Chennai: “Oru nool pottu varanga devadhi, ena edhu enuu keepala devadhi” (“The goddess is coming with a thread, will she inquire?”) echoed along the shores of Mamallapuram in the early hours of Thursday. More than 20,000 irula tribespeople from across Tamil Nadu had gathered near the Shore temple in the town for the Maasi Pournami festival, an annual celebration.
The irulas, an indigenous tribe, follow a matriarchal system and worship nature. “They were once dominant in Kancheepuram, and their leader was Kanniamma, who guided them. Due to wars, they were displaced. When they reached the Mamallapuram coast, they were attacked. Many young women ran into the sea and perished, while others fled to the hills of Jawadhu, Chiteri, Pachai Malai and Kalvarayan,” said Kandasamy Krishnan.
Over time, this history turned into folklore, with Kanniamma portrayed as a goddess who left in anger, merging into the sea. “Kanniamma is considered an embodiment of goddesses Maheswari, Vaishnavi, Brahmi, Varahi, Kaumari, Indirani and Chamundi. To worship her, seven steps are created in the sand where a cone represents her. A sacred thread is placed around the neck of a devotee who enters a trance. As Kanniamma descends upon them, the devotees rush into the sea, but we plead with them to return,” said S Rani, president of the irula tribal women society, who has been attending the festival in Mamallapuram since 1994.
The festival is observed on the full moon day of the Tamil month of Maasi, with irula families arriving a day in advance, setting up temporary shelters of palm leaves and cloth, and preparing meals with locally sourced ingredients. “We bring only rice. We collect crabs, fish and other food from the surroundings and cook together,” said Rani.
Kandasamy Krishnan, convenor of the national adivasi solidarity council, said maasimagam is one of the 27 stars in the astrological system. “The ‘makam’ star in the Maasi month usually falls on a full moon day and is considered highly auspicious in tribal culture, especially for the irulas,” he said.
“Every year, people from South Andhra Pradesh, North Tamil Nadu, Krishnagiri, and Salem gather on the seashore to pay obeisance to Kanniamma, the goddess they believe once guided them but later left them,” said K Selvi Kumar, secretary of the irular tribal womens welfare society.
The festival is also an occasion for weddings and other ceremonies. “Our community gathers by the seashore the night before, and rituals continue until early morning. We pass these traditions on to the younger generation. Though many are now employed elsewhere, they return for this event,” added Rani.