This year, madae snana, the ritual wherein devotees roll over leftover food, will be held tomorrow, regardless of disapproval by many.
Imagine this: Somebody’s leftover food smeared on your arms, torso and maybe even your face. Cringing? Yet, there are many who are clamouring for just this. In fact, it is a ritual and will take place in Mangalore on Wednesday.
Many devotees are eager to take part in Madae Snana, the ritual wherein they roll over the banana leaves on which upper-class Hindus have had their lunch at Kukke Subramanya temple in Mangalore. Ask Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Chennappa Gowda. Taking note of the objections to the practice—that it is unhygienic and promotes superstition, among others—he had decided to ban the ritual from this year.
“But there was an overwhelming demand from the devotees who said it was their wish to practice it,” he says. He adds that the devotees cited the right to freedom of expression, granted by the Constitution of the country, to be allowed to perform the ritual.
The devotees from Mumbai, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, Mysore, Bhopal and Delhi appealed to the DC to lift the ban and let them take the “holy Madae Snana”.
Liberals and revolutionaries are strictly against this practice. They term it not only unhygienic but also something that is below human dignity. They say it can be compared to the now-abolished practice wherein scavengers used to carry human excreta in a basket on their head. Shivaramu of Hindulida Vargagala Jagruta Balaga, Mysore, told DNA that the temple was tacitly supporting this practice by allowing it in the first place. He says his organisation has appealed to the temple swamiji and muzrai minister to stop this practice but their requests fell on deaf years.
He says they would now appeal to the state and national human rights commissions.
Temple says it’s voluntary
The temple swamiji, Vidyaprasanna Thirtha, says the temple does not force the ritual on anyone. Devotees take up the practice on their own accord. He adds that the temple does not organise this event but organises just the lunch for devotees. He says they do not collect any fees from people who take part in Madae Snana.
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