After seven hours of bumpy sweaty public bus travel, I arrive at Shimoga bus station around 11pm. "We're right behind you" he says, as two guys wearing white dhoti's and shawls approach me.
Tucked away on the outskirts of
Shimoga City, we arrive into a bustling village (
Mattur on wiki) that on first impressions seems very developed. Roads are block paved aligned with well-built houses and new cars parked outside. This is a traditional village with a difference. Apparently, it has given birth to more than 50 software engineers, most of whom had come back from the 6 hour journey to their new homes in India's silicone city, Bangalore (Bengaluru). I had been invited by my friend Raghu, who lives with his family in the UK and also the founders of the
Bharitya Vidya Bhavan - probably the most cultural centre for Indian traditional music and dance outside of India. Raghu had come for a week-long break to participate in two important festivals – Ratha Yatra (
Rathautsava), festival of the chariot and Holi (
Okli), festival of colours/harvest.
All men, at least for the entire duration of my stay (2 nights), were wearing traditional Brahmin dhoti's. Mattur and its sister village Hosahalli are famous for many reasons, however, most notably, is how alive they have kept ancient Hindu traditions. It is one of the few villages that speak Sanskrit as a day to day language and unsurprisingly, many of the older men are professors of Sanskrit. There is even a Sanskrit teaching institution which sees many foreign and non-Indian people come to stay and receive intense tuition. Wherever there is Sanskrit, no doubt you will find the Vedas – the original spiritual texts of Hinduism and India. Village elders refer to themselves as 'Vedic Scholars' and most of them speak equally well in English too. It was stunning to see this Orthodox Brahmin community practicing the faith in such an ancient way!
The first night was supposed to be a pre-cursor to the main Rath Yatra. As we arrived, there was a small chariot with Garuda (Bird-vehicle of Lord Vishnu) going around the village (conveniently formed in a square shape) and was apparently only half way at 11.30pm. Rath Yatra is a festival to celebrate when 'God' comes out to his devotees, who typically would be going to him. This occasion when God comes to your home is very auspicious and requires constant bhajans and dancing, to ensure the Lord is made welcome at each doorstep. The chariot would be pulled forward a few feet as a time, stopping at each and every house for a mini Vedic Puja. The excitement reached a climax as we neared the final destination of the central Temple and I notice my watch – it's 2.00am!
The next day, Raghu continues to shows me around this ancestral village, one that has been there home for the past 500 years. We visit many of his friends and relatives, visit some of their fields (Beetle Nut is the main crop) and an outstanding temple that his family members have constructed. It was very unique and had a forest-like feel for it, making it ever-so peaceful.
As it approaches noon, there is a build up of excitement around the temple – the main
Keshav-Laxmi Rath Yatra, with Lord Vishnu and his Consort are ready for their grand village tour. There is a huge crush of people as the massive wheels of the chariot begin turning – we run ahead to start singing and dancing with all the men, dressed in white and jubilant with praise for the Lord. The procession continued in the blistering heat for several hours before stopping for Lunch. The procession resumed again in the evening, this time with multicoloured lighting transforming the celestial vehicle. Lunch was in shifts, of which we made the final shift – eating lots of varieties of rice off banana leaves, before heading to the house for a nap. After a few hours of kip, we awake and Raghu shows me a few other sites of the village, including the River Tunga and the new BPO offices.
Around 8pm, the party starts up again as the chariot continues its journey to each home. As a result of the orthodox nature, each household conducts a very details ceremony – which can take some time when there are some hundred households to cover! It's a late one again, this time I'm feeling tired as I'm recovering from the previous nights dancing. We finish up around 3am and head to bed after some discussion on the way back.
Holi or 'Okli' as they call it here, was celebrated the following morning - with a special unit of guys preparing the colourful and fragrant ammunition - saffron (plus other herbal colours) water buckets. We go round the village once more approaching peoples homes to give them a share of the blessings! It was surprising how gracefully most of the older men would come out and accept the water that was about to be poured over their heads! (see below link for lots of photos).
I was very grateful to Raghu and his family for welcoming me into their homes and culture. It was truly a memorable experience and definitely one of the highlights of my time in India.
