and a groom to participate within the last ceremony.
Each are boys, normally, simply taking part in the roles as a part of the ritual. Anjan and Girish are those chosen this time for this process.
This ritual is organized on a necessity foundation – every time their ragi crop is sown, however the climate performs spoilsport. The shortage of rain poses an ideal menace to the crop and by giant their survival.
However the nine-day ritual, they imagine, takes care of the scenario. Confronted with such conditions, the villagers would conduct this particular prayer to invoke the rain gods to guard their crops.
This marks just one such custom handed on over generations throughout the nation to invoke showers. In Karnataka itself, there are a number of such practices, which embrace particular poojas of native deities in addition to symbolic acts of summoning rain.
One such custom practiced in Pavagada taluk of Tumakuru is the ‘jaldi’ ritual, the place the villagers imagine rolling away of rocks brings rain. The ritual additionally entails a procession of the village deity and a particular puja within the native pond.