By Shobha Rao Smilemaker

Mar 12: Imagine a five hundred year old ancestral house, with 2 centre courtyards and 4 sides around them...Obviously this 8 cornered house was a treasure trove in those days, where villagers gathered to discuss almost all local issues. This explains the name of the family house as 'Yenmakaje' meaning 8 corners or 8 treasures. The senior members decisions regarding village matters were respected by all. They sought blessings at the nearby ancient Subraya temple at Katukukke and Mahalingeshwar temple at Bajakudlu too which have designated spirit worship shrines in the complex.

Spirit worship is different from worship of the temple Gods...the analogy given is that while Devaru or God is the doctor, the Daiva or spirit is the Compounder who ensures that God's blessings are carried out!

So in these fast changing times, when the joint family living has disintegrated and most of the next generation cousins live around the world, events like the annual ancient family tradition called spirit worship or Nemotsava is an opportunity to reunite the family members - Grandparents, Uncles, aunts, cousins, children all under one roof along with villagers, extended family and friends!

Here the spirits of the land are appeased with lots of pomp, splendour, paraphernalia, music, dance, art, decoration etc. The holy spirit enters the body of a designated person for sometime. Even the musicians, the assistants, the torch bearers, belong to the same particular designated families, that have continued the spirit worship traditions since generations!

The music, drum beats, the swirling, the energetic dance steps, the screams, the interactions in Tulu language with the head of the family, the relatives and the crowds all are done in a unique way and is truly an amazing spectacle to watch. Tender coconuts, vegetables , rice, betel leaves, arecanut, even poultry become an important part of the rituals. Eg. If the spirits throws betel leaves, arecanut and coconut on the floor , then even it's direction would give an answer to some of the questions.

These spirit worship rituals involve the union of all the village communities in one place, making it a true example of communal harmony.Villagers strongly believe that if these ancient rituals are discontinued due to any reason, the people involved would experience immense hardships in different areas of life.

Interestingly the formal invite for the 3 day event starting from 3rd March every year stated that it was from the family members of Vishwanatha Rai as well as from the villagers!

The first days program included the pratistapane rituals, bhajans from the Bedrampalla Ganesh Bhajana mandali and Hariseva for Lord Venkatramana of Tirupati in the evening.

And on the second day, around 3500 villagers turned up in tge afternoon for the nema ritual of the first daiva called Pilichamundi.

The devoted crowds gathered under the scorching sun, in the fields to watch the fully dressed Pilichamundi daiva, dance to the accompaniment of lively beats and mount the wooden Tiger on wheels. The procession made way to the home and I was mesmerized watching the live spirit talking in Tulu both to the family members and also to the faithful villagers who wanted an answer for their queries! And yes, every one of the 3500+ people who gathered around were treated to a sumptuous lunch. I wondered at the amount of logistical planning that must have gone to ensure that such a major event goes so smoothly.

The remaining daiva appeasement rituals were performed after sunset.
The comparatively simple looking Chelyethi daiva in the red saree was appeased to keep away evil influences and to protect the house from black magic.

Then came Satyadevata Kallurti daiva holding her flames, and even swallowing the flaming camphor bits that were placed on the tip of her tongue.

The crowds dwindled by late night, when the three Guligas came one after another dressed interestingly with palm fronds. These are considered that ganas of Lord Shiva and give protection to the land. There is a special vana erected for the guligas on top of a small hill on the family property.

There are 2 more daivas that are appeased called jaala korati for good harvests and Ballakulu korati that is symbolic of the Jain community from which this Shetty family is said to have descended.

And after dawn in the next morning the last daiva Rakteshwari even got the male members to walk on burning coal under her guidance!

Kerala follows the matriarchal lineage system where the property is inherited by the daughters of the family and it was a pleasure to see the present 86 year old matriarchal head of the family. However it is the male members who are in the spotlight for most decisive matters at such festive events.

A special mention must be made about the break in the rituals for 10 years from the year 1994, when a mysterious fire completely engulfed the old house in the evening hours. Till today the cause of the fire could not be analyzed as there was no burning lamp, no short circuit, no human present in the vicinity too. The ornaments and weapons of the spirit along with many other items made of pancha loha, silver, or gold got completely destroyed. Surprisingly the nine decorative earthen pots or 'moories' worshipped during spirit related rituals were fully intact. This was truly a miracle.

It was also an opportunity to redo every thing, all over again - the house, the furniture, the kitchen items and especially the festive ritual items. This was a 10 year long joint family initiative the first phase of which was completed in 2004 and all the related structural work got over in 2010 under the leadership of the sons of one of the daughters of the house - Sunil and Sudhir Kumar Shetty.

The masons, carpenters, goldsmith, jewellers, artisans etc. had to first be cleared during the questioning ritual by chief priest and appointed only after that procedure. The silver ornaments were made again by the descendant of the original jeweller.

Everything is a matter of belief and faith and such religious rituals go a long way in giving self confidence and reassurance to the devotees of the whole village, that things will go on smoothly!

As we drove home with a smile at the end of an unforgettable day, I felt blessed to experience the Sthana Chaitanya or the amazing positive vibration of the Yenmakaje house at Perla in Kasargod.

Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.