The villagers of Nellidadi Guttu have resorted to the option of acquiring mass support for their demand to restore the land of their `Daivas’, which has been obtained by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) since 2006 for developing ‘Mangalore Special Economic Zone’.

Every Indian, because of the great success of the cinema, have watched & enjoyed the movie ‘Kantara’, which is why, at least on a cinematic level, they are aware of ‘Daiva Aradhane’ and the significance of ‘Daivas’ for the people of Tulu descent. Since everyone has now, through the cinema, at least had an acquaintance of the Tulu culture & their ‘Daivas’, the villagers are expecting a mass support for their demand to revive their Jumaadi temple.

What is the case of Mangalore’s Nellidadi Guttu?

The village of Nellidadi Guttu that is believed to have a legacy of almost 800 years is being wiped out for establishing big businesses. As mentioned earlier, the villagers of Nellidadi Guttu are now seeking widespread public support to reclaim the land of their ‘Daivas’, which was acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) in 2006 for the development of the Mangalore Special Economic Zone.

As soon as the land was acquired by the KIADB, the entire village was emptied to begin with the establishment of Mangalore SEZ. After realising their helplessness to reclaim their lost homes, all that these villagers have been requesting for is the restoration of the temple of their Goddess and are hopeful that their goddess’s temple remains untouched by the developers and that their culture remains protected.

The villagers have submitted a petition to the central and state governments in this regard. The plight of the villagers from Nellidadi Guttu has been considerably overlooked ever since 2006, as reports regarding the issue are fewer. However, in recent times major support from social media influencers from across Mangalore is being seen.

What have the villagers shared with the media so far?

"In the case of Nellidadigut, the Deity is on one side and the holy well is on the other. The 198 Tirtha wells are as sacred as the deity. Even if the Deity is moved, the well cannot be moved. Therefore, the government should consider the demand of Nellidadigut by calling it a special case."

According to a report from Vijay Kannada, during a meeting held to negotiate the relocation of 22 houses in Nellidadi Guttu, the Mangalore SEZ Company had assured that the Deity’s rituals—such as daily flower offering, Sankramana, Diwali, Chauthi, Ashtami, Mari Utsav, Bandi Utsav, Chavadi Nema, and rites in case of a family member’s passing—would be permitted. A similar resolution was reached in a meeting chaired by the District Collector in December 2016.

Following this agreement, the villagers of Nellidadi Guttu informed MSEZ officials and proceeded to the temple for worship. However, when they submitted a formal request on February 12th to perform the Sankrama Seva, MSEZ officials responded that this would be the last instance of worship and that no further religious activities would be allowed in the coming days.

It also seems that the farmers in the region have earlier suggested that the Government must think of improving agricultural activities in the region and declare it "special agriculture zone."

Tuluvas & their culture

Whatever primary source was accessible to study the Tuluvas & their culture was either written by a Tuluva himself or else largely by the British. The Tuluvas that represent such minor ethnic groups restricted to a place on the west coast of the country were studied in detail by the British. It should be noted that this particular phenomena of historic British documentation with a typical western approach has quite often formed the foundation of distorted narratives for several groups.

The Tuluvas, or Tulu people, are an ethno-linguistic and ethno-cultural community from Southern India, primarily speaking the Tulu language. Their traditional homeland, known as Tulu Nadu, encompasses the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka, along with parts of Kasaragod district in Kerala. The region's commercial center is Mangalore, Karnataka.

The Tulunadu region has a unique and deeply rooted spiritual tradition centered around the worship of ‘Daivas’ (divine spirits) & Bhutas (guardian spirits) such as the Kordabbu, Jumadi (Dhoomavati), Panjurli, Guliga, and Kalkuda. The region follows Bhuta Kola, which was largely observed in the movie Kantara. It is a sacred ritualistic folk performance where trained oracles, known as Paddanas, embody the spirits and convey divine messages to the community. ‘Daivasthanas’ (shrines dedicated to these spirits) are found across villages, serving as cultural and religious centers, where these Bhuta-Koalas are performed annually. The place of worship that was discussed earlier from Nellidadi Guttu is a ‘Daivasthana’.

Singing of the Tulu folk narrative poems is the distinguishing feature of the spirit worship or spirit possession and these narrative songs are called pāddana or pārdana.

In the Preface to Burnell’s book, R. C Temple gives a list of 28 Tulu Padannas (folk narrative poems) as found in Burnell’s manuscripts

The legend of ‘Jumaadi’

 

 

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