Mangaluru: When non-violence is the need of the hour, here is a religious practice where four men should fight each other with a long stick. This ritual is called ‘Addana Pettu’ which is held during the annual fest of Mahavishnu Temple, located at Mandekolu village in Sullia taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. According to the belief, this ritual must be held during the annual fest of the temple or else, the villagers would fight among themselves and the village deprived of all essentials.
Usually, the annual fest (Jatrotsava) of Mandekolu Mahavishnu temple will be held in the month of April. The ‘Addana Pettu’ ritual is a centre of attraction in this fest. When the sounds of conch, drums and other musical instruments go high, four men wearing Khaki Bermuda, white turban and wielding long sticks (donne) and armour (gurani) start fighting. When one person tries to beat another with the long stick, he prevents the strike with his shield which is called as `Addan` in local language and it goes vice-versa. This fight goes for a minute and finally they stop when the `Ullakulu Daiva` (spirit enactor) intervenes.
As it is a part of a tradition, the four men participating in ‘Addana Pettu’ should be from the ‘Gowda’ community and they should follow some strict guidelines. Prior to this ritual, they should not consume non-vegetarian food and liquor, at least for a week. When the Nemotsava for `Ullakulu Daiva`is held, these four Gowda community men from four different areas namely Muroor, Bolugallu, Mavaji and Kenaje engage in fighting each other. The ‘Ullakulu Daiva’ intervening is a message that one should not fight for anything but live in peace and harmony.
The elderly people of this village recall that this `Addana Pettu` ritual was stopped for a few years owing to some reasons. But it resumed when the village started witnessing several problems.
There is also another belief among the folks that everyone from the village should be present during the annual Jathrotsava and witness this `Addana Pettu`ritual even though they may have relocated elsewhere, even abroad. The villagers believe that they would be blessed by their deity, only if they are present during the annual jathrotsava.
Ritual promotes peace
Jattappa Gowda, an elderly person from Mandekolu village told newskarnataka.com that this ritual or tradition should not be rejected citing the reason of blind belief. “Though this tradition appears completely out of date, it has its own meaning and values. The practice of `Addana Pettu` though starts with a dispute or quarrel between the villagers, it emphasises on peace between the people”, he says.
