Onam
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Vamana Jayanti vis-à-vis Onam
[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Sangh-accused-of-twisting-Onam-myths-to-suit-15092016011032 Viju B, Sangh accused of twisting Onam myths to suit its Kerala agenda, Sep 15 2016 : The Times of India (Delhi)
BJP president Amit Shah wishing people Vamana Jayanti reflects a vested political agenda and an attempt to homogenise Hinduism disregarding local heterogeneous myths of Kerala, said historian K N Panikkar.
Shah's post caused a controversy as it came soon after a piece published in the Onam special issue of R S S mouthpiece Kesari cited the Srimad Bhagavatam to claim Onam was originally celebrated as Vamana Jayanti.
Panikkar said Onam and King Mahabali are part of a secular and egalitarian myth encompassing people of all castes and religions.
“It's a known fact that the R S S is using divisive methods to gain a foothold in Kerala. By appropriating Onam as an upper-caste Hindu festival, they are trying to divide votes along caste lines,“ he said. Panikkar said Kerala has long stood for plurality of religions and diverse voices.
“We had our own local myths that may or may not be part of other national myths. The beauty of Onam is that it speaks about a king who reigned over a just society . Denigrating the myth by superimposing it with Hindutva agenda to make political inroads is dangerous for the secular fabric,“ he said.
Rajan Gurukkal, social scientist and historian, said there are ancient scriptures that mention Vamana Jayanti and that it was celebrated by the Brahmin community .
“Vamana's birthday falls on the Thiruvonam as per Malayalam calendar. Later, myths like that of Mahabali must have been added to assert the brahminical hierarchy ,“ he said.
Gurukkal questioned the existence of King Mahabali. “It's possible that at a later stage King Mahabali got this subaltern image as the Dravidian underdog and Vamana became the brahminical deity . Onam, in due course, became a secular festival, removed of its feudal vestiges,“ he said. K T Ravi Varma, who penned the book `Mahabali: Myth and history of Onam', says there is no mention of Mahabali in Rigveda and it was a later addition.
“It seems as though the Bali myth came from outside and it was mentioned in Mahabharata. Bali, over course of time, became Maveli, the magnanimous king. Anyway , when Onam became a celebration as the return of King Maveli at least for a day, the myth finally came out of the four walls of the temple and became a popular festival,“ he observed in his book.
See also
Thrissur Pulikali (Tiger dance)
and also
