Urban legend: For succour, the metropolis goes back to its 'grama devatas'

An outbreak of plague that killed thousands in the 1890s changed the face of Bengaluru and pushed people to seek divine intervention. It was the beginning of the many Ooru Habba celebrations in the city. Now, plagued by a multiplicity of evils, Bengalureans are once again going back to their grama devatas, says Shravan Regret Iyer.

Up until the 1890s, Bengaluru – or, Bangalore – consisted of only two parts – the city that had developed around the old pete area, in the vicinity of the mud fort that Kempe Gowda had built in the 16th century, and the Civil and Military Station, or Cantonment area that the British had developed beginning in about 1809. Then, in 1898, an outbreak of plague changed all that.

As thousands died due to the epidemic – estimates vary from 3,500 to 12,000 people – Bengaluru began to change, and expand, as the rulers – both Mysore and the British – realized that the congested old areas combined with the lack of urban sanitation had led to the rapid spread of the plague.

A new building code, with mandatory sanitation facilities, came into effect, health officers were appointed, Victoria Hospital was inaugurated in 1900, the city was divided into four wards for better administration, telephone lines were drawn to coordinate the fight against plague, and the city itself expanded, especially into two new urban spaces – Basavanagudi and Malleswaram, which not only has come to symbolize the ‘original’ Bangalore, but even inspired R.K. Narayan to dream up Mal-Gudi Days. The new localities covered some one thousand acres each and populations of about 50,000 each.

Yet, the fear of the disease wouldn’t go away, and people began to look to the gods, more particularly goddesses -- village deities, or grama devatas – for succour. Thus were ‘born’ Plague Maramma in Basavanagudi, Circle Maramma in Malleswaram, and the like, and the village festivals, or ‘Ooru Habba’ tradition that continues to this day, as people seek health and happiness.

During the ‘Ooru Habba’ celebrations, women prepared lamps known as 'Tambittu Deepa,' made with a mixture of rice flour, cardamom, jaggery and coconut, depressed on the top to hold oil or ghee and a cotton wick, decorated with areca nut flowers on all sides. They would dress in traditional attire, light the lamps, chant prayers and seeking the blessing of the goddess. They would then go on procession, carrying the lamps, to the grama devata temple and perform Tambittu Deepa arathi to the deity there. After the arathi, the Tambittu would become prasadam for family and friends.

Thousands of people from the city and the surrounding villages, which have all by now been incorporated into the Benagluru of today, would participate in the procession and celebrations, as the idol of the goddess was taken round the temple, accompanied by music and, sometimes, dancing to the drum beats. In their original spirit, these were not just events that provided a break from the routine and merriment, but brought together the city in a collective prayer for people’s well-being.

Fast forward to 2016, Bengaluru is now spread across 800 square kilometers, and has nearly 200 wards, much modern technology and organization and, thankfully, no outbreak of plague in more than 100 years. Yet, there are new problems in the modern urban sprawl that is home to nearly one crore people, and a concrete jungle where trees and water bodies are disappearing rapidly. Outbreaks of dengue and other mosquito-transported diseases, albeit far less dangerous than the plague, have become routine affairs. Of course, in this new congested metropolis of ours, the biggest killers are road accidents. But unlike in the 1890s, there isn’t much space for the city and the people to expand into. Perhaps that’s why people are going back to the one remedy that’s still available to them – the grama devata and the ooru habba.

"We are seeing a resurgence of the Ooru Habba after a break of many years in the tradition, and an increase in the number of such celebrations. People are participating in large numbers. They seem eager to go back to their roots”, says Ramesh, head priest of the Plague Maramma temple in Basavanagudi.

And so, Ooru Habba is celebrated in several areas, including Yediyur in Jayanagar, Siddapura near Lalbagh, Patallamma Temple in Jayanagar, Karesandra in Banashankari, Sarakki in Puttenahalli, Byrasandra, Mavalli, etc., during Jyeshta Masa, May-June, extending to July. And the deity has many names, too -- Patallamma, Chowdeshwari, Maramma, Gangamma, Muthyalamma and many more, all considered various forms of goddess Parvathi.

The most recent Ooru Habba celebration was held on June 19 at Sadahalli, on the way to Kempegowda International Airport. Hundreds of people took part. While women had come with their own small Tambittu Deepa to offer pooja to goddess Chowdeshwari Devi, there was also a huge 90-kg Tambittu Deepa, embedded with hundreds of lamps.