Daijiworld Media Network - Chamarajanagar (SP)

Chamarajanagar, Nov 18: 'Gore Habba' celebrated on the next day of Bali Padyama at Gumatapura in Talawadi taluk, Tamil Nadu near here involves the use of dung everywhere. Gumatapur is full of Kannadigas and this time, in spite of corona scare, people came out and celebrated this festival with care, and without breaking their traditions.

On the day of the festival, dung pooled from all the cattle sheds was brought by bullock carts and tractors and heaped near Lord Beereshwara temple in the village. Two persons with masks of hay and Naama on the forehead were taken in a procession duly seated on a donkey, all through the village. The two are called Kondakaras, to represent the people who in the past had lived here created enmity among the villagers by telling lies. The procession on the donkey resembles the punishment the liars got.

The villagers then jumped into the heap of dung and fought with mounds of dung. They celebrated by throwing big heaps of dung on one another for about two hours even as the viewers shouted in glee. It is said that fighting this way with dung cures the people of skin-related diseases. Those who take religious vows to appease Lord Beereshwara also join the procession. They believe that doing so will fulfil their pleas placed before the Lord.

It is said that the dung festival came to be celebrated after finding that a Lingam had emerged when digging a heap of dung. A temple reportedly was built at the spot.

Before the dung fight, a Dalit performs the first puja. People of all ages and castes join together and play here. People believe that organizing this festival brings peace and prosperity. It is played secularly and as a mark of unity. The people see god in the dung and thereby experience a sense of purity and divinity by playing in dung.