HETHAIAMMAN FESTIVAL.JEGATHALA ARUVANKADU THE NILGIRIS.BADUGA FESTIVAL

This festival celebrated for a period of eight days in the Badaga month of ‘Emmeti’ corresponding to the Gregorian month of December -January witnesses the largest congregation of Badagas for a social event. ‘Hethai Amman’ festival is celebrated around a deified person who represents the epitome of sacrifice. Goddess ‘Hethai Amman’ is the grama devata or tutelary deity of the Badagas. She is depicted in various forms-as a virgin in the temple at Bergani and Jagathala, as a married woman in the ‘Hethai Amman’ temples in the other villages. The Badagas also believe that the origin of the Badaga community was through ‘seven hettes’ and this is reflected in their incantations of the ‘Hethai Harrake’ or ‘Hethai’s blessings’. The image of ‘Hethai Amman’ represented the manifestation of God. Most of the ‘Hethais’ represented chaste hood by choosing death to widowhood. A few like Bergani and Jagathala ‘Hethais’chose death even when the ‘Iyya’ they were betrothed to died before the marriage. Some just vanished after the demise of their husbands.
All the ‘Hethai Amman’ being pastoral persons, the ‘staff’ used to guide the cattle is the religious symbol of ‘Hethai Amman’ and is called the ‘Hethai Dhadi’ or ‘Hethai Staff’. Families desiring to venerate ‘Hethai’ are provided w7ith a ‘staff’, which has been sanctified by the pujari at the ‘Hethai Manai’ and must be treated with religious purity while in their custody lest evil befall them. This ‘staff’ is handed over to successive generations and at all times it is venerated. Every year at the annual ‘Hethai Amman’ festival a person from the family that possess the ‘staff’ observes total abstinence from family life and lives the life of an ascetic fulfilling vow of ritual purification for a period of six weeks. These devotees are known as ‘Hethai Karu’ in the Badaga language. During this period the mind and body of the devotee is focused only towards devotion of ‘Hethai Amman’ and for the lay devotee blessings from the ‘Hethai Karu’ is considered very sacred. In the ‘Hethai Harrake’or ‘Hethai’s blessings’, which eulogises the immanent quality of ‘Hethai Amman’, the incantations are similar to the ‘Badaga Blessings’.
The Bergani ‘Hethai Amman’ festival sees the largest congregation of Badagas for a social event. Even while the ‘Amman’ worshipped is the youngest of the all the other ancestral goddesses - she attained ‘moksha’ while she was a ‘Kumari’ - she is considered to be the loftiest amongst all. All Badagas feel that to bow with devotion before the ‘sacred lamp’ called the ‘Dhodda Divige’ in the Badaga language at the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum of the ‘Hethai Manai’ or the abode of ‘Hethai Amman’ and pay a token amount called ‘Kannike’ in the Badaga language, ensures the benevolence and benediction of goddess ‘Hethai Amman’. It is imperative that the contribution placed by a devotee in the ‘Hethai Manai’ be of lower denomination coins-normally two twenty five paise coins-ensuring equality before ‘Hethai Amman’ by preventing individuals from publicly displaying their wealth by making large contributions. Further, many devotees fulfil their vows by donating for the ‘annadhanam’ or community feeding on the days of the festival.
A few of the persons amongst the ones who possess the ‘Hethai Dhadi’ perform divination through oracles and guide devotees on ‘prayachitham’ or ‘penance’ to overcome retribution due to their wrong acts. An important aspect of the adornment of goddess ‘Hethai Amman’ is the cloth she is draped with. This cloth is woven by a Chetty weaver, who is called ‘Maga chetty’ by the Badagas.The Chetty who hails from the region of Sirumugai, is a hereditary weaver of the cloth used for ‘Hethai Amman’. He is a person of high religious integrity and performs all the vows of purity followed by the Badagas who possess the ‘Hethai Amman’ staff. Now, the ‘Maga Manes’ also known as ‘Madi Mane’ (‘Weaving House’) is built in the vicinity of the ‘Hethai Manes’. The hereditary Chetty weaver sets up his loom in the ‘Maga Manai’ a week prior to the Hethai festival and weaves the cloth with seven stripes-representing the seven Hethais who founded the Badaga community. During this period the persons who possess the ‘Hethai Dhadi’ also stay with the Chetty in the ‘Madi Mane’. The cloth that is woven is then washed in a stream that was dedicated only for this purpose called the ‘Madi Halla’.
Even while worshipping ‘Shakthi’ is a pan Indian tradition in Hinduism, the Badagas believe that their ancestral goddess ‘Hethai Amman’ epitomises all the qualities of valour, wealth and knowledge seen in the Hindu female trinity of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati and is singly responsible for their fortunes.
It is of interest to note that from the Hethai Amman festival celebrated at Nedugulla, the date of origins of the celebrations of this festival can be inferred.#nilgiris#nature#shortstravel #shortsviral
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